The iPhone 17 isn’t out yet, but we already have early rumors about the next generation of iPhones. The iPhone 18 series may have a foldable device next year, and the iPhone 19 may bring a big design change, Apple’s first zero-bezel screen.
It’s not just the big changes that have started to leak, as some reports also mention the main components of the iPhone that most people wouldn’t consider. The iPhone’s camera module is one such feature, and Apple is said to be making a significant upgrade with the iPhone 18 series.
Apparently, Apple will replace the Sony sensor with one made by Samsung. The Korean giant has a well-documented love-hate relationship with Apple. On the one hand, Samsung has never been able to surpass the iPhone, which is the fiercest competitor in the mobile business. On the other hand, other divisions of Samsung supply key components to Apple without which the iPhone would not be possible.
The move from Sony isn’t necessarily surprising, as it has been shown in several reports this past summer. Ming-Chi Kuo said in mid-July that the iPhone 18 series will get a new 48-megapixel sensor made by Samsung.
The insider did not provide additional details about the supposed deal on the iPhone 18’s ultra-wide camera:
Samsung is expected to start sending 1/2.6-inch 48MP ultra-wide CMOS image sensor (CIS) to Apple for iPhones as early as 2026, breaking Sony’s years of monopoly to provide CIS to Apple. For this purpose, Samsung has created a special team to serve Apple.
Now we get an idea of what Samsung can do for Apple thanks to an update from a reliable leaker Jukanlosreve in X:
Exclusive: Samsung is now developing a “3-layer stacked” image sensor in a PD-TR-Logic configuration for Apple.
This sensor is more advanced than Sony’s existing Exmor RS, and I believe it cannot be rejected as a potential candidate for the main sensor.
Samsung is working on a 3-layer stack image sensor for Apple while developing a 500MP sensor for its own Galaxy devices.
The “3-layer stacked” image sensor features a pixel array (PD), a logic layer, and a temporary storage (TR) chip. The latter is a new one, compared to the sensors that only have two.
Then again, the technology isn’t that new, as Samsung introduced its 3-stack Isocell camera sensor in early 2018. At the time, Samsung focused on slow motion with its 3-layer stack image sensor. That takes better slow motion video. The TR layer will allow the sensor to handle high-speed data, the type suitable for such shooting modes.
Sony has its own 3 layer stack sensor. It’s unclear why Apple would switch to Samsung or for what purpose. Smooth slow-motion video doesn’t work, of course.
Separately, another big camera upgrade is coming to the iPhone 18 series. According to an early November report from Kuo, the iPhone 18 Pro model will feature a camera with a variable aperture. Analysts did not mention Samsung’s camera sensor in the same report.
But if both claims are true, the iPhone 18 series may have a wide-angle camera with a Samsung-made sensor and a variable aperture lens.
