Rumor: iPhone 14 Pro may feature a 48-megapixel camera & 2023 model could have a periscope lens
posted Monday, December 20, 2021 at 12:00 PM EDT
In a research note with TF International Securities, which was obtained by MacRumors, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple plans to introduce a 48-megapixel camera to its flagship iPhone model in 2022. The smartphone, which will presumably be called the iPhone 14 Pro, will be the only phone in Apple's 2022 lineup to incorporate the new, much higher-resolution image sensor.
Current iPhone 13 Pro models feature a 'Pro 12MP camera system,' including telephoto, wide and ultra-wide lenses. The main camera, the wide camera, uses a faster F1.5 lens and delivers outstanding image quality for a smartphone. Between the ultra-wide and telephoto lenses, the iPhone 13 Pro offers 3x optical zoom. Kuo also believes that Apple is working on a periscope lens, although it will not be ready until the iPhone 15 series in 2023. The periscope lens will allow for a much longer optical zoom. The Huawei P40 Pro+ includes a periscope lens that delivers up to 10x optical zoom, so it'll be interesting to see how far Apple pushes the technology.
Returning to the iPhone 14 Pro rumor, the move from 12MP to 48MP, at least for the primary 'wide' camera, will allow for 8K video recording. True 8K video is a bit over 30MP of resolution, so it's well outside the wheelhouse of a 12MP iPhone. Kuo adds that 8K iPhone videos will be well-suited to Apple's rumored AR/VR headset, which rumors suggest will launch next year.
There's no word on if the 48MP image sensor will be a larger sensor or the same size sensor (1/1.9") with many more pixels. There are smartphones with larger sensors already, such as the Sony Xperia Pro-I and its 1.0-type sensor and the Sharp Aquos R6. Kuo does note that the 48MP sensor will be able to shoot 12MP files in low-light using pixel binning, which effectively combines the light data from four adjacent pixels into a single larger pixel. This process is already used in various Android phones, like Samsung Galaxy devices, which left the 12MP cap behind a while ago.
Apple has long focused on image quality rather than big numbers on a specs sheet. In fact, Apple barely mentions specs at all. If you head over to the iPhone 13 Pro product page, the focus is on terms like 'Pro camera system,' 'next-level hardware,' and 'Superintelligent software.' There are numbers for light gathering capabilities and focus distance, but there's no mention of megapixels anywhere, save for the Tech Specs page.
It's easy to imagine Apple adding a 48MP sensor to the iPhone 14 Pro and saying 'more detail' and 'new sensor' rather than saying '48 megapixels' in its marketing material. It's a stark contrast to Samsung, where the Galaxy S21 Ultra's 108MP image sensor is the second thing mentioned. There's no question that some people care about image quality and resolution. 12 megapixels is starting to feel a bit long in the tooth.
As always is the case with rumors, they're just rumors for now. Kuo is a reliable analyst, and his reports typically end up being true, at least in some fashion, so don't be surprised if the iPhone 14 Pro finally kicks the iPhone's megapixel count up a notch. Or four.
(Via MacRumors)