Sony IMX386 vs IMX378 Sensor Specifications Comparison & Phone List

Do you use your smartphone camera as your primary imaging device? If yes, then check out our comparison of the Sony IMX386 vs IMX378 sensors designed for smartphones. Why? it is because a lot of phones use them and have excellent imaging capabilities.

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In today’s discussion, we will be talking about two of the well known Exmor series camera sensors. As most of you might already know, Exmor CMOS sensors are produced by Sony since 2008. Since then, Sony introduced many different families with different specification, specialty, and purpose. The list includes Exmor family, Exmor R sensor family, Exmor RS sensor family and Exmor imaging modules.

Related Reading: Budget Phones With Dual Rear Camera and Dual Lens in India

Table of Contents

Sony IMX386 vs IMX378

In this post, we will be comparing Exmor RS IMX 378 and Exmor RS IMX 386. Moreover, we will also quick-review some smartphones in which these camera sensors are used so our readers can get a better idea. Both IMX 378 and IMX 386 come from Exmor RS sensor family. Exmor RS was announced by Sony back in 2012, which uses a stacked CMOS sensor. However, the pair we are talking about was released last year, IMX386 in July and IMX378 in September of 2016.

Since the release date is close, many people believe that there is not much difference in their performance, which is the half-truth. Following table represents a quick comparison of these two camera sensors in various terms. Have a look:

Specification	Exmor RS IMX 378	Exmor RS IMX 386
Effective Resolution	4056 x 3040	3968 x 2976
Effective Pixels	12.2 MP	12 MP
Diagonal Sensor Size	7.81 mm (1/2.3”)	6.2 mm (1/2.9”)
Unit Cell Size	1.55 μm	1.25 μm
Output	MIPD D-PHY (4 Lane)	Not Specified
Sub-pixel Layout	RGB	RGB
Phase Detection Autofocus	YES	YES
Gyro Image Stabilization	YES	None
Release Date	September 2016	July 2016

As the table clarifies, the IMX 386 and IMX 378 differ a lot in various aspects. There are the noticeable differences in resolution, effective pixels, sensor and cell size, output, etc. However, there are also some similarities. For example, both of them possess subpixel layout and phase detection auto-focusing technology. Considering that you are concerned about these sensors as smartphone buyers, this much information is quite enough. They both have their qualities and flaws. Moreover, they don’t affect the price of the smartphone on a large scale so that you can go with either one. Moreover, it also depends on the device manufacturer how they implemented it on their phones.

To make the task simple, we have compiled the list below that contains devices using IMX 386 and IMX 378 camera sensors. Hope this list will assist you to pick the right device that matches your requirements. Here we begin:

Smartphones with Exmor RS IMX386:

First, we are going to check out the phones with a Sony IMX386 imaging sensor. It is commonly found on a lot of mid to top range phones, especially from the house of Xiaomi and Huawei. Let’s check them out!

1. Xiaomi Mi Mix 2:

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Network	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE
Platform	Android 7.1 Nougat OS Qualcomm MSM 8998 Snapdragon 835 chipset Octa Core CPU [4 @ 2.45 GHz, 4 @ 1.9 GHz] Adreno 540 GPU
Memory	64 GB / 128 GB / 256 GB internal storage No memory card slot 6 GB / 8 GB RAM
Camera	12 MP Primary, f/2.0, ½.9” sensor, 1.25 um pixel 5 MP secondary, f/2.0, 1080p
Camera Features	Phase detection autofocus, 4-axis OIS, Dual tone LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, Face detection, HDR, Panorama
Video Resolution	2160p @ 30 fps 1080p @ 30 fps 720p @ 120 fps
Display	IPS LCD Capacitive Touchscreen with 16M colors 5.99 inches / 92.6 cm² 1080 x 2160 resolution with 18:9 aspect ratio 403ppi pixel density, Multitouch support Corning gorilla glass 4 Protection
Battery	3400 mAh battery capacity Non-removable lithium – ion battery
Connectivity	Dual-Band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE GPS with GLONASS, BDS, A-GPS NFC connectivity Type C USB reversible connector
Sensors	Fingerprint sensor on rear, accelerometer, gyroscope sensor, proximity sensor, compass, barometer
Body	151.8 x 75.5 x 7.7 mm 185 g / 6.53 Oz

