A thinner iPhone 5 will need thinner components as well. A new, thinner 8MP camera sensor from Sony might be the perfect match for this year’s thinner iPhone iteration.
Over the weekend, we talked about a new report that outlines an Apple patent for a thinner, shapeable rechargeable battery that could empower a thinner yet more powerful iPhone 5 form factor. Today, a new report highlighting Sony’s new, thinner 8MP camera sensor is yet another piece of evidence that Apple may have the hardware necessary to overhaul the iPhone form factor and make the iPhone 5 thinner.
According to 9to5Mac, Sony’s new CMOS image sensor is remarkably thinner than its predecessor: “the new design and manufacturing process behind Sony’s image sensor should help engineer a thinner iPhone due to less space used by the Sony chip. Additionally, the Japanese giant’s new manufacturing process is cheaper and image quality is better, which are both important feats from Apple’s standpoint. The camera module is said to be faster, consume less power and sport higher pixel numbers.”
The 9to5Mac article makes a good point: in order for smartphone designers to continue to make thinner form factors, camera modules need to get thinner as well. This new sensor from Sony would seem to be a perfect fit for a thinner iPhone 5. And considering that this story comes right on the heels of the thinner battery patent report. It will be interesting to see if more reports like these surface in the lead-up to the iPhone 5′s release, as reports of thinner hardware components will serve as reasonably corroborative pieces of evidence of a thinner form factor.
Another interesting tidbit regarding the new Sony camera sensor: not only is it thinner and more power efficient, but it may turn out to be a more powerful 8MP camera than what is currently featured on the iPhone 4S. 9to5Mac points out that: “In theory, the imaging circuitry being separate of the sensors could give Apple greater control over the camera system and help increase its functionality by leveraging the company’s in-house designed A-series chip. The dual-core A5 chip found inside iPhone 4S is already responsible for some image post-processing, such as video stabilization. Therefore, the design of the new Sony chip would let Apple’s silicon take over control of the camera and its performance in ways that were not possible before.”
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