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iPhone With Triple-Lens Rear Camera Will 'Likely' Launch Next Year Says Analyst

Monday May 7, 2018 6:33 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple is likely to launch at least one new iPhone model with a triple-lens rear camera in the second half of next year, according to the Taipei Times, citing a research note from Yuanta Securities analyst Jeff Pu.

A triple-lens iPhone X mockup by Martin Hajek via iDrop News

The report does not provide any additional details, but a Chinese report from the Economic Daily News last month suggested the camera system will have a 6P lens design with up to 5x zoom and at least one 12-megapixel lens.

The addition of a third lens would likely enable 3x optical zoom on an iPhone for the first time, enabling users to magnify the image in the viewfinder by up to 3x without a blurry reduction in quality like digital zoom. iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X models feature 2x optical zoom for comparison.

A triple-lens rear camera would likely be a feature reserved for Apple's highest-end iPhones, so if accurate, this rumor probably applies to a third-generation iPhone X and/or iPhone X Plus launching around September 2019.

Huawei P20 Pro

Huawei's new P20 Pro smartphone is the first with a triple-lens rear camera system, including a 40-megapixel lens, a 20-megapixel monochrome lens, and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. The Verge's Vlad Savov said he prefers the P20 Pro's camera over those on the iPhone X and Galaxy S9.

For anyone hoping this might be a 2018 move instead, former KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously ruled out any significant changes occurring to the iPhone X's current dual-lens rear camera system this year.

Related Roundup: iPhone 11
Buyer's Guide: iPhone 11 (Buy Now)
[ 153 comments ]

Top Rated Comments

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DipDog3
20 months ago
Only 3 lenses? I’m going to wait for the 5 lense model.
Rating: 43 Votes
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maerz001
20 months ago

Only 3 lenses? I’m going to wait for the 5 lense model.


fixed that
Rating: 38 Votes
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akbarali.ch
20 months ago
Core war is over, welcome lens war.
Rating: 32 Votes
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YaBe
20 months ago

Only 3 lenses? I’m going to wait for the 5 lense model.

They already have 16 lenses camera, they only need to add the phone part.
Rating: 26 Votes
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GadgetBen
20 months ago
What nonsense. Apple will simply improve the two lenses.

We aren’t talking about Gillette razors here! It’s not a competition for which phone has the most lenses!
Rating: 20 Votes
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stevemiller
20 months ago
if they're going to keep adding zoom lenses, how about making the base lens wider angle?
Rating: 11 Votes
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ghost187
20 months ago
Honestly, I’d rather have a 1” sensor.
Rating: 11 Votes
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L-Viz
20 months ago
Triple protruding, yeah!
Rating: 8 Votes
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alpi123
20 months ago
Instead of adding more lenses, why they just don't improve and enlarge the main one? I mean, professional cameras don't use several lenses in the end, they just have one and very good lens.
Rating: 7 Votes
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kmanmx
20 months ago

Honestly, I’d rather have a 1” sensor.


Seeing as the size of the image sensor is directly related to the size of the enclosure, and size of the lens system.. where do you propose they fit a 1" sensor in the body of a 7mm thick iPhone ?

I mean, it would basically be impossible without probably doubling the thickness of the iphone and having a very large protruding lens system. Not to mention the cost of putting a 1" sensor in a phone, the optics to go with it, and the power drain. If you don't like a $999, you would have to get used to a $1499 iPhone.

More smaller sensors is really the only viable route, which is why all manufacturers are heading that way. Even the latest and best smartphone camera modules are only about $15 per unit at large volumes, so it is not cost prohibitive to add two, three, four etc of them. And while it may look a bit ugly, I think people would get used to it and the benefits worth it to anyone with even a passing interest in photography. Ultimately, 5 would probably be about the sweet spot: a 35mm, 70mm and 140mm FF equivalent, and then a wide 23mm and a macro lens. Five in total, that would be a great range that would cover most of everything other than extreme edge cases. You could also use the 5 sensors to get a better average of the scenes lighting, colour balance etc.
Rating: 7 Votes

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