This Volvo’s Lidar Might Roast Your iPhone Camera – Seriously
By Team Dailyrevs May 19, 2025
Let’s say you're walking past a new Volvo EX90—its minimalist Nordic design catches your eye. You reach for your phone to snap a shot of that futuristic roof module… and unknowingly fry your phone’s camera sensor.
No joke. This is happening. And it’s not a bug—it’s a byproduct of how smart the EX90 really is.
A Car That Sees More Than You Think
At the heart of the EX90’s impressive self-driving suite is its roof-mounted lidar sensor, developed by Luminar. This isn’t your average camera or radar—it’s a laser system shooting out infrared pulses to map the world around the car in 3D, 20 times a second.
The result? A car that can anticipate danger before you even spot it. But that same sensor, invisible to the human eye, might be a little too visible to your iPhone 16 Pro Max.
The Trouble with Tiny Sensors
So how exactly does this hurt your phone?
Smartphone cameras—especially flagship models—use highly sensitive sensors (typically CMOS) that struggle with extremely intense light sources. When lidar’s laser beam hits your phone’s sensor at just the wrong angle, the energy overload can literally burn out pixels or leave permanent damage, as several users have found out.
It doesn’t happen every time. But when it does, it’s not subtle—and it’s not fixable.
Volvo Responds: Not a Flaw, Just Physics
To Volvo’s credit, the company isn’t sweeping it under the rug. A spokesperson told Car and Driver:
In short: the car isn’t broken. The lidar is working as designed. Your phone just wasn’t built to handle a direct stare-down with a class 1 laser system.
Should You Worry? Only If You’re Getting Too Close
This won’t affect most people. You’re not going to destroy your phone just by walking past an EX90 in traffic. The issue mainly appears when someone:
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Films or photographs directly at the lidar sensor,
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Zooms in, increasing light exposure,
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Or uses HDR/video mode in low light, where the shutter stays open longer.
In all cases, the phone’s sensor is basically staring straight into the infrared sun.
A Cautionary Tale for the Era of Laser Cars
Volvo isn’t alone here. Other brands—including Mercedes, Audi, and even Honda—are developing lidar systems of their own. As lidar moves from concept to showroom floor, this weird tech clash might become more common.
That means photographers, content creators, journalists—and let’s face it, car-spotting enthusiasts—should start treating lidar units with a little more respect.
This isn’t a "don’t touch the paint" kind of warning. It’s a "don’t melt your thousand-dollar phone" kind of warning.
The Photographer’s Survival Guide to Lidar
Want to keep your camera intact? Keep these in mind:
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Don’t shoot directly into the lidar—especially up close.
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Use angles. A side profile or 3/4 shot is safer and usually more flattering anyway.
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Avoid zoom + HDR in low light—those are the danger zones.
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If you’re at a media event or test drive, ask the rep if the lidar is active before filming.
And if you're the kind of person who lines up the perfect symmetrical front shot… maybe keep an older phone handy for those.
When High Tech Goes a Bit Too Far
There's something slightly ironic here: a device meant to improve safety is accidentally sniping unsuspecting phone cameras. But that’s the new reality of driving—and photographing—cars in 2025.
Today’s vehicles aren’t just transportation. They’re rolling sensor arrays, full of components that work invisibly in the background. Until, that is, your $1,200 phone starts taking green-striped photos after a car show.
Smartphones vs Smart Cars: Who Blinks First?
So, who needs to adapt? Lidar isn’t going anywhere. As more automakers build toward full autonomy, these sensors will only grow more common—and more powerful.
Maybe phone makers need to build in better shielding. Maybe lidar suppliers like Luminar will start adding smartphone-friendly filters. Or maybe—just maybe—users will learn that sometimes the best photo is taken from five feet back, not two.
Sources : factslice