At least one of the three new iPhones allegedly coming later in 2019 is expected to feature three rear cameras, and now a photo uploaded this morning to Chinese social network Weibo suggests that three rear lenses will be arranged in a triangular configuration.
According to a new report from MacRumors, an alleged leaked rear chassis believed to be from one of Apple’s 2019 iPhone models has appeared on Chinese social media site Weibo, resembling the familiar triple-lens rear camera system expected to arrive later in the year with the iPhone XI. The image was later tweeted by Ben Geskin.
Matching up to schematics shared last week, the component shows triangular-shaped cutouts for the cameras three lenses, alongside square cutouts for housing additional sensors.
The part, if legit, likely comes via Foxconn, and shows a hole where the iPhone XI’s wireless charging coil will go. While it’s hardly surprising that Apple’s 2019 iPhones will support cable-free charging, rumours suggest it will also offer reverse wireless charging like the Samsung Galaxy S10.
Apple’s next flagship iPhone is widely expected by industry analysts to feature a triple-camera setup.
Well-connected Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in October that he was anticipating a triple-lensed iPhone in the fall of 2019. In March leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer (@OnLeaks) tweeted a photo of chassis schematics that he said was for a triple-lensed iPhone. In January, Bloomberg reported the iPhone XS Max successor will feature a triple-lens arrangement, while the iPhone XS and iPhone XR followups will use dual-lens setups.
Adding a triple-lens rear camera system to the iPhone would allow for a larger field of view, a wider zoom range, improved low light performance, and the ability to capture more pixels, but the rumoured square camera housing isn’t sitting well with Apple enthusiasts.
