For those unfamiliar with Sony’s work, the company has been instrumental with their efforts in helping Apple’s iPhone achieve great photos, thanks to the company providing CMOS sensors to both the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s’ rear-facing cameras, but what about the front-facing camera? According to a report from Nikkei, they claim that Apple could be turning to Sony for its front-facing cameras, which at the moment are supplied by OmniVision.
SourceSony is preparing to supply Apple with front image sensors for a future iPhone release, according to a report. While Sony already provides the vast majority of CMOS sensors for the rear cameras of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, the manufacturer has apparently entered negotiations to offer both the front and back camera modules to Apple for its devices. Nikkei claims the rise of video calling has caused Apple to look into improving its front-mounted camera sensor, an item currently supplied by OmniVision, with Sony as a prime candidate for its replacement. It is currently believed Sony provides somewhere in the region of 100 million sensor modules to Apple annually, with such a deal increasing the production to 200 million per year. Sony also provides camera modules to a number of other smartphone producers, with Samsung and Huawei counted as sensor customers aside from Apple and its own smartphone lines.
