Metalenz has bought Israeli startup PxE Imaging, whose Holocoder technology could replace the Bayer color filter in standard image sensors. The deal is a direct challenge to the holocoder bayer filter found in nearly every camera. The company says the swap would let sensors collect 2.5 times more light. Metalenz announced the deal on November 11, 2026, in a press release datelined Boston.
How the Holocoder works
Most digital cameras make color with a Bayer filter, a layer that sorts incoming light into red, green and blue. Metalenz says that filter absorbs about 60 percent of the light entering the sensor. The light never reaches the pixels.
Holocoder removes the filter. Unlike that filter, it sorts light without absorbing it, increasing the light delivered to a standard image sensor by 2.5 times, according to Metalenz. More light helps in dark scenes and bright ones alike.
If better light matters this much, lighting gear is worth a look too: Godox Litemons SR20R Lighting for Mobile Creators shows how portable light sources help phone shooters.
The technology relies on the wave nature of light. Metalenz says the approach decodes wavelength and depth directly in hardware, so a single camera can capture color and depth in the same image. That removes the need for the software reconstruction that current systems depend on.
What Metalenz gains
Metalenz began as a spinout from Harvard University in 2016. It makes metasurface optics, ultra-thin lenses that can be printed like semiconductor wafers. The company says it has shipped more than 300 million of them into consumer devices.
Its PolarEyes platform captures polarization information, and its first product, Polar ID, offers payment-grade face authentication. With PxE, Metalenz adds color and depth to the material and surface data it already captures. The company says this avoids the sensor fusion and extra modules that multi-sensor cameras require.
Rob Devlin, co-founder and CEO of Metalenz, described the deal as an expansion from hardware into full-stack products. “With PxE’s technology and team, we’re expanding our capabilities into visible sensing, addressing a longstanding problem of low light performance,” he said in the release.
Yoav Berlatzky, co-founder and CEO of PxE Imaging, framed the goal in terms of information. “We developed the Holocoder to capture information in light that conventional sensors discard or cannot see,” he said. He added that joining Metalenz gives PxE the manufacturing platform and commercial reach to reach everyday devices.
The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
Timing and possible uses for the holocoder bayer filter
Devlin spoke to WIRED about the acquisition and made the case against software-only fixes. “Once information is lost when you’re absorbing all of that light, you can’t really buy it back,” he told the magazine, referring to camera makers that invest heavily in image software.
Metalenz cannot yet combine Holocoder with its commercial optics. Until it does, replacing the Bayer filter remains a long-term goal. WIRED reports that Metalenz’s manufacturing capacity could bring PxE’s technology to market as soon as the end of next year.
Devlin points to two early use cases. Autonomous vehicles rely on tiny cameras, where a smaller sensor that captures more light is valuable. Smartphones face the same physical limit, because every image sensor needs more and better light data. The question is whether Holocoder can deliver that gain in shipping devices.
For a closer look at how phone makers pack camera hardware into tight spaces, iFixit’s Teardown of iPhone 18 Pro Aperture reveals the mechanical side of the same challenge.
Image credits: Metalenz, PxE Imaging. Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.com.
H/T petapixel.com
Frequently asked questions
What does Holocoder technology replace in camera sensors?
Holocoder could replace the Bayer color filter in standard image sensors. The Bayer filter sorts incoming light into red, green and blue, but Metalenz says it absorbs about 60 percent of the light entering the sensor.
How much more light can Holocoder let camera sensors collect?
According to Metalenz, Holocoder would increase the light delivered to a standard image sensor by 2.5 times. It does this by sorting light without absorbing it, unlike the Bayer filter.
When could Holocoder technology reach shipping devices?
WIRED reports that Metalenz’s manufacturing capacity could bring PxE’s technology to market as soon as the end of next year. Metalenz cannot yet combine Holocoder with its commercial optics, so replacing the Bayer filter remains a long-term goal.
Why did Metalenz buy PxE Imaging?
Metalenz says the deal expands its capabilities into visible sensing and addresses the longstanding problem of low light performance. PxE’s co-founder said joining Metalenz gives PxE the manufacturing platform and commercial reach to reach everyday devices.
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