Eliminate the bulge on the back? Apple iPhone 15 series will be equipped with Sony's latest image sensor

Nov 29,2022

According to the Nikkei Chinese website, the iPhone 15 Pro series model that Apple will launch next year will be equipped with Sony's latest image sensor. It is reported that the device can bring better imaging quality and higher dynamic range, and can capture face details well even in strong backlight environment.

It is reported that Sony's new generation image sensor has doubled the saturation signal level of each pixel. The sensor can capture more light and reduce overexposure or underexposure under certain settings, making the smartphone camera more suitable for portrait photography, even under strong backlight.

Sony Semiconductor Solutions has developed a new image sensor, which will be produced in its Nagasaki plant and started shipping to Apple and other smartphone manufacturers. Winning a large order from Apple may bring Sony a competitive advantage in high-definition photography technology, putting pressure on its main competitor Samsung Electronics. An executive at a component manufacturer said that "the situation may change in a year or two".

According to the data of Omdia, a British analysis company, Sony accounted for 44% of the global share of CMOS image sensors last year, while Samsung ranked second with only 18.5%. But Sony's share has been declining in recent years. In 2020, due to the tension between the United States and China, Sony lost business contacts with Chinese smartphone manufacturers.

In May this year, Sony announced that it planned to provide 900 billion yen (about 6.46 billion dollars) of capital expenditure for image sensors in the three years up to fiscal year 2023, increasing the previously planned figure by 200 billion yen. At the Nagasaki plant, the group is expanding its latest plant, which went into operation last year.

It is worth noting that it is reported that the iPhone 15 will introduce a periscope camera, that is, by using a folding camera system, the advantage is to reduce the bulge of the camera part. The new Sony sensor described by Nikkei may be a wide-angle camera, and Apple will generally set its wide-angle lens as the main camera of the iPhone. The introduction of Sony Image Processor into the iPhone 15 series will leave more space between the lens and the sensor by using the folding camera system, bring better optical zoom to the smartphone, and reduce the camera bulge on the back of the phone.
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