iPhone 15 to Use 'State-of-the-Art' Image Sensor From Sony for Better Low-Light Performance

Apple's upcoming iPhone 15 models will be equipped with Sony's newest "state of the art" image sensors, according to a report from Nikkei.

Compared to standard sensors, Sony's image sensor doubles the saturation signal in each pixel, allowing it to capture more light to cut down on underexposure and overexposure. Nikkei says that it is able to better photograph a person's face even with strong backlighting, as an example.

Sony is using semiconductor architecture that puts photodiodes and transistors in separate layers, allowing for more photodiodes. It is not clear if all of the iPhone 15 models will use the new sensor technology, or if Apple will limit it to the higher-end "Pro" iPhone 15 models.

At the current time, rumors suggest that the iPhone 15 Pro will have several exclusive features that will not be available in the standard iPhone 15 models, including an updated A17 chip, a faster USB-C port, more RAM, and most notably, updated zoom camera technology.

Apple is working on a periscope telephoto lens that will improve the iPhone 15 Pro's optical zoom capabilities, allowing for up to 10x optical zoom to match some Android smartphones that are on the market.

The Sony image sensor technology described here would likely be used for the Wide camera that Apple considers the iPhone's "main" camera as Apple typically uses different technology for each lens.