Metalenz has acquired PxE Holographic Imaging, whose optical filter technology could allow smartphone cameras to collect up to 2.5 times more light.
According to a report by Wired, Boston-based company Metalenz has acquired PxE Holographic Imaging, the company behind a technology called HoloCover. The new camera technology aims to improve low-light photography on smartphones. Night photography on smartphones has improved drastically over the years, and top camera phones currently take outstanding low-light photos, though room for improvement remains.
Most smartphone cameras rely on a Bayer color filter that sits above the camera sensor. It uses red, green, and blue filters to capture color information, with each filter only allowing light of its respective color to pass through while blocking the rest. That way, around 60 percent of incoming light is lost in the process.
PxE aims to address that light loss with HoloCoder, replacing the color filter with a microscopic optical filter. This optical filter bends different wavelengths of light toward the appropriate pixels rather than blocking the light. By redirecting more light toward the sensor, the technology provides more data to work with, potentially improving low-light photography and dynamic range. PxE claims HoloCoder allows camera sensors to collect up to 2.5 times more light, representing a 150 percent increase in light intake.
HoloCoder also captures 3D depth information using the same sensor, which could eliminate the need for additional depth-sensing hardware. Metalenz is reportedly eyeing applications in robotics and autonomous vehicles as well.
The company expects HoloCoder to reach consumer electronics by late 2027 or early 2028. It remains to be seen which companies will be the first to adopt the technology.
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Luiza Mosneagu is Reviews Editor at Droid Tools. A psychologist by training and tech writer by passion, she has tested over 60 Android devices since 2020 - always for a minimum of two weeks before writing a word. Her focus is camera quality, everyday usability, and cutting through marketing claims to tell you what a device is actually like to live with.
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