One reddit user found out earlier this month that car-mounted lidar sensors can damage a phone camera under certain circumstances. It was the technological equivalent of staring directly into the Sun.

A car’s lidar sensor can permanently damage your phone camera if you point it directly at it. A Galaxy S24 Ultra owner reported similar damage after attending a laser-heavy light show.

There's no dispute that powerful lasers can damage cameras. The website of the International Laser Display Association, which represents companies running laser light shows, says that "camera ...

Lasers can damage your phone’s camera! Concentrated laser beams, even “eye-safe” ones, can permanently “fry” the tiny pixels on your phone’s camera sensor. This risk extends to modern ...

"It's generally advised to avoid pointing a camera directly at a lidar sensor. The laser light emitted by the lidar can potentially damage the camera's sensor or affect its performance," the ...

the damage only appeared when the telephoto module was engaged. The video shows how the pulsing laser damaged individual pixels on the sensor when the camera operator zoomed in, then it shows how ...