Igeekphone News, August 8th: The Financial Times published a blog post yesterday (August 7th), reporting that Apple will join hands with Samsung to jointly develop and mass-produce innovative chip technology at Samsung’s semiconductor factory in Austin, Texas, providing a three-layer stacked image sensor for the iPhone 18.
Igeekphone reported yesterday that Apple said in a press release that it is collaborating with Samsung at its semiconductor factory in Austin to develop an innovative chip manufacturing technology, which is being applied for the first time globally.
Although the two companies did not specify the technology to be deployed, people familiar with the deal said that Samsung will produce three-layer stacked image sensors (3-stack hybrid bonding) for Apple’s iPhone 18 series. The main camera may be upgraded to 200 million pixels and be able to improve sensor performance and reduce photo noise.
If this news is true, the iPhone 18 series will be the first model to use Samsung CIS components, marking a major shift in the relationship between Apple and SONY.
It is reported that currently only Samsung and SONY worldwide have the ability to produce such sensors. Apple’s iPhone camera had previously relied on SONY, but SONY had experienced multiple delays in advancing new technologies. As a result, Apple began to seek to establish more technical facilities in the United States.