Samsung has announced what it says is the industry's first 1.0μm pixel 16-megapixel CMOS image sensor for smartphone cameras.

It sounds like this could be shown off first in Samsung's Galaxy Note 5 which is expected to be unveiled in August.

But what does 1.0μm mean? Primarily it will mean a smaller camera but with better quality.

The new sensor is 20 per cent smaller in height than current 1.12μm-pixel sensors which should mean less protrusion. So that less-than-pretty jutting out camera on the S6 may not appear on the Note 5.

Despite cutting down that pixel size, which would normally mean less light collection, Samsung says the image results will be improved thanks to its Isocell technology.

Isocell should reduce colour crosstalk by adding physical barriers between pixels. The result should be better low light photography, thanks to enhanced light sensitivity, where colours appear richer than current cameras offer.

Samsung says the new 1.0μm sensor, dubbed S5K3P3, is available from today for manufacturers to incorporate into their next-generation smartphones. While others may adopt this technology in the future we'd expect to see it appear first on a Samsung, namely the Galaxy Note 5.

Check out our Galaxy Note 5 feature below for everything we know about the smartphone so far.

READ: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 release date, rumours, and everything you need to know