Apple iPhone 2H22 Main Camera Will Have Big Upgrade Close to the DSC Level

Apple iPhone 2H22 Main Camera

Ming-Chi Kuo, known as Apple’s top breaking news leakster, sent out another report today, giving some details on the new iPhone, which Apple is finally going to make a big upgrade on the camera. The latest report points out that Apple iPhone 2H22’s new iPhone will have four models, of which the high version is 6.7 inches and 6.1 inches, and both screen versions also have corresponding low, of which the high version of the main camera will be upgraded to 48 megapixels (1/1.3″), and this upgrade will significantly improve camera performance and facilitate Apple’s promotion of AR/MR.

• The iPhone 12 has a 12MP (1/2″) CIS and we expect the iPhone 13 to have a 12MP (1/1.7″) CIS. 2H22 will see a significant upgrade to a 48MP (1/1.3″) CIS.
• In terms of pixel size, the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and 2H22 will be around 1.7um, 2um, and 1.25um respectively, and we think the 2H22 may support both direct 48MP and 12MP (quad) output.
• If it is 12ML (4-in-1) output, the CIS pixel size of the 2H22 new iPhone can be increased to about 2.5um, which is significantly larger than iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, and also larger than existing Android phones, and is close to digital camera level. It is believed that the photo quality of the new 2H22 iPhone will elevate cell phone photography to a new level.
• The new iPhone 2H22’s 48-megapixel camera supports 8k video capture, so you will have a better user experience when viewing iPhone recorded videos on 8k TVs/monitors in the future.
• The best resolution for AR/MR visual experience is 8-16k. The iPhone’s 48-megapixel camera will create images and pictures that are more suitable for AR/MR devices and enhance the AR/MR user experience.
• Compared to the iPhone 12, we estimate that the CIS, lens, and CCM ASP of the 48MP camera are expected to increase significantly by about 90-110%, 50-70%, and 50-70% respectively. The suppliers currently developing 48MP with Apple are Sony (CIS), Dalemitsu (lens), and CCM (LG Innotek).
• The 2H22 new iPhone adopts 4800 pixels CIS area is about 130-140% larger than iPhone 12, so the difficulty of lens tilt control and CCM calibration is greatly improved, so it is beneficial to the ASP of CIS, lens, and CCM. The ASP of VCM has not changed much because the design difficulty has not changed much.
• The 48MP CIS is exclusively supplied by Sony, and the ASP is significantly increased by 90-110% (vs. iPhone 12) due to the larger CIS. We believe Sony’s capacity increase in 2022 is mainly for Apple demand.
• The large area/large base 7P lens for 48MP cameras is currently being developed by Apple in conjunction with Dalemitsu. Benefiting from the design and capacity advantages, we believe that Dalemitsu will have at least 60-70% of the supply share.
• The CCM for 48MP cameras is currently being developed by Apple and LG Innotek. We believe that Apple will still rely on LG Innotek to produce CCM in the future due to the increased calibration difficulty.

Among CIS, lens, and CCM, the current market expects the lowest trend and outlook for the lens and expects the lens upgrade cycle to start from 2H21, including 5 trends:

1. Face ID Tx lens abandoned glass to adopt plastic and Apple’s AR/MR head-mounted display device using 15 cameras, so the number of plastic lenses used will be significantly increased.
2. 2H22 new iPhone using the 48-megapixel camera is conducive to the lens ASP significantly increased.
3. 2H22 new iPhone with the 48-megapixel camera will force more Android models to use large area / large base CIS, and drive the upgrade of high-end lens specifications, ASP, and shipments.
4. 8P lens benefits from improved yields and cost reduction, shipments are expected to increase significantly since 2022. We expect Samsung’s flagship cell phones will begin to use 8P lenses in 2022.
5. We expect Apple will use a periscope lens telephoto lens and under-screen Face ID in 2023, the lens ASP will be significantly increased.

Source 1, Source 2