Samsung reportedly working on a 3-layer stacked camera sensor for iPhone

sony Apple has had an exclusive manufacturing contract for iPhone camera sensors for more than a decade, but Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said last year this will change and iPhone 18. This view has now been supported by another report, which provides more details.

The latest article says this Samsung A 3-layer stacked camera sensor is being developed for Apple, which should improve future iPhone camera performance…

Sony iPhone camera sensor

Sony has been making state-of-the-art smartphone camera sensors for years, and it’s no secret that they’ve been making all the sensors used in iPhones for a long time.

If teardowns revealing known Sony models weren’t enough evidence, Apple CEO Tim Cook made it clear a few years ago that Tweets about the visit He visited Sony’s camera sensor factory in Kumamoto.

For more than a decade, we’ve been working with Sony to create the world’s leading camera sensors for iPhone. Thanks to Ken and everyone on the team for taking me on a tour of Kumamoto’s cutting-edge facilities today.

But Samsung might make one for iPhone 18

However, Guo said last summer Samsung is expected to produce at least one sensor for the iPhone 18 in 2026.

Samsung is expected to begin supplying iPhone’s 1/2.6-inch 48MP ultra-wide CMOS image sensor (CIS) to Apple as early as 2026, breaking Sony’s years-long monopoly on supplying CIS to Apple. To this end, Samsung has established a dedicated team to serve Apple.

leaker yokan losrebePeople who mainly publish Samsung content agree with this view and claim to have some details about the sensor.

Exclusive report: Samsung is currently developing a “three-layer stack” image sensor using PD-TR-Logic configuration for Apple. This sensor is more advanced than Sony’s existing Exmor RS, and I believe it cannot be ruled out as a potential candidate for the main sensor.

Stacked sensors have their processing electronics mounted directly on the back of the sensor, and the three-layer version will have more circuitry connected to the sensor, which should increase signal processing speeds. This will improve the camera’s responsiveness.

Stacking sensors also has the potential to improve image quality by eliminating some sources of noise.

Jukanlosreve also said that Samsung is developing a 500MP sensor for its smartphones. While this may sound ridiculous, it is consistent with what the company strives to do Sounds like impressive megapixel numbers Even though the end result is a much noisier image.

9to5Mac’s Opinion

Both reports are still not enough to prove that Apple’s supply chain will undergo fairly significant changes, but there is no doubt that Samsung has been working hard to win the iPhone maker’s business.

Additionally, Apple prefers to have multiple major component suppliers, both for contingency planning and to increase its negotiating power. So it’s entirely believable that Apple would seek to buy some from Samsung even if it continues to use Sony sensors.

While reports suggest the new sensor could be used for the primary camera, it seems more likely that Apple will use a secondary sensor to test the waters first.

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