So it's actually a 12 MP sensor? That's more in line with what I expected.
No. I understand Samsung phones will default to 4000x3000 when the main camera is used, unless higher resolution is chosen, as far as I know.
Both my A12 and my daughter-in-law's S23 ultra behaves this way, pixel "binning" as Richard was talking about.
I don't mind that as the 48 MP photos from my A12 don't look any better than those 4000x3000 ones, just much bigger file sizes.
Is there any advantage to this pixel binning though vs simply downsampling the images on your computer?
EXR cameras also pixel bin, but they use it to improve dynamic range, which is useful.
I am pretty sure we are seeing pixel binning plus a whole lot of other stuff going on in-camera before the jpeg is created. Improving the features of the camera seem to be what cell phone manufacturers concentrate on with each new phone they bring to market, so they are using binning, artificial intelligence, multiple lenses, and other technologies to "improve" the cell phone cameras to give consumers new features with each new phone. Camera manufacturers already gave up on the compact market and are now concentrating on enthusiasts and professionals because they know, as technology continues to improve, fewer consumers will see a need to spend additional dollars on a standalone camera when they have a powerful enough camera in their smartphone.
A company like Nikon could become like Leica at some point, with more expensive products aimed at a specific market, as their base consumers get older and they fail to attract younger consumers. Sony and Canon are larger and more diversified, so they may be able to sustain longer, but I can easily see their camera and lens divisions shrinking in the future.
