Sony Lytia 910 LOFIC sensor delivers 100dB dynamic range in a single exposure

Sony announced the Lytia 910, its first image sensor using Lateral Overflow Integration Capacitor technology. The sensor hits 100dB of dynamic range in a single exposure, matching what previous sensors achieved only through multi-frame stacking.

LOFIC works by placing a capacitor next to each photodiode. When light floods a pixel, the overflow charges the capacitor instead of saturating the diode. The result: each pixel captures a wider range of brightness values in one shot. Sony's older Lytia 901, for example, needed multiple exposures to reach the same 100dB threshold.

The Lytia 910 reads each pixel three times at different conversion gains—low, mid, and high—then merges the three readouts into a single HDR image. This Triple Conversion Gain approach sidesteps motion artifacts that plague multi-frame HDR, since everything happens in one exposure. The sensor can also capture 4K HDR video at 60fps.

LOFIC architecture resists flickering from artificial light sources, which is why automotive manufacturers have adopted it. The Lytia 910 adds Ultra High Conversion Gain circuits for low-light conditions, which Sony says cut random noise by roughly 30% compared to its previous sensors.

The sensor packs 50MP into a 1/1.28" format with 1.22µm x 1.22µm pixels and a Quad Bayer color filter. Mass production begins this summer, putting the first smartphones with the sensor on track for a Q4 launch.

Sony isn't first to market with LOFIC. The Honor Magic6 Ultimate shipped in 2024 with OmniVision's 50MP OV50K, a LOFIC sensor. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra uses OmniVision's Light Fusion 1050L, another 50MP LOFIC part. The vivo X500 Pro Max is rumored to pair with the Lytia 910, according to leakster Digital Chat Station. Samsung is developing its own LOFIC sensors and may debut one in the Galaxy S27 Ultra.

The sensor market is accelerating toward LOFIC as the standard approach for HDR imaging. Sony's entry pushes the technology into mainstream smartphone production, where it competes directly with OmniVision's parts already shipping in flagships.