As part of the American Manufacturing Program announced on August 6 by Apple CEO Tim Cook alongside Donald Trump (see our news Apple invests 100 billion (additional) in the USA), Apple mentioned a partnership with Samsung on American territory.
Apple and Samsung partners in the United States, in Austin, Texas££££
More specifically, Apple will work with the Samsung semiconductor factory in Austin, Texas, to launch "an innovative new technology for manufacturing chips, which has never been used before anywhere in the world." More details have been revealed by the Financial Times, which explains (via anonymous sources) that Samsung will use this technology to produce triple-layer photo sensors for the 2026 iPhone 18. This information echoes a rumor that appeared last March and which specified that this structure called PD-TR would allow the camera to be more responsive, reducing noise on images and increasing the color range in addition to other advantages.
All or part of the iPhone photo modules previously supplied by Sony could therefore for the first time be signed by Samsung. If this were the case, it is not yet known which lens would be specifically affected, nor if the technology would be reserved exclusively for the Pro models.