ams Osram unveils imaging-to-display sensor for smart phones

ams Osram has unveiled an imaging-to-display sensing solution for smartphones at last week’s China International Optoelectronic Exposition (CIOE 2026). The solution integrates the company’s latest sensing technologies, which are “designed to help smartphones achieve greater accuracy, stability, and precision in ambient light detection, image capture, and spatial sensing.” 

The solution integrates an ams Osram spectral color sensor, a multi-channel spectral sensor for ambient light spectrum and flicker detection, and a direct time-of-flight (dToF) sensor.  

The company developed the solution in partnership with phone developer vivo, which is headquartered in Dongguan, China, to bring it to market. Ams-Osram says this is the first time that front-facing under-display optical sensing and rear-facing sensing have been combined. The combination creates “an integrated sensing chain that spans ambient light detection, image capture, and spatial understanding.”

Range of sensors

ams Osram’s imaging-to-display sensing solution for smartphones integrates the following sensing technologies: 

• Behind-OLED Spectral Color Sensor: this sensor supports five-channel spectral or RGB color sensing. Its high sensitivity and high signal-to-noise ratio let it work with ultra-low-transmittance OLED displays and accurately measure ambient light even in low-light conditions, enabling fine-grained control over screen brightness, color temperature, and color management. It also offers infrared suppression, proximity detection, allowing smartphones to dynamically optimize display performance. 

• Multi-Channel Spectral Sensor for Ambient Light Spectrum and Flicker Detection: the eight-channel version, designed for rear cameras, emulates human color perception and provides precise ambient light data for automatic white balancing, automatic exposure, and anti-flicker processing. 

• Direct Time-of-Flight (dToF) Sensor TMF8829: ams Osram’s latest-generation 48×32 multi-zone dToF depth sensor is being used in a smartphone for the first time. With an 80° diagonal field of view and support for multiple zone configurations, it provides multi-zone depth information in real time, enabling accurate detection of subject distance and spatial position. 

ams-Osram says of its new development: “Smartphone manufacturers can deliver a consistent visual experience that remains unaffected by changing ambient light conditions. Whether users are outdoors in bright sunlight, indoors under complex lighting, or in low-light conditions at night, they can enjoy comfortable, natural-looking displays as well as consistent, true-to-life photo and video capture.”

“Looking ahead, as smartphones continue to evolve in imaging, display, AI, and spatial computing, optical sensing will become an increasingly important force driving both device-level experience upgrades and industry-wide technological progress.”