iPhone phones of 2022 come with a 48-megapixel camera
Apple plans to introduce a major update to the iPhone's camera in 2022, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, as the flagship phones of that year are expected to have a 48-megapixel lens.
In a note to investors released Wednesday, Kuo expects the flagship iPhone 14 models to adopt a 48-inch 1 / 1.3-inch CMOS image sensor with a pixel size of 1.25 μm for the wide-angle lens.
The company typically focuses on the wide-angle lens first, while in later years the features reach the telephoto and ultra-wide angle lens.
Interestingly, the sensor could support hybrid operating modes to increase the pixel size and take advantage of the device's light-gathering capabilities.
Kuo says: We believe that the iPhone, supposed to be released in the second half of 2022, may support 48-megapixel photography with 12-megapixel resolution (when four cells are combined) simultaneously.
- He added: The pixel size of the new iPhone increases to about the equivalent of 2.5 micrometers when shooting at 12 megapixels, which is much larger than the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, and larger than the current Android phones, and close to the DSC level.
For reference, the iPhone 12's pixels come in at 1.7μm, while Kuo expects this year's iPhone 13 to have a 2μm pixel sensor.
The high-resolution sensor is expected to support 8K video recording, which is significantly higher than the current 4K limit for the iPhone.
Although frame rates were not mentioned in the report, Kuo believes the addition is beneficial for recordings of augmented reality devices, a sector widely rumored to be entering into in the near future.
"The current supplier, Sony, is producing the next sensor," says Kuo. LG is working on the compact CCM camera module.
Apple is expected to pay more per unit camera with the move to 48 megapixels.
In addition to the tilt control, the CCM calibration is more complex than the current iPhone models, given the increased surface area of the sensor.
Kuo suggests that Apple will stop production of the iPhone mini in 2022, offering 6.1 and 6.7-inch models of the base model and the Pro series.
Separately, the analyst says, the 2023 iPhones may start using the Face ID sensors built under the screen as a way to get rid of the bump.