Tesla appears to be quietly preparing another round of camera improvements for its vehicles, with new evidence pointing to an updated sensor. The latest clue comes from well-known Tesla hacker @greentheonly, who uncovered references to a new camera model—identified as IMX00N—inside the company’s most recent software build.
“Looks like Tesla is changing (upgrading?) cameras in (some?) new cars produced. Where as HW4 to date used exterior cameras with IMX963, now they (might potentially) have something called IMX00N,” Green wrote on X.
Tesla’s exterior cameras are obviously the most critical components of its vision-based autonomous driving suite. Hardware 4 (AI4) vehicles currently ship with Sony’s IMX963, a 5-megapixel sensor that delivered a major jump in clarity, dynamic range, and low-light capability compared to the 1.2-megapixel Aptina sensors used in HW3/AI3 vehicles.
The IMX963 upgrade arrived in early 2023, and Tesla has continued refining its camera layout since then—most notably by adding an additional front bumper camera to its lineup. Now, the discovery of the IMX00N is the first sign that Tesla may be preparing another leap in its sensor suite as it gears up for AI5, the next-generation hardware suite CEO Elon Musk says will appear in limited numbers in 2026 before scaling more broadly in 2027.
Sony has not published any specifications for a sensor with the IMX00N designation, leaving its capabilities a mystery for now. Given the lack of information and no specific part number, the code “IMX00N” is likely an internal placeholder or a partial part number for the next iteration.
As always, Tesla has not commented publicly on the change, and the new sensors have not been confirmed on production vehicles yet. But based on past patterns, firmware footprints like this often show up just weeks or months before hardware transitions begin.
