What you need to know
- Apple reportedly has a big iPhone upgrade coming in 2023.
- A new periscope camera would make the camera bump much thinner without compromising performance.
- A new report says Samsung will not supply this to Apple, and that there are issues with patents to deal with.
A new report from Korea claims that a future iPhone upgrade will not be supplied by Samsung.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics will be excluded from Apple's supply chain for folded zoom camera modules for iPhones launching in 2023, TheElec has learned.
A periscope camera would shrink down the size of the camera module, and possibly the bump on the back of the iPhone, without sacrificing any performance. However, Apple has reportedly encountered problems with patents for the tech (now owned by Samsung):
Samsung had used Samsung Electro-Mechanics' folded zoom technology for the Galaxy S20 Ultra for the first time.Apple is planning to apply the technology for iPhones launching in 2023, but patents are getting in its way.Samsung Electronics had secured the patents needed for the technology by acquiring Israel-based Corephotonix in 2019.
The report says that if Apple wants to include the upgrade in 2023 it needs to finalize specs and suppliers "this year", and is looking at potential alternative manufacturing partners.
Of course, none of this matters for iPhone 13. Expected to be announced in just a few weeks, the new device should replace iPhone 12 as Apple's best iPhone with rumors of a new processor and a 120Hz display on the way for the 'Pro' lineup.
