According to Digital Chat Station, LOFIC image sensors are about to gain wider adoption as smartphone makers and image sensor makers are gearing up for competition.
A partnership between OmniVision and vivo will produce results soon, according to DCS, but he didn’t name model names. Other sensor makers are working on LOFIC designs too.
LOFIC stands for Lateral Overflow Integration Capacitor – it’s a capacitor that takes in the charge that goes over the photodiode’s full well capacity. This enables things like single-exposure HDR and longer exposures.
We’ve already seen a LOFIC sensor from OmniVision – the OV50K inside the Honor Magic6 Ultimate. But the Ultimates have always been experimental, this is about wider adoption. More recently, OmniVision unveiled the OV50X, a 1” sensor with 8K HDR video.
Sony will introduce a 1/1.3” LOFIC sensor towards the end of 2026, says DCS. This could be the LYT-838. Samsung will have a LOFIC design ready for late 2026/early 2027 – it will reportedly be a 200MP 1/1.1” sensor dubbed “ISOCELL HPA”. Apple is developing an in-house LOFIC sensor for 2027 or 2028, which is targeting 100MP resolution.
Here’s something interesting – LOFIC sensors are also being built for automotive uses. The capacitors enable longer exposure times, which help eliminate LED flicker. And LEDs are everywhere on the road these days, from car headlights to road signs. Here’s a short, informative video from OmniVision:
