June 20, 2025, 11:05 am | Read time: 3 minutes
To capture decent photos, camera sensors typically require sufficient light. However, too much light can damage the sensitive electronics. Recently, the sensor system of a well-known car manufacturer has rendered several smartphone cameras unusable.
Sunlight and lasers are not only dangerous for the human eye but also for camera electronics. Especially when using a telephoto lens, the light is concentrated so intensely that the image sensor can be damaged. Several smartphone users with the Lidar system in the Volvo EX90 have experienced this.
Increasing Cases of Burned-Out Camera Sensors
Since early 2025, there have been multiple reports on social media from users whose cameras were damaged by the Lidar system. In January, a Hungarian car tester published a video on YouTube showing how the Lidar system in a Volvo EX90 destroyed the camera sensor in an iPhone. As the system was filmed with the iPhone camera, more and more pixels burned out, appearing permanently as bright spots or even completely dead lines in the viewfinder.
Also in January, a member of a Volvo group on Facebook posted that the system in a Volvo EX90 had literally burned an iPhone sensor. The post included a picture showing damaged pixels on a dark image. The user stated they contacted Volvo headquarters, which reportedly acknowledged the problem and is working on a solution.
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In early May, another video surfaced showing a case where the Lidar system in an EX90 damaged a camera sensor. The video vividly demonstrates the specific scenario in which the problem occurs. The wide-angle lens of the smartphone camera remains unaffected by the laser in Volvo’s Lidar system. Only when zooming in does the strong light beam destroy more pixels on the sensor with each pulse.
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Volvo Warns Against Filming the Lidar Sensor with a Smartphone
Volvo’s EX90 uses a Lidar system from Luminar, which according to its own information works even when “small targets are at a great distance.” The system emits lasers with a wavelength of 1550 nanometers (nm), considered safe for the human eye—as long as it is not exposed to the rays for extended periods. This allows the system to operate at higher power than other Lidar sensors.
However, this poses a problem for smartphone cameras. Especially when filming with a telephoto lens, which concentrates light more intensely, the laser exposure can irreparably damage the sensor. The company warns:
“Do not point a camera directly at the Lidar. Since Lidar is a laser-based system, it uses infrared light waves that can damage certain camera devices. This can include smartphones or phones with a camera.”
The sensor issue is not exclusive to Volvo but affects all automakers using Lidar technology. However, many also employ older solutions for parking assistance or other systems, typically using ultra-wide-angle lenses. Volvo also noted to TECHBOOK that one must stand relatively close to the active sensor and film it with the zoom camera for the sensor’s light beam to damage the camera. Users filming or photographing the car from a distance have nothing to fear.