Sony unveils Lytia camera sensors for flagship smartphones, up to 1 inch LYT900

Sony will in future market its high-end camera sensors for smartphones under the Lytia brand instead of using the IMX branding for all sensors as before, regardless of whether they are intended for entry-level smartphones or flagships. The new sensors promise top-notch image quality. So far, however, Sony has not published any photos as proof of performance and has only given limited information on the technical specifications.

Sony's LYT900 is manufactured in a 1/0.98 inch format and is thus minimally larger than the IMX989 used in the main camera of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, among others. The resolution of the CMOS sensor remains at 50 megapixels, and Sony promises "excellent tonality". The LYT800 is manufactured in a 1/1.43-inch format and offers a resolution of 53 MP. Although the area is significantly smaller, the sensor is said to be able to compete with the image quality of currently available sensors in the 1-inch format. The LYT800 is the first sensor with a "dual-layer transistor pixel structure" that improves the signal-to-noise ratio.

The LYT700 has a 1/1.56 inch format. The 50MP sensor has been specifically optimised for thin camera modules, while still offering advanced features and support for multiple on-chip HDR techniques. The LYT600 is a slightly smaller 1/1.95-inch sensor that also offers 50 million pixels of resolution. This sensor format is perfect for high quality ultra-wide or telephoto cameras. The LYT500 with 50 MP in 1/2.93 inch format, on the other hand, has been specially optimised for selfie shots and supports an always-on mode. Sony has not yet confirmed when exactly these Lytia sensors will be delivered and in which smartphones they will be found first.