A big part of what makes Samsung’s flagships special is the amount of camera they are able to add every year. The S22 Ultra, that launched earlier this year had a very similar camera layout to it’s predecessor, but Samsung was still able to improve it meaningfully with a new SoC under the hood. The upcoming S23 Ultra camera is likely going to get updated, and rumors suggest Samsung is going to use the Hexa²pixel moniker for marketing the phone’s primary camera array. 

The Moto flagship phone has a 200MP sensor (HP1) and you're looking at a 4 in 1 photo, 50MP. The Galaxy S23 Ultra will also use 200MP, but the relevant sensor has not been announced. pic.twitter.com/Fc8JzCppKp

— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) July 14, 2022

The Hexa²pixel name makes more sense when taken in light with earlier leaks, which suggest the S23 Ultra will sport a 200-megapixel primary lens. The name Hexa²pixel likely points to a 6-in-1 binning technique. 

Pixel binning refers to combining a group of neighboring pixels to form a big pixel. This helps in getting better detailed images with reduced noise. Usually phones have used 4-in-1 binning, but there are obvious downsides to the process too. Quad-binning for example reduces resolution by 4 times, so a 48-megapixel camera sensor will only output a 12-megapixel image. 

This is where Samsung’s decision to use a 200-megapixel sensor will likely pay off. With even 6-in-1 binning, the phone can theoretically output highly detailed 32-megapixel images. The phone’s probable release is still quite time away, and a lot can change till then, so take these rumors with a pinch of salt. Pixel binning in itself is not a next generation camera feature, so it will be interesting to see what more Samsung has in-store with the Galaxy S23 Ultra.