Camera phones are gaining megapixels all the time. The higher the megapixel resolution the larger images the phones can take and the better the image quality to some extent. However, many camera sensors on the market don’t perform well in low light situations.

A company called Aptina has announced its latest image sensor is entering mass production and is aimed at high-end 5-megapixel camera phones. The sensor is called the MT9P012 and in addition to high-resolution it promises to deliver 2x the low light performance of previous generation sensors.

Perhaps the best feature of the sensor is that it can record 720p high definition video at 60 frames per second and full 5-megapixel resolution video at 15 frames per second. The sensor is the third generation 1.75-micro pixel sensor from Aptina. Mass production for the sensor is slated for January 2009.

Aptina