iPhone 14 selfie camera will have some of the biggest improvements of all time including the addition of autofocus support, according to market analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The new iPhone model is also said to have a six-piece lens over the five-piece lens available on the existing models. Apple is reported to have considered a list of suppliers for building the selfie camera of the iPhone 14 series. Sony, Largan, and LG Innotek could be the key suppliers to bring improvements.
In a post on Medium, Kuo has listed the improvements we can expect on the front camera of the iPhone 14. The new model is said to have an autofocus camera — an upgrade over the fixed-focus selfie camera available on the existing iPhone models. It is expected to bring significant improvements on the part of capturing selfies and videos.
The selfie camera on the iPhone 14 is also said to bring hardware improvements including Voice Coil Motor (VCM) support for focussing on objects. It will use mechanical movement of the lens to lock the focus.
Apple is also said to offer the six-piece lens for the selfie camera.
Kuo said that the autofocus technology on the iPhone 14 would come from Genius and Cowell. While the US-headquartered Genius is said to be the main supplier for the six-piece lens, Hong Kong-based Cowell, which is a subsidiary of Luxshare, would be the new supplier for the VCM technology.
Apple is said to have retained Sony as the sensor maker for the selfie camera on the iPhone 14. Further, LG Innotek and Cowell are said to be the two suppliers for delivering the colour correction matrix (CCM) technology.
The lens on the selfie camera of the iPhone 14 is said to be manufactured by Genius and Largan, whereas the VCM technology will be shared between Alps and Luxshare.
By getting the new component suppliers for the selfie camera, Apple seems to be reducing its dependence on Chinese manufacturers for the iPhone 14.
The latest predictions made by Kuo are likely to be not just limited to the regular iPhone 14 model but also available on the iPhone 14 Pro versions. The analyst had indicated some series-wide selfie camera improvements in April as well.
However, a recent report suggested that due to the improvements, the iPhone 14 selfie camera would cost three times more than that of the front-facing optics available on the existing iPhone models. Kuo also noted in the latest post that the average selling price of a six-piece lens is about 20 percent higher than that of a five-piece lens. This could eventually lead to some price increment across the lineup.
Some earlier reports suggested that apart from the improved selfie camera, the iPhone 14 Pro models would particularly carry an enhanced rear camera setup that is speculated to have a 48-megapixel primary sensor in place of the existing 12-megapixel one.
The increment could result in a more prominent camera bump on the iPhone 14 Pro models over the one available on the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Apple is expected to host the iPhone 14-series launch sometime in September. Meanwhile, it is safe to predict that some additional rumours and reports about the new iPhone models would surface on the Web.