Sony announces the Exmor RS IMX230-- the first CMOS sensor from the company featuring "onboard image plane phase detection AF signal processing" for "excellent" autofocus tracking of fast-moving objects.
It packs 21MP in a 1/2.4-inch form factor, and also has integrated HDR for high resolution stills, 4K video and a means to save shots that are either overly backlit or in shadow.
However the most interesting feature is the image plane phase detection AF-- a technology handling accurate, high-speed autofocus using up to 192 AF points.
Sony sensors are used in a number of high-end smartphones, including the iPhone 6, as well as the company's own. The Exmor RS IMX230 should appear on April 2015, probably in a Sony flagship handset.