iPhone 15 models will use "state-of-the-art" image sensor from Sony that increases amount of light captured

The iPhone often sits near the top of smartphone photography rankings, and with good reason. Each year, Apple's smartphone puts out incredible images, and Apple has placed a large emphasis on photography over the past few years. According to a new report from Nikkei, the iPhone 15 may dominate the smartphone photography world thanks to Sony's latest image processors.

In a report published today, Nikkei claims that Sony has agreed to supply Apple with its "latest state-of-the-art image sensor." Sony has manufactured the image sensors used in the iPhone for years, so it isn't too surprising that the Japanese electronics company will continue what has likely been a lucrative partnership. 

The new image sensor focuses on increasing the amount of light received to help improve a photo's exposure. According to Nikkei, the sensor "doubles the saturation signal level in each pixel" of an image, which in turn helps the smartphone reduce or increase exposure. This would be helpful in defining features of a subject in front of a bright or harsh backlight, particularly in night photography in light-dense areas like a busy city street. 

The new sensor puts photodiodes (the small electronics that sense light) in their own layer, allowing for more photodiodes in total. By breaking out the photodiodes into a separate layer, Sony is able to pack more of the tiny light sensors into the image sensor and vastly increase the amount of light the sensor can absorb, as well as improving how the sensor registers light data. 

It is unclear at this time if the new Sony sensor will be included in all models of the iPhone 15. Like the current iPhone 14, Apple's next smartphone will feature two base models and two "Pro" models that will feature substantially improved hardware, particularly the processor and camera system. 

Buy an iPhone 14 camera tripod at Amazon.