Sony Lytia or Sony Lyt. Write this name down, because in 2024 you will hear it in a good part of the high-end (and maybe the mid-range). Until now, the kings in mobile photography sensors were the Sony IMX, star bet for virtually any type of range. After the halfway point of 2023, Sony has an even more interesting weapon: Lytia sensors.
Lytia is Sony’s new sub-brand for image sensors, having announced a whole family of 50-megapixel hardware for different ranges. The first to hit the market has been the Sony LYT800, the brutal camera sensor that we tested on the OnePlus Open (with impeccable results) and that will be repeated by the OnePlus 12 and Realme GT5 Pro.
Next year it will be the turn to meet the Sony Lytia of the 900 family, so let’s do a review of all the sensors of this family so that you have a complete picture of everything that is to come.
The most striking sensor is the 900 series LYT, a one-inch sensor. This is not the first time Sony has created a sensor of this size, but the new features of the Lytia series are more than interesting. We are talking about stacked sensors that come to improve practically everything, starting from how the image signal is processed.
The work with HDR starts directly on the sensor, not even any post-processing work is needed from the manufacturer (although, when it comes down to it, each manufacturer will interpret HDR as they wish). The sensor is capable of obtaining up to three images with different brightness thanks to the different shutter speeds, offering an output with greater dynamic range that will be processed by the manufacturer.
There are also improvements in the way they focus. Generally, when we talk about autofocus we are talking about PDAF, phase difference detection focusing. This implies that a part of the sensor pixels are used as detection pixels. In today’s high-end cell phones, 100% of the pixels can be used for focusing. Lytia sensors use 100% focus pixel, mainly targeting moving objects and dark scenes, where focusing is usually more difficult.
The sensor structure is also different: we are talking about stacked sensors. Unlike conventional back-illuminated sensors, these sensors make it possible to create “large-scale” chips in much smaller sizes. This architecture makes it easier for the sensor to capture information, being more efficient in the same size.
As you can see in the table, there are several members of this family. The 800 is already among us, with the 900 expected for higher-end models next year. The mid-range is also expected to benefit from this type of sensor, although, as usual, the manufacturers’ philosophy will be key when it comes to the final processing.