Apple is reportedly developing its own image signal processor (ISP) to improve the iPhone’s camera capabilities. This comes from a Chinese tipster who says Apple is considering its own ISP design. This specially designed chip is expected to enter mass production in the second half of 2026 and be produced by TSMC.
For those who don’t know, ISP plays a very important role in smartphone photography. It processes the raw image data received by the camera sensor and transforms it into a high-quality image by performing various operations.
These include HDR processing, exposure correction, image sharpening, demo mosaic, noise reduction, white balance correction, lens distortion correction and more.
Apple now relies on Sony’s ISPs for its iPhones. But with an in-house provider, Apple will have better control over the imaging pipeline and be able to optimize it specifically for its own devices.
Apple is known for its meticulous approach to hardware development, so we can expect this new ISP to be a significant step forward for the company’s camera technology. This is still mostly unconfirmed information, so take it with a grain of salt.