Following similar steps in 2023’s iPhone 15 models, Apple is apparently going to implement a stacked rear camera sensor configuration across the entire iPhone 16 series.
Ming-Chi Kuo, an industry analyst for Apple, predicts that two iPhone 16 Pro versions would use stacked CIS (CMOS Image Sensor) technology.
The camera can capture lighter, have a larger dynamic range, and perform better in low-light conditions thanks to its layered CIS construction.
According to rumours, Apple will use stacked sensors for the 48MP wide camera on the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus.
To accommodate Apple’s demand, Sony, a supplier of premium sensors, raised production capacity by 100–120%.
Two 2H24 iPhone 16 Pro models will also adopt stacked-designed CIS, meaning Sony’s high-end CIS capacity will remain constrained in 2024. As a result, Kuo wrote in a Medium post, Will Semi will continue to benefit from increased orders for high-end CIS from Chinese smartphone brands (design-in & design-win).
Competitor Will Semi is anticipated to gain from Sony’s constrained capacity as a result of increased orders for high-end CIS from Chinese smartphone manufacturers.
It’s anticipated that the iPhone 16 series would debut in the second half of 2024.
“From the point of view of the camera, is the mention of a ‘more stacked design CIS’. This is a strong hint that Apple will be switching to a new 2-layer transistor pixel stacked CMOS sensor technology in 2025—the 2-layer stacked CMOS sensor being “more stacked” than current single-layer versions,” commented a Forbes report.
“An upgrade in sensor technology is a tremendously powerful way of boosting camera performance, because significant improvements can be made without having to resort to ever-larger sensors and brighter, more expensive lenses to achieve the same effect,” it added further.
According to rumours, the 48-megapixel wide-angle camera on the iPhone 16 Pro Max would sport an eight-part hybrid lens made of two glass and six plastic pieces, as well as improvements to the telephoto and ultra-wide camera lenses.
According to reports, Apple will introduce its iPhone 15 smartphone lineup on September 13.
Pre-orders should start on September 15 if the tech giant unveils the device on September 13; the formal launch will take place a week later, on September 22, according to 9To5Mac.
For comparison, pre-orders for the iPhone 14 began on September 9, 2022, while the device didn’t officially go on sale until September 16 of that same year.