Apple will change some of its suppliers for the front camera module of its iPhone 14. This module should benefit from a larger aperture and above all from autofocus.
Always well informed, the famous analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has just communicated new elements about the future Apple iPhone 14, in particular concerning the front camera:
Analysis: winners of iPhone 14 front camera’s upgrade to AF (auto focus) @mingchikuo https://t.co/USPnSfWFDO
— Ming-Chi Kuo (@mingchikuo) June 13, 2022
The analyst predicts the arrival of autofocus in the front camera, which will improve the image quality of selfies and videos, unlike the fixed focus technology used previously. The autofocus uses a moving coil motor (Voice Coil Motor or VCM in English) and the camera will benefit from six optical elements instead of five currently, which should in theory improve the optical quality of the whole. In addition, the aperture should increase from f/2.2, a value unchanged since the iPhone 11, to f/1.9. This change allows more light to enter and could be useful when the lighting is insufficient.
According to Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple keeps certain partners for the design of its front camera, for example Sony, but will also call on other manufacturers and assemblers:
- CIS sensor: Sony
- Lentilles : Genius and Largano
- Autofocus motor: Alps and Luxshare ICT
- Compact camera module: LG Innotek and Cowell
This is the first time that the South Korean company LG Innotek has collaborated with Apple in this area. Apple reportedly preferred this manufacturer over Chinese companies due to quality issues.
A new sensor for the iPhone 14 Pro
If this technological advancement of the front camera module should concern all iPhone 14, the Pro and Pro Max models should benefit from a new sensor for their main rear module, with a jump from 12 megapixels to 48 megapixels. iPhones have had 12-megapixel sensors since the 2015 6s model. In addition, the rear optical block would be 25 to 35% wider and 5 to 10% thicker. As a result, the 14 Pro models should be thicker at the rear camera modules than the current iPhone 13 Pros.
9TO5Mac