Future iPhone Cameras Expected to Transmit High-Resolution Images at Faster Speeds

Apple's iPhone cameras could in future adopt circuit boards based on liquid crystal polymer (LCP) in order to allow them to transmit high-resolution images at higher speeds, according to industry sources in Apple's supply chain (via DigiTimes).

iphone12dummycameras
The use of LCP-based flexible PCBs in camera lens modules has been linked to the introduction of high-speed 5G in Apple's smartphone lineup, as well as to the increasing prevalence of live-streamed video and augmented reality apps.

LCP PCBs may also be massively adopted in iPhone camera lens modules in the future to support high-speed image transmission, the sources said, reasoning that image data will be increasingly complicated in the 5G era and high-speed transmission will be needed to allow high-resolution images in live streaming and AR applications.

The tidbit appears in a report concerning the increased activity of Apple's supply chain partners to provide volume production of mmWave antenna boards for iPhones in 2021. mmWave, which also uses LCP-based PCBs, is the fastest 5G network technology that carriers are currently rolling out.

At least some ‌iPhone‌ 12 models this year are expected to support mmWave, but the report isn't clear on when Apple's iPhones are expected to include LCP-based camera module PCBs capable of faster image transmission.

Apple is expected to release high-end 6.7 and 6.1-inch iPhones with triple-lens cameras, while the new lower-end 5.4 and 6.1-inch iPhones are thought to feature dual-lens cameras.

The higher-end ‌iPhone‌ 12 models could feature an improved telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, improved from the current 2x optical zoom. The high-end 6.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ in 2020 is rumored to be getting sensor-shift image stabilization technology, which could potentially bring image stabilization to the ultra wide-angle lens on those devices.

Apple could also include new camera modes on the higher-end ‌iPhone‌ 12 models, allowing them to shoot 4K video at 120 and 240 frames per second. The new camera modes are reportedly referenced in iOS 14.

In addition, rumors suggest at least one of the new ‌iPhone‌ models coming in 2020 will feature a 3D camera, which sounds like the LiDAR Scanner feature that Apple added in the 2020 iPad Pro models. LiDAR is essentially able to map the surrounding environment at the photon level at nano-second speeds.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple 'Sherlocked' These Apps at WWDC 2025

Wednesday June 11, 2025 7:14 am PDT by
Apple at WWDC previewed a bunch of new features coming in its updated operating systems, but certain changes will have been met with dismay by third-party developers who already offer apps with equivalent or similar features. In other words, their product has been "sherlocked" by Apple. When Apple creates an app or a feature that has functionality found in a third-party app, it is referred...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
maxresdefault

Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2025 in 10 Minutes

Monday June 9, 2025 5:21 pm PDT by
At today's WWDC 2025 keynote event, Apple unveiled a new design that will inform the next decade of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS development, so needless to say, it was a busy day. Apple also unveiled a ton of new features for the iPhone, an overhauled Spotlight interface for the Mac, and a ton of updates that make the iPad more like a Mac than ever before. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...

Top Rated Comments

0924487 Avatar
62 months ago
The thing is iPhone's petty storage will not support 4K at 240fps very well unless you sell your kidney over it.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmilo Avatar
62 months ago
Can’t wait to store 5 pictures on my 1k 64 GB iPhone
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aluminum213 Avatar
62 months ago
Bring on the iPhone 13, iPhone 12 cameras are already ancient tech
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jclardy Avatar
62 months ago
I hate how 5G is used in marketing speak all over now. 5G is not at all the driver for this. An iPhone 11 Pro of today could already saturate a 5G connection with video data upload if it had a 5G modem.

The real reason for this is on-device machine learning - the faster data can get to the CPU, the more latency is removed from any post-processing effects on that video when sent to the display. That plus calculating geometry for AR applications, combining the lidar sensor data with the live video feed.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unggoy Murderer Avatar
62 months ago

The thing is iPhone's petty storage will not support 4K at 240fps very well unless you sell your kidney over it.
The bandwidth needed for that too. Ooft.

Apple's already got most of my money - organs are probably the next thing they can take.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
teeoh717 Avatar
62 months ago
Uh, cool and all... but can we for the love of god please move past USB 2.0 transfer speeds out of the only I/O port on the phone? I just want to transfer hardwired (not AirDrop or cloud syncing) without ripping all of my hair out. Is that so much to ask in 2020? TWENTY YEARS later after USB 2.0 was introduced??
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)