- According to a report from Nikkei Asia Review, Sony is set to bring its latest “state-of-the-art” image sensors to the cameras in Apple’s upcoming smartphones.
- These sensors could be part of Sony’s recently launched LYTIA brand, and could see future iPhones with improved low-light image-capturing capabilities.
- iPhone 15 is believed to be the first Apple smartphone to feature the new image sensor technology from Sony.
A new report indicates that Sony is set to supply Apple and other smartphone manufacturers with some of its “latest, state-of-the-art” image sensors.
It is possible that these new sensors are could be part of Sony’s LYTIA sensor brand, which it announced earlier this month. LYTIA is set to be a new product brand that Sony Semiconductor Solutions (SSS) makes for mobile devices.
“With LYTIA brand image sensors, SSS aims to build on its history of contributing to smartphone photography and videography culture by giving even more people access to creative imaging experiences ‘beyond imagination’,” the company said in the announcement.
Sony included nothing else about what products it would bring to the brand or when users could expect any more information. Now, according to Nikkei Asia Review, Sony’s new smartphone camera sensor “doubles the saturation signal level in each pixel” when compared to traditional smartphone cameras.
What this means is that the sensor could allow more light to enter the camera. This means that over and under-exposure could be reduced in certain instances. The example Nikkei uses is that the new sensor could capture the facial details of a subject even in a strongly backlit scene.
These details give more credence to the LYTIA theory, as Sony says the name “LYTIA” was created through the word Lyra (as in the constellation of the same name) and the word light.
“The name evokes the sensor’s ability to capture the scene before it as it really is,” Sony says.
Android Authority believes that the upcoming iPhone 15 from Apple could be using the new sensor. If this proves to be true the iPhone 15 could mark an Apple smartphone with significant low-light photo and video capture capabilities. Something that is often highlighted by Apple’s competitors.
Another rumoured innovation coming to Apple’s latest smartphones is its lack of physical buttons, according to industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo indicated that the Pro version of the iPhone 15 could have a solid-state button as its home button instead of a clicker button.
This solid-state button would use Taptic Engines located in the internal left and right sides of the device to “mimic” the feel of a click.
Finally, the iPhone 15 Pro is expected to feature a USB Type-C port instead of a Lightning one. We believe the device will be the start of Apple’s compliance with recent EU regulations around standardised charging ports for its mobile phones.
