Samsung will reportedly begin producing a three-layer stacked image sensor for Apple’s iPhone 18 in Texas. The deal with Apple will help the South Korean company avoid President Trump’s strict tariffs policy and cut out Sony as the sole image sensor maker for iPhones, according to Financial Times,
The three-layer stacked image sensors enable fast shooting speeds and high-frame-rate 8K video in smartphones. On Wednesday, Apple said it was “working with Samsung at its fab [semiconductor fabrication facility] in Austin, Texas, to launch an innovative new technology for making chips, which has never been used before anywhere in the world.” The statement was part of Apple’s overall announcement that it was launching the American Manufacturing Program, part of a $600 billion investment to increase its supply chain and manufacturing in the US.
Thursday’s report by Financial Times adds more clarity to what Apple’s “innovative new technology” will mean for the iPhone 18. The move by Apple will allow it to avoid penalties by President Trump, who on Wednesday announced 100% tariffs on computer chips but added, “if you’re building in the United States of America, there’s no charge.”
Samsung is investing billions to increase manufacturing in the US, while Sony is producing iPhone image sensors in Kumamoto, Japan under a contract with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
Last month, CNET reported that Samsung Display Company — a separate entity from Samsung — would be producing the screens for the first iPhone foldable, reportedly to be launched next summer.
