Tim Cook recently revealed via a Tweet that Apple equips its smartphones with Sony image sensors “We’ve been partnering with Sony for over a decade to create the world’s leading camera sensors for iPhone,” he tweeted, during a tour of the company’s Japan facilities. He also thanked Kenichiro Yoshida, who is the CEO of Sony, for giving him a tour of the Kumamoto facility.
Apple generally keeps a lid on all specifics that are related to their hardware components, and this confirmation comes as a major reveal. Apple just talks about the specs each iPhone has on its website, as opposed to clarifying the specific components used.
Of course, there have always been industry rumours that indicated that the tech giant uses Sony hardware. Sony is known as a major name in the image sensor market, and the company commands 44% of the market share for CMOS image sensors. This is followed by Samsung, which has an 18.5 % market share.
It is believed that Sony has developed a new image sensor. This sensor uses a new semiconductor architecture and this helps it capture more light and decrease the amount of over- and underexposure in images. It is believed that this new sensor will feature in the company’s next generation of iPhones. Sony will also be sharing this sensor with other smartphone manufacturers.