Apple Working on Triple-Lens Technology for 2019 iPhone Refresh: Analyst

Apple is once again rumoured to be working on a triple-lens camera for a 2019 iPhone refresh.

According to a new report from MacRumors, rumours claiming Apple is going to incorporate a three-lens camera system in a future iPhone refresh have been buoyed by analyst Jeff Pu of Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting.

In a recent investor note, Pu said that Apple supplier Largan could see a year-on-year recovery in sales and operating profit thanks to strong demand for OLED iPhone in 2H, the adoption of triple camera lenses by some vendors, and the resilient prices and gross margin of its products.

Further down the line, the “emerging adoption” of triple-camera lenses by “some handset vendors” will certainly help the company improve its profitability, as related parts are likely to cost way more than dual shooters.

Pu said Huawei is expected to drive triple-camera lens adoption by introducing a lower-spec device for the Mate 20 model, while Apple is likely to launch a new iPhone model with a triple-lens rear camera in the second half of next year. Assuming that other vendors would follow suit and therefore boost adoption of the triple-lens design, it could “provide a much-needed improvement in Largan’s capacity utilization rate,” Pu said.

With the dual-lens feature initially introduced on the iPhone 7 Plus, a report from last month claimed that the rumored triple-lens camera will boast a 6P lens design with 5x zoom, but it doesn’t confirm if it’s optical, digital, or hybrid zoom. In comparison, the iPhone 8 with a single-lens has up to 5x digital zoom, while the dual-lens iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X features 2x optical zoom with 10x digital zoom.

As already proven with the addition of a dual-lens camera system, a three-lens rear camera would offer more advantages, including greatly improved low-light performance and even better image quality, if the report proves to be accurate.

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