Sony to Supply Apple With State-of-the-Art Image Sensor for iPhone 15 [Report]

Sony will supply Apple with its latest state-of-the-art image sensor for the iPhone 15, according to a new report from Nikkei. The image sensor will be manufactured at Sony's Nagasaki plant.

Incorporating the new image sensor into the upcoming iPhones will be crucial for Sony to consolidate its competitive advantage in high-definition photography technology. Top rival Samsung Electronics has ramped up pressure on Sony, which already supplies image sensors to Apple, in this field.

Sony's new image sensor is said to roughly double the saturation signal level in each pixel, compared to conventional sensors. This means that its sensors can capture more light and reduce over or underexposure in some situations, making it possible to clearly capture a subject's face, even if there is a strong light behind them.


To accomplish this, Sony has used a new semiconductor architecture that places photodiodes and transistors in separate substrate layers, allowing the sensor to add more photodiodes to the dedicated layer.

Sony is aiming to capture 60% of the market in CMOS image sensors by 2025, up from 44% of the market last year.

Apple is rumored to offer four models of the iPhone 15, two high-end and two standard. All four will likely make the switch to USB-C from Lightning as demanded by the European Union. The Pro model is expected to get a faster processor, 8GB of RAM, and an 8P (eight plastic lenses) main camera. The Pro Max model will allegedly feature a periscope lens for better optical zoom. Finally, Apple will purportedly stick with Qualcomm for the 5G modem on the iPhone 15, moving to its own modem in 2024.

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