Apple allegedly gearing up for future iPhone with greater than 12MP camera order
With the fall iPhone releases on the doorstep, new reports from the supply chain suggest that Apple has turned to its lens supplier for the next generation already in search of camera sensors in excess of 12 megapixels.
According to market rumors, repeated by DigiTimes on Tuesday, only Largan Precision meets Apple's yield rate requirements. Accordingly, Apple is booking production time at Largan's new factory in Taichung for "above 12-megapixel lens modules."
Apple has denied comment. However, Largan notes that production capability at the new factory will come on gradually, with small volume production beginning at the end of the quarter, with increases before the end of the calendar year.
Largan CEO Lin En-ping claims that the new factory is designed to produce dual-lens cameras, with large apertures. Additional capacity has been reserved for 3D sensing modules as well.
DigiTimes does generally provide accurate information from within Apple's supply chain. However, the publication has an unreliable track record in predicting Apple's future product plans. often predicting both timing and features incorrectly for upcoming products.
The camera order is not the first information that has escaped the supply chain about the fall 2018 iPhone. In June, LG was pegged as a possible supplier for flexible circuit boards, as well as the provider of L-shaped batteries for next year's release.
More immediately, Apple is expected to announce three new iPhones with the high-end OLED model, and two other devices expected at a Sept. 12 press event. Also expected is a refresh of the Apple TV adding 4K video as a playback option, and an LTE-equipped Apple Watch.
According to market rumors, repeated by DigiTimes on Tuesday, only Largan Precision meets Apple's yield rate requirements. Accordingly, Apple is booking production time at Largan's new factory in Taichung for "above 12-megapixel lens modules."
Apple has denied comment. However, Largan notes that production capability at the new factory will come on gradually, with small volume production beginning at the end of the quarter, with increases before the end of the calendar year.
Largan CEO Lin En-ping claims that the new factory is designed to produce dual-lens cameras, with large apertures. Additional capacity has been reserved for 3D sensing modules as well.
DigiTimes does generally provide accurate information from within Apple's supply chain. However, the publication has an unreliable track record in predicting Apple's future product plans. often predicting both timing and features incorrectly for upcoming products.
The camera order is not the first information that has escaped the supply chain about the fall 2018 iPhone. In June, LG was pegged as a possible supplier for flexible circuit boards, as well as the provider of L-shaped batteries for next year's release.
More immediately, Apple is expected to announce three new iPhones with the high-end OLED model, and two other devices expected at a Sept. 12 press event. Also expected is a refresh of the Apple TV adding 4K video as a playback option, and an LTE-equipped Apple Watch.
Comments
Surely that has to be a mistake? 600 million modules per month would mean 7.2 billion per year. Will this factory really provide every person on the planet with a lens module within a year?
If the primary purpose of iPhone images is to post them to social media, no biggie. But if anyone ever wants to display them large or (gasp!) make a print from one, low-light images can really look bad.
If the goal was merely bragging rights, then of course more MP is good!
Just use Chemical Glass, (or even better, Crystal, like Sapphire) instead of plastic for each of the six-element lens.
In case you are wondering, pixels are information. Assuming high quality information that means more data to work with post capture. Pixels aren't bad as long as we don't see regressions elsewhere.
Im fairly confident that we can have both. There is an incredible amount of research going into camera sensors. So more pixels could arrive with little to no regressions elsewhere.
If Apple pulls head from ass about thinness we could see camera improvements simply due to more efficient transmission of light to the sensor. Another possibility is sensor with a curved surface that better couples incoming light. All sorts of other techniques are being researched including the use of quantum dots. So the potential is there for an overall better camera.
pixels aren’t good if they're noisy. It’s better to have fewer high quality pixels than more lower quality pixels.
so,whatvwe’re talking about is whether it would be better to have 12MP that are of higher quality next time around, or even this time, or more pixels of the same quality. It’s a very fair argument to have.
i can tell you that if pixel quality is the same, but there are a LOT more pixels, for the same size image, projected in cm or inches, the higher Pixel count image will look less noisy.
There’s just so much we can get generation to generation. So it depends on what Apple thinks is best. A small increase in resolution to 14Mp, with the same, or maybe a little better noise. 16Mp with the same, or slightly more noise, or 12MP with noticably less noise, and better dynamic range.
i don’t see how much better they can do. But if Apple gets a sensor with the amplifier on chip, then they could get much better noise and dynamic range. But, Apple doesn’t design these chips, though like the Nikon/Sony agreement, Apple could tweak the chip. That’s why Nikon’s versions of the Sony chips are slightly better.
If you use that as optical material for a lens, you will end up with a shitter (in terms of internal reflections and aberrations) and overall slower lens. You don't want any of that ever, and especially when you have a tiny sensor. In a situation, where every photon counts, you don't wanna absorb a good chunk of those in each of the elements of the lens.
It is already bad enough that there is a lens cover made from sapphire. Besides manufacturing costs will go through the roof if you decide to use sapphire lens elements.