We’ve all witnessed the spectacle of dazzling laser light shows or noticed the advanced LiDAR sensors being integrated into newer vehicles. While they appear fascinating, it’s essential to recognize that lasers can cause significant damage to your phone’s camera. This powerful piece of technology, responsible for capturing life’s moments, is surprisingly susceptible to concentrated beams of light.

Over the years, our smartphones have become more resilient, featuring enhanced waterproofing and improved screen durability. However, they face a different kind of danger for which there may not be adequate protective measures. Even lasers that are considered “eye-safe” for humans can be detrimental to your smartphone’s camera sensor.

To understand how lasers can damage a phone’s camera, it’s important to think of the camera sensor as an intricate grid of sensitive light detectors. When a concentrated laser beam strikes these individual pixels, it overwhelms them. This intense energy can effectively “fry” the pixels, rendering them nonfunctional.

The consequence is the emergence of dark spots, lines, or discolored areas that can spoil your photos and videos permanently. These incidents are not just hypothetical. Reports have surfaced, such as a Reddit user recounting how their phone camera was damaged by the LiDAR sensor on a Volvo EX90, leading to visible fried pixels.

Volvo even cautioned against pointing cameras directly toward its LiDAR systems. In another instance, a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra user reported damage to their main lens after attending a laser light show. The relevance of this issue is heightened by the growing presence of laser-based technology.

LiDAR sensors are increasingly used in modern cars for advanced navigation and safety functions, adding to the risk for camera sensors if they are directly exposed. In conclusion, it is vital to be cautious about where you direct your phone. Whether you’re at a concert, light show, or near a vehicle equipped with LiDAR, keeping your camera out of the path of laser beams can help prevent costly and irreversible damage to your device.