Don't expect an iPhone camera lens upgrade next year, says Kuo

A new report from Ming-Chi Kuo states that the iPhone 13 might be the most significant camera upgrade to iPhone for a while, as Apple is not expected to make significant upgrades to its lens in 2022.

In a note seen by iMore, Kuo made the revelation, predicting that Apple will not make any "significant upgrade of the iPhone lens in 2022." The insight comes in the context of a pricing battle between iPhone camera suppliers. Kuo states that supplier Yujingguang, also known as Genius Electronic Optical, should be viewed conservatively because of revenue overestimates and fierce price competition from rivals.

Apple's iPhone 13, which is expected to debut in the normal window later this year, is rumored to be getting the iPhone 12 Pro Max's camera sensors rolled out across the entire lineup, including the regular iPhone 13 and 13 mini. The two lower-spec phones will still have a dual-camera configuration, but packing the beefier lens from Apple's current 12 Pro Max.

From the report:

As Ross notes, the lower-end iPhone 13 models will get the good camera from the iPhone 12 Pro Max, and sensor size will increase on the iPhone 13 Pro-lineup.

A report in November of 2020 claimed that Apple might be looking for suppliers to put folded "periscope" cameras in its iPhones. A horizontal lens layout could reduce the camera's form factor, getting rid of the bump, or boost the optical zoom without having to increase the thickness of a device.