This is one of the key elements integrated into premium smartphones of 2023: the 1-inch photo sensor from Sony, aka the IMX989, has equipped many premium models aiming to produce the best possible images. This was particularly the case for terminals from Xiaomi, Vivo or even Oppo – including the Find X6 series, however, which was not marketed in France. If the crux of the matter to enhance mobile photos, in 2024, seems to be that of artificial intelligence, the hardware will evolve naturally. And we will have to count on a new sensor from Sony, a pillar in the smartphone component market: it will be the LYT-900.
After the presentation, at the end of 2022, of its Lytia solution intended to complement or even replace its usual IMX, the first LYT-branded sensors appear on the market, such as the LYT-T808 used by the OnePlus 12, unveiled just a few weeks ago. But it is a model called LYT-900 which arouses even more interest, since it is also a one-inch type sensor. This stacked CMOS sensor displays more precisely a diagonal of 0.98 inch and displays a definition of 50 megapixels for photosites of 1.6 µm, and was mentioned by Sony last June when the manufacturer detailed its upcoming catalog. The LYT-900 hasn’t actually been detailed since then, but Sony has been running a campaign for the past few days teasing on its Weibo account, in China, to praise the performance of its new sensor, particularly in low light conditions, but also to highlight its low energy consumption, especially when it comes to shooting videos.
Oppo stands ready to exploit the LYT-900
The real performance of this LYT-900 sensor should be understood in the coming months, since at least one smartphone will be equipped with it: a model from the Find X7 series from Oppo, which mentions the said sensor in a first official visual preceding the announcement of the smartphone which some think will be a Find X7 Ultra. It is also rumored that this smartphone would be equipped with two periscopic lenses, which would constitute a first on the smartphone market. The presentation of the smartphone should take place in the first quarter of 2024. Yang Technology, exclusive distributor of Oppo in France, having chosen to withdraw from the French market, it is very unlikely that we will be able to test this smartphone in our region; we should be able to make up for it with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which has yet to be made official, so it is very likely that it will also integrate the LYT-900.