2. Motorola Moto Z2 Force:

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Network	GSM / HSPA / LTE
Platform	Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS Update for Android 8.0 Oreo is about to release Qualcomm MSM 8998 Snapdragon 835 Chipset Octa Core CPU [4 @ 2.35 GHz, 4 @ 1.9 GHz] Adreno 540 GPU
Memory	64 GB / 128 GB internal storage Expandable up to 256 GB with dedicated card slot 4 GB / 6 GB RAM
Camera	Dual 12 MP primary, f/2.0, ½.9” sensor size, 1.25 um pixel size 5 MP secondary, f/2.2, dual tone LED flash
Camera Features	Laser + Phase detection autofocus, Dual tone LED flash, Geo-tagging, Touch focus, Face detection, HDR, Panorama
Video Resolution	2160p @ 30 fps 1080p @ 30 / 60 / 120 fps 720p @ 240 fps
Display	P-OLED Capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors 5.5 inches / 83.4 cm² 1440 x 2560 resolution with 16:9 aspect ratio 534ppi pixel density Multitouch support, shatterproof protection
Battery	2730 mAh battery capacity Non-removable Lithium-ion battery
Connectivity	Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, EDR, LE, AptX [Bluetooth 5.0 upgradable] GPS with A-GPS technology NFC connectivity Type C 1.0 USB reversible Connector USB on the go with magnetic connector
Sensors	Fingerprint on the rear, Accelerometer, Gyroscope sensor, Proximity Sensor, Compass Barometer
Body	155.8 x 76 x 6.1 mm 143 g / 5.04 Oz

3. Xiaomi Mi Max 2:

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Network	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE
Platform	Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS Qualcomm MSM 8953 Snapdragon 625 Chipset Octa Core CPU [2.0 GHz Cortex A53] Adreno 506 GPU
Memory	32 GB / 64 GB / 128 GB internal storage Expandable up to 256 GB with dedicated card slot 4 GB RAM
Camera	12 MP primary, f/2.2, ½.9” sensor, 1.25 um pixel 5 MP secondary with f/2.0 aperture
Camera Features	Phase detection autofocus, Dual tone LED flash, Geo-tagging, Touch focus, Face detection, HDR, Panorama
Video Resolution	2160p @ 30 fps 720p @ 120 fps
Display	IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors 6.44 inches / 114.3 cm² 1080 x 1920 resolution with 16:9 aspect ratio 342ppi pixel density Multitouch support Corning gorilla glass 3 protection
Battery	5300 mAh battery capacity Non-removable lithium – ion battery
Connectivity	Dual-Band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Hotspot Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, LE GPS with GLONASS, BDS, A-GPS Infrared port, FM radio Type C 1.0 USB reversible connector
Sensors	Fingerprint on rear, accelerometer, gyroscope sensor, proximity sensor, compass
Body	174.1 x 88.7 x 7.6 mm 211 g / 7.44 Oz

4. Huawei Honor 6X:

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Network	GSM / HSPA / LTE
Platform	Android OS 6.0 Marshmallow, upgradable to Android 7.0 Nougat Hi-Silicon Kirin 655 Chipset Octa Core CPU [4 @ 2.1 GHz Cortex A53, 4 @ 1.7 GHz Cortex A53] Mali T830MP2 GPU
Memory	32 GB / 64 GB internal storage Expandable up to 256 GB with dedicated card slot 3 GB / 4 GB RAM
Camera	12MP + 2MP primary, ½.9” sensor, 1.25 um pixel 8 MP secondary with 1080p max resolution
Camera Features	Phase detection autofocus, LED Flash, Geo Tagging, Touch focus, Face detection, HDR, Panorama
Video Resolution	1080p @ 30 fps
Display	LTPS IPS LCD Capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors, Multitouch support 5.5 inches / 82.6 cm² 1080 x 1920 resolution with 16:9 aspect ratio 403ppi pixel density
Battery	3340 mAh battery capacity Nonremovable Lithium-ion battery
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot Bluetooth 4.1, A2DP, EDR, LE GPS with GLONASS, BDS, A-GPS FM radio, Micro USB 2.0
Sensors	Fingerprint sensor on rear, accelerometer, proximity sensor, compass
Body	150.9 x 76.2 x 8.2 mm 1662 g / 5.71 Oz

