Previewed at WWDC, launching in the fall.
Triple-Lens Camera on 2019 iPhones Said to Enable 3D Sensing and Enhanced Zoom
Apple will launch at least one new iPhone model with a triple-lens rear camera in 2019, according to Taiwanese website Economic Daily News, citing a research note from Deutsche Securities analyst Jialin Lu.
A triple-lens iPhone X mockup by Martin Hajek via iDrop News
Lu believes the triple-lens camera system will enable advanced 3D sensing via stereoscopic vision, with two of the sensors able to capture images of a single object from different angles. A triangulation method would then be used to obtain the distance between the iPhone and the object.
Like the TrueDepth system on the front of the iPhone X, the report suggests that the rear 3D sensing will be used for augmented reality purposes. The prediction lines up with a report from Bloomberg's Alex Webb, who last year said future iPhones will be equipped with rear-facing 3D sensing capabilities.
At the time, Webb reported that Apple was evaluating a time-of-flight approach that calculates the time it takes for a laser to bounce off surrounding objects to create a 3D image of the environment, but Lu believes that Apple will instead use the triple-lens approach for the rear camera system.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly expressed his profound interest in augmented reality. Last year, Apple released its ARKit platform, enabling developers to create augmented reality apps for iPhones and iPads on iOS 11.
Meanwhile, the third lens would likely have a longer focal length for enhanced zoom capabilities, according to Lu.
The long-focus 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 three times 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.
Huawei's new P20 Pro smartphone became the first with a triple-lens rear camera system, including a 40-megapixel lens, a 20-megapixel monochrome lens, and an eight-megapixel telephoto lens with up to 3x optical zoom.
Yuanta Securities analyst Jeff Pu also expects Apple to release at least one iPhone with a triple-lens rear camera next year.
Lu believes the triple-lens camera system will enable advanced 3D sensing via stereoscopic vision, with two of the sensors able to capture images of a single object from different angles. A triangulation method would then be used to obtain the distance between the iPhone and the object.
Like the TrueDepth system on the front of the iPhone X, the report suggests that the rear 3D sensing will be used for augmented reality purposes. The prediction lines up with a report from Bloomberg's Alex Webb, who last year said future iPhones will be equipped with rear-facing 3D sensing capabilities.
At the time, Webb reported that Apple was evaluating a time-of-flight approach that calculates the time it takes for a laser to bounce off surrounding objects to create a 3D image of the environment, but Lu believes that Apple will instead use the triple-lens approach for the rear camera system.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly expressed his profound interest in augmented reality. Last year, Apple released its ARKit platform, enabling developers to create augmented reality apps for iPhones and iPads on iOS 11.
Meanwhile, the third lens would likely have a longer focal length for enhanced zoom capabilities, according to Lu.
The long-focus 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 three times 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.
Huawei's new P20 Pro smartphone became the first with a triple-lens rear camera system, including a 40-megapixel lens, a 20-megapixel monochrome lens, and an eight-megapixel telephoto lens with up to 3x optical zoom.
Yuanta Securities analyst Jeff Pu also expects Apple to release at least one iPhone with a triple-lens rear camera next year.
Tags: udn.com, 2019 iPhones
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4 weeks ago
Does anyone else feel like this is building up to be a Saturday Night Live sketch. Like with the razors. Now they have 3 lenses. Now they have 4. Introducing the 37 lens Iphone. lol
4 weeks ago
Does anyone else feel like this is building up to be a Saturday Night Live sketch. Like with the razors. Now they have 3 lenses. Now they have 4. Introducing the 37 lens Iphone. lol
4 weeks ago
Forget about the triple-lens and offer the phones for less than $1000 again. My view.
4 weeks ago
How about working on getting rid of the protrusion?
Don't worry, at some point they'll eventually fill the back panel with an array of cameras and then there'll be no question of any protrusion.
4 weeks ago
Triple-Lens Camera on 2019 iPhones Said to Enable 3D Sensing and Enhanced Zoom
Awesome! I'm thinking of getting a third eye installed so I can sense 3D too!
:confused:
4 weeks ago
This is getting comical with the camera lenses... if you're so into photography, do yourself a favor and buy a real DSLR camera. Let's keep innovating the smartphone in other areas, the camera has received enough attention already.
EDIT: oh, and hardly anyone is using or wants to use AR... it's a lot to bet on an unproven technology. AR could easily go the way of 3D movies. Don't mean to upset all the Pokeman Go players but...
EDIT: oh, and hardly anyone is using or wants to use AR... it's a lot to bet on an unproven technology. AR could easily go the way of 3D movies. Don't mean to upset all the Pokeman Go players but...
4 weeks ago
does anyone even want any of these silly features? why can't we get a higher mah battery or more impact resistant glass
4 weeks ago
Personal opinion but AR seems like an innovation for the hell of inventing something (unless you are a hardcore gamer maybe)
Just like Siri I find it just too inconvenient.
Siri = I am happy when I do not have to talk for a minute in my spare time. I don’t want to think what I want it to do. I rather press a few button and know it will end up correct.
AR = holding up your phone like an idiot in public, getting it do show you stuff you could just look up yourself
Just like Siri I find it just too inconvenient.
Siri = I am happy when I do not have to talk for a minute in my spare time. I don’t want to think what I want it to do. I rather press a few button and know it will end up correct.
AR = holding up your phone like an idiot in public, getting it do show you stuff you could just look up yourself
4 weeks ago
How about working on getting rid of the protrusion?
Even Apple can't break the laws of optical physics.
However, instead of faulting the camera module for protruding (again physics will not budge), recognize the real issue is the "thinning" of the phone to less than the thickness of a fundamental part. The easy solution is the iPhone 5 solution: make the camera body the same thickness as the module.
Bonus: fill the new-found space with all of the consumer wants not able to fit into the "thinner" as available now.
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