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The iPhone 18 could increase Apple’s reliance on Samsung
- Sony has exclusively supplied Apple with iPhone camera sensors for years, but this could change in two years.
- In 2026, the iPhone 18 may feature a 48MP ultrawide CMOS image sensor produced by Samsung.
- Samsung has reportedly assembled a dedicated team to serve Apple’s needs.
For years, Sony has been the sole iPhone camera supplier, providing Apple with wide, ultrawide, and telephoto lenses for its flagship smartphones. This phone camera monopoly, however, may finally be broken in two years, as Samsung will reportedly produce the iPhone 18’s ultrawide lens.
According to the reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Samsung may ship ultrawide CMOS image sensors to Apple starting 2026. This suggests that next year’s iPhone 17 lineup could be the last to feature Sony cameras exclusively. He states:
Samsung is expected to begin shipping 1/2.6-inch 48MP ultra-wide CMOS image sensors (CIS) to Apple for iPhones as early as 2026, breaking Sony’s years-long monopoly on supplying CIS to Apple. To this end, Samsung has established a dedicated team to serve Apple.
To cater to Apple’s increasing needs, Samsung has reportedly assembled a team to handle iPhone supply matters. For those unfamiliar, the South Korean giant already provides Apple with other iPhone parts, such as OLED panels. In fact, nearly all iPhone 15 units feature Samsung-made displays. By adopting its ultrawide lenses in a couple of years, Apple would further increase its reliance on Samsung. Notably, this potential shift shouldn’t impact users’ camera experience, as either supplier would need to meet Apple’s high standards.
Since the report doesn’t mention the iPhone’s wide and telephoto lenses, it’s safe to assume that Sony will continue producing those for the time being. And, given that this rumored change is still two years away, there’s also a slim chance that Samsung won’t supply the iPhone 18’s ultrawide lenses.