Sony Announces New ‘Stacked CMOS Imaging Sensor’ for Phone Cameras

Sony:

Sony Corporation today announces the commercialization of the Exmor RS IMX230 for smartphone cameras and other devices requiring increasingly sophisticated image-capture functionality. With 21 effective megapixels, this stacked CMOS imaging sensor features compact size, higher image quality, and improved functionality. This is the industry’s first CMOS image sensor for smartphones to be equipped with an onboard image plane phase detection AF signal processing function to achieve excellent focus tracking of fast-moving subjects. The High Dynamic Range (HDR) function, which captures both backgrounds and subjects clearly and vividly even in high-contrast scenes such as backlit locations, now supports high-resolution still images and 4K video recording. This new CMOS image sensor will ship in April 2015.

Looks impressive — and Apple has long used Sony sensors for iPhone cameras. (Sony’s specs only list video frame rates going to 120 FPS — the iPhone 6 supports 240. Not sure if that’s only for HDR video, though.)

★ Monday, 17 November 2014