According to market analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who specializes in Apple , in 2022 iPhones will receive a major upgrade in their camera system, with 48 MP sensors and the ability to record videos in 8K resolution.
In a report for investors released on Wednesday (14), the analyst says that the devices (which he refers to as 2H22, meaning “second half of 2022 “) will have a 48 MP sensor with a size of 1/1.3” in the wide angle camera. The sensor could support hybrid modes of operation to maximize pixel size and light capture.
“We believe the new iPhone 2H22 can support both 48MP and 12MP direct output (with four cells combined) simultaneously,” says Kuo. “With 12MP output, the pixel size on the new iPhone 2H22 increases to about 2.5 µm, which is significantly larger than on the iPhone 12 , iPhone 13 and above existing Android phones, and close to the level of digital cameras dedicated”. A µm (micrometer) represents one thousandth of a millimeter, or one millionth of a meter.
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For reference, the iPhone 12 image sensor has cells (or “pixels”) of 1.7 µm, and the iPhone 13 sensor is estimated to have 2 µm cells. The larger the cell size, the more light they can capture, and the better the camera performs in low light.
48MP sensors capable of “combining” four cells to produce 12MP images with increased light sensitivity have been a common feature on Android smartphones for some time now, called “binning”.
Kuo also suggests that the higher resolution sensor could support 8K video recording, again a feature already present in some Android smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S21 , Xiaomi Mi 11 , OnePlus 9 and others. The 2022 iPhone sensor would continue to be produced by Sony, with LG in charge of building the camera module.
It’s worth mentioning that Apple never entered the “megapixel race” in smartphone cameras. Sensor resolution is rarely highlighted when new models are introduced, and the company prefers to focus on image quality and new features. With a sensor of “only” 12 MP the iPhone 12 Pro is capable of producing images with quality similar to that of devices with sensors of much higher resolution, like the Galaxy S21.
Finally, Kuo suggests that in 2022 Apple will abandon the iPhone “mini”, focusing on producing models with 6.1, and 6.7″ screens. Apple doesn’t separate iPhone sales by model in its fiscal reports, but rumors have long circulated that consumers were n’t interested in the model, and that the company would have scaled back production .
Source: Apple Insider