- Apple’s high-end iPhone 12 model with a 6.7-inch display will feature sensor-shift image stabilization, according to a new research note from TF Industries analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
- Sensor-shift technology could bring stabilization to the Ultra Wide lens, which it currently lacks on the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
- iPhone 14 could be the first iPhone to feature a periscope lens, with up to 10x optical zoom.
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In spite of the pandemic that has taken over all our lives, some things never change, such as the frequency of iPhone leaks. Over the past several weeks, we’ve heard countless rumors about the all-but-confirmed iPhone 9 and iPhone 9 Plus, as well as the iPhone 12 set to debut this fall. Many of those rumors have revolved around release dates, as the COVID-19 outbreak forced many factories to shut down, but as China seems to have gotten a handle on the spread of the virus, many of those factories have reopened and work has started back up.
Delayed or not, we’re much more interested in how Apple plans to upgrade the iPhone for 2020, and one of the key upgrades may have just been revealed. MacRumors obtained a research note from TF Securities on Monday in which analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple’s high-end 6.7-inch iPhone 12 will have sensor-shift image stabilization. This is one of several camera improvements expected to come to Apple’s flagship phone this year.
Sensor-shift image stabilization is achieved when the sensor capturing the image moves to counteract in order to counteract the motion of the camera. If the camera rotates, gyroscopes move the sensor to match it. As MacRumors explains, this upgrade could bring image stabilization to the Ultra Wide lens for the first time. The iPhone 11 Pro uses optical image stabilization for photo and video, but with only the Telephoto and Wide lenses. Sensor-shift technology would let Apple bring stabilization to any lens, including the Ultra Wide.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time sensor-shift image stabilization has been rumored for the iPhone 12. Last December, DigiTimes reported that the technology would be featured on the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 and the priciest 6.1-inch iPhone 12, but Kuo believes that the technology will be limited to the most expensive iPhone this year. He also says in his report that the technology could expand to two or three iPhone models in 2021.
In the same research note, Kuo predicted that at least one iPhone model in 2022 will feature a periscope lens like the one seen on the Huawei P30 Pro, which is capable of up to 5x optical zoom. As MacRumors notes, the latest iPhone models max out at 2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom. The periscope lens will supposedly be designed by Apple in partnership with Taiwanese supplier Genius Electronic Optical.
