Tech Desk 
Jul 07, 2025
Apple is developing a supercharged new camera sensor that will likely elevate iPhone photography to a level trampling what is achievable by professional cinema cameras.
Apple has been awarded a new patent in the US for its image sensor, developed in-house, which could, according to the patent documents, capture 20 stops of dynamic range, performance that is very close to how the human eye interprets the world.
If this process comes to fruition, this means that future versions of the iPhone camera will deliver crisper images, more accurate highlights and shadows, and improved results in low-light conditions, and will do so without compromising on the value of maximising its image-processing software.
The patent is titled "Image Sensor With Stacked Pixels Having High Dynamic Range And Low Noise," and the drawings illustrate one way they have designed a sensor, with two stacked layers.
Moreover, the top layer is where the light-sensitive diodes reside, while the lower layer is a logic layer to interpret the signals from the light-sensitive diodes when the light signal is captured. By employing this immediate layer of logic, it significantly reduces noise and allows for a thin enough sensor to fit on a cellular phone or VR device.
Apple's latest technology uses something called LOFIC (Lateral Overflow Integration Capacitor), which was a highly complex "zone" where the light level was fluctuating, and it can finally produce HDR-quality photographs while being subject to various lighting conditions.
There is also remarkable new technology for real-time thermal noise control, yielding an image that is cleaner, regardless of how low the external light may be.
According to experts, Apple’s design may offer up to 120 dB of dynamic range, slightly higher than the ARRI ALEXA 35, a professional cinema camera that costs over $50,000. This makes the potential of the sensor all the more impressive for a smartphone.
