iPhone with triple-lens camera system could arrive with fall 2019 refresh
Rumors claiming Apple is going to incorporate a three-lens camera system in a future iPhone refresh are buoyed by one analyst's expectations for companies in the Apple supply chain, but with the added suggestion it may not arrive until next year.
In a report into the fortunes of two smartphone component suppliers, Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co. analyst Jeff Pu suggests Apple is likely to launch a new iPhone using a triple-lens rear camera in the future. The note, received by Taipei Times, also expects Android device producer Huawei to introduce a similar lens system in a lower-specification model of the Mate 20.
It is claimed Apple will launch the supposed iPhone in the "second half of next year."
Pu's note follows after the results of Largan, a Taiwanese camera lens producer for smartphones, reported higher than expected revenue in the last month. Supplier to Apple and other Android vendors, Largan reportedly saw revenue increase 10.34 percent on a month-to-month basis, a rise that is tempered by it still representing a 6.02 percent year-on-year decrease in sales.
The company's revenue could receive an extra boost from Apple in the coming months, as well as from other firms. Pu assumes other smartphone producers will see Apple and Huawei's use of triple-lens cameras and attempt to add it into their own products, which could "provide a much-needed improvement in Largan's capacity utilization rate."
The analyst's suggested triple-lens iPhone launch follows after similar rumors about the imaging capabilities of the fall 2018 iPhone. A report from early April alleged one of the three expected 2018 iPhones will include a 5x optical zoom instead of the existing 2x version.
The extra lens could potentially be used to enhance its existing capabilities rather than increasing the level of zoom, such as improving low-light image quality. There is also the possibility of it being used for range-finding or as part of a rear depth-mapping system, which could enhance ARKit applications and add new camera effects.
Early rumors from 2017 about the iPhone X offered predictions along the lines of a three-lens system, possibly for range-finding purposes. Some reports suggested the use of a front and back VCSEL, but the final device ended up only using one on the front, which is used to power Face ID.
In a report into the fortunes of two smartphone component suppliers, Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co. analyst Jeff Pu suggests Apple is likely to launch a new iPhone using a triple-lens rear camera in the future. The note, received by Taipei Times, also expects Android device producer Huawei to introduce a similar lens system in a lower-specification model of the Mate 20.
It is claimed Apple will launch the supposed iPhone in the "second half of next year."
Pu's note follows after the results of Largan, a Taiwanese camera lens producer for smartphones, reported higher than expected revenue in the last month. Supplier to Apple and other Android vendors, Largan reportedly saw revenue increase 10.34 percent on a month-to-month basis, a rise that is tempered by it still representing a 6.02 percent year-on-year decrease in sales.
The company's revenue could receive an extra boost from Apple in the coming months, as well as from other firms. Pu assumes other smartphone producers will see Apple and Huawei's use of triple-lens cameras and attempt to add it into their own products, which could "provide a much-needed improvement in Largan's capacity utilization rate."
The analyst's suggested triple-lens iPhone launch follows after similar rumors about the imaging capabilities of the fall 2018 iPhone. A report from early April alleged one of the three expected 2018 iPhones will include a 5x optical zoom instead of the existing 2x version.
The extra lens could potentially be used to enhance its existing capabilities rather than increasing the level of zoom, such as improving low-light image quality. There is also the possibility of it being used for range-finding or as part of a rear depth-mapping system, which could enhance ARKit applications and add new camera effects.
Early rumors from 2017 about the iPhone X offered predictions along the lines of a three-lens system, possibly for range-finding purposes. Some reports suggested the use of a front and back VCSEL, but the final device ended up only using one on the front, which is used to power Face ID.
Comments
I disagree with your "Throwing on a 3rd camera doesn't make the cameras better" statement though. I use the 2x zoom on my X regularly. I can get a full 12MP photo with tighter framing to my subject without having to get closer (often isn't practical when I'm on my bike).
On the other point, yes the Huawei P20 (but the Pro version) and the Mate RS already have triple rear cameras.
Someone else mentioned that it wasn't necessary to have a triple camera array.
Almost everyone that has used the P20 Pro would seem to disagree.
Just one example:
https://petapixel.com/2018/04/20/huawei-p20-pro-vs-canon-5ds-r-im-stunned/
Show me some sales numbers that demonstrate that there is a wide market for triple rear cameras. Otherwise, it's just a halo feature for a small niche.
More to the point, Google only sold some 3.9 million Pixel 2, compared to maybe 180 million per year of dual lens iPhones.
I have no need to upgrade but my next phone will have a dual camera array. That is almost a given even if I am not explicitly looking for a dual camera and would be fine with just one.
Currently though, if you are going to pay premium prices, you want the phone to have the necessary extras. So, while most users might not care about tri camera setups, the people that are considering premium phones probably will care.
Currently, the P20 Pro can do things no other phone can do in photography. It is as simple as that and I have yet to see any review that disputes this.
I don't know the sales numbers because the phone has only been on the market for a few weeks. That said, Huawei has stated that the P20 Pro got off to a flying start:
http://me.pcmag.com/huawei/10916/news/huawei-p20-pro-smashes-sales-records-in-uae
https://www.androidauthority.com/huawei-p20-pro-europe-sales-859899/
https://www.theonion.com/fuck-everything-were-doing-five-blades-1819584036
"There is also the possibility of it being used for range-finding..."
Unlikely, as they couldn't be far enough apart. Your eyes don't simply see 3d because of their distance apart there are other trick calculations your brain does, for example working out the angle that the eyeballs have to converge to both point at the same object. However I always thought it would be cool to have two lenses on opposite sides of the long side of the camera to take the photo from two angles to produce proper stereo photos to be placed in a specially designed stereoscope much like the stereo slide viewers of the 50's which even today look great.
No numbers, no confidence that they are the "top" sellers other than for Huawei in comparison to previous model sales, which means what exactly?
You diss all data that actually provides iPhone sales numbers. Why would I not believe that those "smash" numbers are bullshit?
Oh, BTW.
I looked up sales of the P9, and the only article that I could find was that from April 2016 to March 2017, all P9 models combined sold about 12 million units worldwide; that's about a million a month.
Good for Huawei, I suppose, but not really in Apple's league for premium phone sales. Maybe combine all of the current Mate Models, plus the Honor models, might push Huawei to 30 million in sales for this year.