Samsung has announced a new smartphone camera module that will allow for much thinner handsets and theoretically amazing low-light shots.

The Korean firm has created the world's first 1.0 micrometre 16MP CMOS image sensor - while that may not mean a lot to some, it's significant for the phone in your pocket.

The new sensor is thinner than previous units, allowing it to slide into slender devices without the need for a camera bulge on the rear - as we've seen on the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 4.

When the lights go out

It's the "1.0 micrometre" stat which is really getting us excited however, as this tells us that the individual pixels in the sensor will be huge. This means the camera will be able to suck in more light, which in turn means it should be a great performer in low light.

Samsung also mentions that the new, slimmer camera module (it's just 5mm tall) could lead to different design options for manufacturers.

The module is ready for use today, although it'll take manufacturers a while to work it into new handsets.

There's a chance it could debut in the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, set for launch on August 13, but we'll have to wait and see - there still seems to be a bulge in the invite teaser, which we assume is for the camera, so perhaps it's a little too soon.

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