Update (July 3, 2024): In a statement to SamMobile, Samsung shot down the rumor that it is providing camera sensors to the iPhone 16, and The Elec, the original source for the rumor, has pulled its article, further confirming that this was a false alarm.
Original story follows:
For the last few years, Samsung System LSI has been making some amazing camera sensors for smartphones. As such, it has supplied camera sensors to many smartphone brands. However, it has never supplied those to Apple for iPhones. Well, that could change soon if the latest news from South Korea is to be believed.
According to a new report from The Elec, Apple will use a camera sensor from Samsung System LSI for the primary rear camera of the iPhone 16. The publication claims that the Cupertino-based tech giant is currently conducting the final quality assessment on the image sensors provided by the South Korean tech giant.
Why is Apple sourcing camera sensors from Samsung rather than Sony?
Reportedly, Apple decided to source camera sensors for the iPhone 16 from Samsung rather than Sony because of two main reasons. First, the iPhone maker recently discovered that sensors from the Japanese supplier have issues related to reliability.
Second, Sony couldn’t deliver the required camera sensors to Apple for the iPhone 15 on time due to which the Cupertino-based tech giant had issues setting a launch date for the phone. Apple reportedly asked Samsung to start developing sensors for the iPhone 16 last year.
The story continues after the video…
According to it, the image sensor Samsung System LSI has developed for iPhone 16 has a three-wafer stack. Each stack features a different element: photodiodes, transistors, and analog-digital converter logic.
For comparison, the previous and current iPhones use image sensors with a two-wafer stack, One wafer has photodiodes and transistors and the other has analog-digital converter logic. Going from a two-wafer stack to a three-wafer stack design offers higher pixel density, reduced noise, and smaller pixel sizes.
