The next Apple (AAPL) iPhone series will be equipped with Sony Group's latest state-of-the-art image sensor, according to a report by Nikkei on Monday.
The sensor will be supplied to Apple for the next series of iPhones that go on sale next year, the publication said. Sony's Semiconductor Solutions division created the new image sensor, which it will manufacture at its Nagasaki plant and start shipping to Apple and other smartphone makers.
Sony already supplies image sensors to Apple but is said to be under pressure from rival Samsung Electronics. The new image sensor by Sony is said to approximately double the saturation signal level in each pixel compared with traditional sensors, meaning it is able to capture more light and lower overexposure or underexposure in specific settings.
Nikkei quoted a component manufacturer executive as stating that the current sensor "landscape could change in one or two years."
The publication noted that according to analytics firm Omdia, Sony controlled a 44% global share in complementary metal oxide semiconductor image sensors last year.
By Sam Boughedda