The iPhone 14 is likely to get a substantial front-facing camera upgrade, according to recent sepecilation, but a new report suggests it’ll cost Apple a pretty penny to procure.
The South Korean publication ET News (via MacRumors) reckons Apple has enlisted LG Innotek to provide a front-facing camera sensor with auto-focus capabilities; a first in the history of the range.
The report describers the new camera as “high-end” and claims Apple is moving forward this advancement after initial plans to include it within 2023’s iPhone 15. The move, in part, is being made because Apple has concerns with the quality of the options from Chinese suppliers.
“According to industry sources on the 22nd, Apple recently decided to install LG Innotek’s products for the first time on the iPhone 14 front camera, which is slated to release in September. Apple has notified its major partners of this. LG Innotek has begun preparing for mass production of the iPhone 14 front camera.”ET News
However, perhaps importantly, the report also says the specific part is costing Apple three times as much as the sensor within the iPhone 13.
Whether that’s a cost Apple will be looking to pass onto the consumer remains to be seen, but if other components are also going up in cost, we may see Apple increase the prices of the top iPhone models this time around.
This isn’t the first we’ve heard of an iPhone 14 with an autofocus front-facing camera. Last month, the noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted all four of the flagship models will offer the new selfie camera, but also feature a wider f/1.9 aperture.
(1/2)The front camera of four new iPhone 14 models in 2H22 would likely upgrade to AF (autofocus) & about f/1.9 aperture (vs. iPhone 13’s FF (fixed-focus) and f/2.2).— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) April 19, 2022
The autofocus would assist with with portrait mode selfies, but would also be great for FaceTime videos calls and live streaming, according to Kuo’s predictions.
The iPhone 14 is expected to arrive in September 2022, alongside iOS 16. The latter will be revealed at WWDC 2022 next month.