5. Huawei Nova:

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Network	GSM / HSPA / LTE
Platform	Android OS 6.0.1 Marshmallow Upgradable to Android 7.0 Nougat Qualcomm MSM 8953 Snapdragon 625 Chipset Octa Core CPU [2.0 GHz Cortex A53] Adreno 506 GPU
Memory	32 GB internal storage Expandable up to 256 GB, uses sim 2 slot 3 GB RAM
Camera	12 MP primary, 1/2.9” sensor size, 1.25 um pixel 8 MP secondary camera
Camera Features	Phase detection autofocus, LED Flash, Geo-tagging, Touch focus, Face detection, HDR, Panorama
Video Resolution	2160p @ 30 fps
Display	IPS LCD Capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors 5.0 inches / 68.9 cm² 1080 x 1920 resolution with 16:9 aspect ratio 441ppi pixel density Multitouch support
Battery	3020 mAh battery capacity Nonremovable Lithium Polymer Battery
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot Bluetooth 4.1, A2DP, LE GPS with GLONASS, A-GPS NFC connectivity, FM Radio Type C 1.0 reversible USB connector
Sensors	Fingerprint sensor on rear, accelerometer, Gyroscope sensor, Proximity sensor, compass
Body	141.2 x 69.1 x 7.1 mm 146 g / 5.15 oz

Smartphones with Exmor RS IMX378:

The Google Pixel is said to have one of the best smartphone cameras of 2016 flagships. Google choose the IMX378 on these devices and the results are outstanding for a phone camera. Let’s check out the phones which uses this sensor.

1. Google Pixel:

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Network	GSM / HSPA / LTE
Platform	Android OS 7.1 Nougat Upgradable to Android 8.0 Oreo Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821 Quad Quad-Core 2.15 GHz, 2 @ 1.6 GHz) CPU Adreno 530 GPU
Memory	32/128 GB Internal Storage 4 GB RAM
Camera	12.3 MP primary, 1.55 um pixel, f/2.0, ½.3” sensor 8 MP secondary, f/2.4, 1/3.2” sensor, 1.4 um pixel
Camera Features	Phase detection, Laser autofocus, Dual LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, Panorama
Video Resolution	2160p at 30 fps 1080p at 30/60/120 fps 720pgeo-tagging
Display	AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with 16 M colors 5.0 inches / 68.9 CM² 1080 x 1920 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio 441ppi density Corning gorilla glass 4 protection Multitouch support
Battery	Non removable 2770 mAh battery 456 Hours standby 26 hours talk time 110 hours music play
Connectivity	Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Hotspot Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, LE, aptX GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS NFC USB 3.0 Type C 1.0 reversible connector
Sensors	Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Barometer
Body	143.8 x 69.5 x 8.5mm 143 g / 5.04 Oz

2. Google Pixel XL:

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Network	GSM / HSPA / LTE
Platform	Android OS 7.1 Nougat Upgradable to Android OS 8.0 Oreo Qualcomm SM8996 Snapdragon 821 Chipset Quad-Core CPU [2 @ 2.15 GHz, 2 @ 1.6 GHz] Adreno 530 GPU
Memory	32 / 128 GB internal storage 4 GB RAM
Camera	12.3 MP primary, f/2.0, 1/2.3” sensor, 1.55 um pixel 8 MP secondary, f/2.4, 1/3.2” sensor, 1.4 um pixel
Camera Features	Phase detection, laser autofocus, dual LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, Panorama
Video Resolution	2160p at 30 fps 1080p at 30/60/120 fps 720p at 240 fps
Display	AMOLED capacitive screen with 16M colors 5.5 inches / 83.4 cm² 1440 x 2560 resolution with 16:9 aspect ratio 534ppi pixel density, Multitouch support Corning gorilla glass 4
Battery	3450 mAh non-removable Li-ion battery 552 hours standby 32 hours talk time 130 hours music play
Connectivity	Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Hotspot Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, LE, AptX GPS with GLONASS, A-GPS NFC function USB 3.0, type C reversible connector
Sensors	Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, compass, barometer
Body	154.7 x 75.7 x 8.5 mm 168 g / 5.93 oz

