Frankly I don't care for any of this speculation about larger sensors when as you put it they aren't leaving room for it in these designs. But ultimately the proof is in the pudding. Look at the sample shot. Does it look like it came from a bigger sensor? To me it doesn't. What's the point of speculating about whether they employed black magic or physics from the future the rest of society hasn't yet discovered when the sample shot is in front of us?
Totally agree that there is no way to fit the innards of a point and shoot into a phone. I've seen the inside of an Canon SD300 and it's quite an amazing sight. There isn't a cubic millimeter in there that hasn't been utilized.
The only reason I like Xenon so much is that it helps a camera be able to be utilized in situations that it otherwise could not be used in. The LEDs I've seen are good for night Macro shots and that's it. Try to take a group shot in a dim-*** restaurant and it will suck, you could however take a picture of your dish or of the forks and knives just fine.
It would just add capability for taking pictures in a commonly encountered social situation for many. Nobody is saying Xenon is the end all and be all of photography. It just increases the utility of a simple phone camera. The major advantage is that it is on one's person at all times and being useful in more situations makes it that much more useful.
If an effective LED solution can be developed then more power to them, but so far it does not exist.
Totally agree that there is no way to fit the innards of a point and shoot into a phone. I've seen the inside of an Canon SD300 and it's quite an amazing sight. There isn't a cubic millimeter in there that hasn't been utilized.
The only reason I like Xenon so much is that it helps a camera be able to be utilized in situations that it otherwise could not be used in. The LEDs I've seen are good for night Macro shots and that's it. Try to take a group shot in a dim-*** restaurant and it will suck, you could however take a picture of your dish or of the forks and knives just fine.
It would just add capability for taking pictures in a commonly encountered social situation for many. Nobody is saying Xenon is the end all and be all of photography. It just increases the utility of a simple phone camera. The major advantage is that it is on one's person at all times and being useful in more situations makes it that much more useful.
If an effective LED solution can be developed then more power to them, but so far it does not exist.