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Apple is using Sony camera sensors for iPhone for over a decade, CEO Tim Cook says

Published Dec 14, 2022 2:27 pm

Apple has been partnering with Sony for over a decade in making camera sensors for iPhone.

In a rare move, Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook tweeted about the California company's long-time collaboration with the Japanese brand, which is considered as among the best in the image sensor market.

"We’ve been partnering with Sony for over a decade to create the world’s leading camera sensors for iPhone," Cook tweeted on Dec. 12. "Thanks to Ken and everyone on the team for showing me around the cutting-edge facility in Kumamoto today."

Apple only lists its products' camera specifications like megapixels, resolution, aperture, field of view, and lens on its website. It never mentions the specific hardware its mobile tech is utilizing.

Several past reports and industry rumors, however, have since talked about Apple using Sony hardware.

In 2013, how-to website iFixit listed specific Sony model numbers in teardown blogs.

A 2015 report from the Wall Street Journal stated that Apple was using two Sony sensors for iPhone 6.

Mobile phone reviewer GSMArena in 2021 said Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max uses three Sony sensors.

Last November, business news website Nikkei Asia reported that Sony Group will supply Apple with the latest state-of-the-art image sensor for its next series of iPhones that will go on sale in 2023.

Sony's new image sensor roughly doubles the saturation signal level in each pixel. This means more light can be captured and overexposure or underexposure would be reduced in certain settings, allowing for a clearer capture of a person's face despite standing against a strong backlight, Nikkei Asia reported.

It will be manufactured in Sony's plant in Nagasaki, and will soon be shipped to Apple as well as other smartphone makers.