3. Xiaomi Mi 5s:

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Network	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE
Platform	Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821 chipset Quad-Core CPU [2 @ 2.15 GHz, 2 @ 1.6 GHz] Adreno 530 GPU
Memory	64 GB / 128 GB internal storage 3 GB / 4 GB RAM No memory card slot
Camera	12 MP primary, f/2.0, ½.3” sensor, 1.55um pixel 4 MP secondary, f/2.0, 1/3” sensor, 2 um pixel
Camera Features	Phase detection-tagging, Dual tone LED flash, geo-tagging, touch focus, face-smile detection, panorama, auto HDR
Video Resolution	2160p @ 30fps 1080p @ 120fps
Display	IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors 5.15 inches / 73.1 cm² 1080 x 1920 resolution with 16:9 aspect ratio 428ppi pixel density Multitouch support
Battery	3200 mAh Li-ion battery Non removable
Connectivity	Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Hotspot Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, LE, AptX GPS with GLONASS, A-GPS NFC function USB 3.0, type C reversible connector
Sensors	Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Barometer
Body	145.6 x 70.3 x 8.3 mm 145 g / 5.11 Oz

4. Blackberry KeyOne:

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Network	GSM / HSPA / LTE
Platform	Android OS 7.1 Nougat Qualcomm MSM8953 Snapdragon 625 chipset Octa Core 2.0 GHz Cortex A53 CPU Adreno 506 GPU
Memory	32 GB / 64 GB internal storage 3 GB / 4 GB of RAM
Camera	12 MP primary, f/2.0, ½.3” sensor, 1.55 um pixel 8 MP secondary, f/2.2, 1.12 um pixel
Camera Features	Phase detection autofocus, Dual tone LED flash, Geo-tagging, Touch focus, Face detection, HDR, Panorama
Video Resolution	2160p @ 30 fps
Display	IPS LCD Capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors 4.5 inches / 60.3 cm² 1080 x 1620 resolution with 3:2 aspect ratio 433ppi pixel density Multitouch support Corning gorilla glass 3 protection
Battery	3505 mAh Battery capacity Lithium-ion non-removable battery
Connectivity	Dual-Band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot Bluetooth 4.2, A2DP, LE, EDR GPS with GLONASS, BDS2, A-GPS NFC connectivity, FM Radio USB 3.1 Type C reversible connector USB on-the-go
Sensors	Fingerprint Sensor, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Compass
Body	149.1 x 72.4 x 9.4 mm 180 g / 6.35 Oz

Conclusion:

We hope you like our article on Sony IMX386 vs IMX378 imaging sensors comparison. For feedback and suggestions, please use the comment section down below.

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4 Comments

Abdelrahman Kamel says:

10 November, 2017 at 6:55 pm

Hi,

Thank you for the nice article.
Is there any source of information about IMX386 and IMX378 sensors? maybe a Sony news article or specification file?

Thanks.
1. IG says:
  
  11 November, 2017 at 10:07 am
  
  You can check it out from their official site here:
  http://www.sony-semicon.co.jp/products_en/IS/sensor1/
2. Indrajit says:
  
  11 November, 2017 at 10:08 am
  
  You can check it out from their official website : http://www.sony-semicon.co.jp/products_en/IS/sensor1/
  1. Abdelrahman Kamel says:
    
    11 November, 2017 at 12:49 pm
    
    Thanks Indrajit for the link. However, I already checked their website for IMX386 and IMX378 specifically, I couldn’t find any info. I think I will try to contact them.