iPhone 16 Pro Max Main Camera To Stick With A 48MP Resolution, But Is Said To Be An Entirely New Sony Sensor With Double-Layer Transistors

The iPhone 15 Pro Max might have retained the same 48MP primary sensor as the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but it made it up considerably by touting an exclusive 5x tetraprism camera. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is rumored to raise the bar yet again in the optics department, and though a tipster notes that Apple will stick with the same 48-megapixel count for the primary unit, it is said to employ a brand new sensor from Sony, along with other upgrades.

iPhone 16 Pro Max is rumored to feature Sony’s Exmor IMX903 48MP sensor, which is an upgrade from the IMX803 on the iPhone 15 Pro Max

Details of Sony’s IMX903 surfaced last year, but Apple is not one to jump to the latest technologies for its products, and the company takes its sweet time adopting the newest standards. It skipped using the IMX903 on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, though critics and reviewers alike have praised the flagship’s camera prowess. However, there is only so much that software improvements can do to improve image quality, which is why tipster Digital Chat Station has claimed on Weibo that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will sport the new sensor.

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The physical sensor size compared to the IMX803 is slightly bigger at 1/1.14 inches and supports technologies such as double-layer transistors. The tipster also mentions that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will feature a periscope telephoto lens, which was already part of the rumor mill, though Apple is said to have different plans this year. Instead of just one ‘Pro’ model featuring a tetraprism zoom camera, the company is bringing the upgrade to both models, giving customers more options.

Interestingly, the tipster has only stated that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will get the IMX903 sensor and has not mentioned anything remotely related to the smaller iPhone 16 Pro. We can speculate that Apple might attempt to save on component costs by using the previous-generation IMX803 for the