Rumor: All iPhone 15 cameras will be 48 megapixels

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware

After bringing a 48MP camera to the iPhone 14 Pro lineup, Apple may be looking to expand the powerful camera system to the entire iPhone 15 family.

iPhone 14 Pro camera bump
iPhone 14 Pro camera bump



The latest rumor surrounding the iPhone 15 camera comes from ITHome, from a broader report on Sony reaching out to TSMC to help handle more demanding orders. Specifically, due to "the lack of production capacity," Sony's reached out to TSMC to handle color filter film for its camera units, among other needs.

Within the report, it's said Apple is one of the reasons Sony is feeling the pressure in 2023, due to more of Apple's smartphones featuring the 48MP camera the company introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. The rumor states Apple is going with a "full upgrade" to the 48MP camera setup for the full iPhone 15 range, rather than just the Pro-branded models.

With that change, demand for the hardware has increased, putting that strain on Sony. The report goes on to say Sony may expand its back-end process even further in the near future, following orders to other companies like TSMC last year.

One of the reasons Sony's been hit with manufacturing concerns is because of the camera setup, moving from a double layer to a triple layer, is more complex. Sony's most recent CMOS sensors rely on stacking technology, which stacks photodiodes and amplifier circuits.

This manufacturing process means Sony's cameras benefit from sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratios, meaning photos feature less image noise.

TSMC will reportedly handle manufacturing elements like the photodiodes and logic layers. Meanwhile, Sony will rely on companies like Tongxin Electronics and Caiyu for back-end manufacturing.

This is not the first time supply constraints for Apple's upcoming camera systems in the iPhone 15 lineup have surfaced. In May 2023, this specific camera system was pegged as a reason why the iPhone 15 may face production delays.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,456member
    Depending on how you interpret the lede, it could be that each iPhone 15 will only use 48mp imagers.

    Surely that isn't going to happen.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 7
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,659member
    tmay said:
    Depending on how you interpret the lede, it could be that each iPhone 15 will only use 48mp imagers.

    Surely that isn't going to happen.
    That was exactly my take from the headline. It got me so excited for the article. But then it deflated me. Wow, 48MP super wide and tele.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 7
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,456member
    melgross said:
    tmay said:
    Depending on how you interpret the lede, it could be that each iPhone 15 will only use 48mp imagers.

    Surely that isn't going to happen.
    That was exactly my take from the headline. It got me so excited for the article. But then it deflated me. Wow, 48MP super wide and tele.
    I would buy a "Super 16" with nothing but 48mp imagers. 

    https://www.ebay.com/b/Super-16mm-Camera/4689/bn_7023325572

    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 7
    darkvaderdarkvader Posts: 1,146member
    Ugh.  The last thing I care about is the camera.  If I want to take great pictures, I've got a real DSLR with real lenses.  My phone camera is for taking quick snapshots to document work, I don't need high resolution.  Just give me an iPhone 5 camera with no idiotic bulge.
    JP234williamlondon
  • Reply 5 of 7
    williamlondonwilliamlondon Posts: 1,428member
    darkvader said:
    Ugh.  The last thing I care about is the camera.  If I want to take great pictures, I've got a real DSLR with real lenses.  My phone camera is for taking quick snapshots to document work, I don't need high resolution.  Just give me an iPhone 5 camera with no idiotic bulge.
    People who think they are so special just love to share with everyone things they don't care about, and they think it makes them more special.
  • Reply 6 of 7
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,659member
    darkvader said:
    Ugh.  The last thing I care about is the camera.  If I want to take great pictures, I've got a real DSLR with real lenses.  My phone camera is for taking quick snapshots to document work, I don't need high resolution.  Just give me an iPhone 5 camera with no idiotic bulge.
    Well, you are a self described oddity. Something like 90+percent of all pictures are taken with iPhones.

    I have a high end full frame camera and lenses. Do I want to carry the several pound of it around everywhere I go? Of course not. When I was in the fashion industry as a photographer, in the beginning of my career, I did carry a camera almost everywhere. The women understood that when I often would bring one on dates. But that was long ago, and I wouldn’t do it anymore. 

    Like it or not, the best smartphones take photos that are good enough for 90% of what we want them for. Do I need the 45MP from my Canon so badly that I want to carry $5,000 around everywhere? The 48MP from my iPhone gives me around an actual 30+MP of detail (that’s from the fact it’s a quad sensor, not the fact that it’s an iPhone). That’s amazing enough, and more than needed for almost anything. And even with the sometimes over processed shots, I shoot RAW most of the time, and I can fix it in post.
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