Sony’s new sensor could bring super slo-mo video to iPhone

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The iPhone 7 Plus will completely change your photos.
The iPhone 7 Plus will completely change your photos.
Photo: Apple

Future iPhones may be set to get a huge video upgrade, thanks to a new smartphone camera sensor created by Apple’s longtime supplier.

Sony has reportedly developed a new image sensor that is capable of shooting video at 960fps. That’s 720 frames more than the iPhone’s current slo-mo feature.

Apple has used Sony’s camera sensors in a number of iPhones, including the new dual-lens cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus. While there’s no guarantee the new CMOS sensor will be used by Apple, Sony says it expects the small chip to be used in mobile devices like smartphones.

Sony unveiled the new senor during a lecture at the 2017 International Solid-State Circuits Conference, according to a report from Nikkei Technology. To crank up the chip’s speed, Sony added a DRAM layer between the image sensing part and the logic circuit.

The DRAM layer makes it possible to shoot 19.3MP still images at a frame rate of 120 fps. It can shoot 960fps video in 1080p. The iPhone 7 only shoots 240fps video in 720p.

Sony hasn’t said when it expects the chip to hit the market. If Apple does use it though it won’t be the first smartphone camera to shoot in 960fps. Lenovo’s Zuk Z2 currently boasts the capability. Other smartphone manufacturers are likely to adopt it soon as well.

Here’s an example of crazy shots you can get in 960fps:

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