iPhone 15 could feature Sony’s ‘breakthrough’ camera sensor

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iPhone 14 Pro's camera module
Next year's iPhone camera could get some huge upgrades.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple’s 2023 iPhone 15 Pro lineup will reportedly use Sony’s new image sensor with some significant improvements. The next-gen sensor can seemingly capture more light and reduce overexposure and underexposure in challenging situations.

Sony is the primary camera sensor supplier for Apple. The change could allow the 2023 iPhones to deliver a massive leap in image quality.

Sony’s “state-of-the-art” image sensor could help in HDR scenes

The Nikkei Asia report says Sony’s new image sensor “doubles the saturation signal level in each pixel compared with conventional sensors.” This will allow the camera to easily capture photos of a person standing against a strong backlight without blowing out the highlights. Sony has reportedly achieved the “breakthrough” using a new semiconductor architecture.

iPhone’s HDR imaging performance has always been a weak point, and the new Sony image sensor could help resolve that. Apple could limit the use of the new image sensor to the more expensive iPhone 15 Pro series.

The iPhone 14 Pro‘s bigger and higher resolution 48MP sensor was expected to bring a radical jump in photo quality. But the improvements were not significant enough. This rumor indicates the 2023 iPhone won’t disappoint in this area.

iPhone 15 Pro could pack a periscope zoom camera

Rumors indicate the iPhone 15 Pro could feature a periscope telephoto zoom lens, greatly enhancing its zoom capabilities. Major Android flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the Google Pixel 7 Pro feature a dedicated periscope lens. This enables them to take notably between photos than the iPhone when using zoom levels greater than 5x.

The 2023 iPhone 15 Pro lineup could feature other significant changes, including a USB-C port, more RAM, and a new design.

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