What you need to know
- The Ultra Wide camera in the iPhone 13 lineup may get a massive upgrade.
- A report claims the lens will go from an ƒ/2.4 aperture all the way down to an ƒ/1.8 aperture.
As reported by MacRumors, the entire iPhone 13 lineup, which is expected this fall, will feature an upgraded Ultra Wide camera. According to an investor note shared with the outlet, Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Thomas O'Malley say the new lens will feature a wider ƒ/1.8 aperture. The iPhone 12 lineup currently features an ƒ/2.4 aperture on the Ultra Wide camera.
As noted by MacRumors, today's report conflicts with a report from supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in November 2020. Kuo stated in that report that the upgrade to the Ultra Wide camera would be limited to the iPhone 13 Pro models.
In an investor note with TF International Securities in November, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also claimed that the Ultra Wide lens will be upgraded to an ƒ/1.8 aperture, but only on iPhone 13 Pro models, so there is conflicting information as to exactly how many models will get the lens upgrade. Kuo expects the upgraded Ultra Wide lens to expand to the rest of the flagship iPhone lineup in the second half of 2022.
A lower aperture allows more light through the lens, which should enable sharper images as well as better performance in low light. Today's report also says that the telephoto lens currently reserved for the iPhone 12 Pro Max will come down to the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 Pro as well.
Barclays also claimed that the iPhone 12 Pro Max's upgraded Telephoto lens will expand to the standard iPhone 13 Pro, with a 65mm focal length and ƒ/2.2 aperture, a move that is expected to benefit chipmaker Cirrus Logic given that it would be supplying Apple with a camera controller for an additional iPhone model starting later this year.
An earlier report from DigiTimes in January also said that the sensor-shift optical image stabilization technology, which is currently reserved for the iPhone 12 Pro Max, may also come to the entire iPhone 13 lineup this fall.
