Apple supplier: brace for the triple-camera and periscope zoom phones of 2019
The rumors that Apple's iPhone X Plus will sport a tri-lens camera on the back may have been premature, it seems, as Largan Precision, one of Apple's camera element suppliers, revealed that the multi-lens boom is not happening en masse before next year.
Tucked in its reports about a new 7-layer plastic lens invention for handsets, was the tip that many phones with three or more cameras on the back, as well as true optical zoom, are in the pipe for 2019, when Largan will be able to mass produce said modules. Currently, iPhones and Android handsets, are mostly using 6-layer lenses, but next year the higher-end models may get the seven goods.
In addition to multi-lens phone cameras, 2019 will see more brands adopt periscope zooming technology, says Largan, and, since those kits are quite hard to make, there might be yield and availability problems. The first phone announced with 5x optical zoom lens is expected to be the Oppo Find X that will be announced next week, directly from the Louvre in Paris.
Currently, phones simply use telephoto lens for faux 2x or 3x magnification, while the kit in the Find X uses true optical zooming with a periscope system tucked inside a fairly thick, almost 10mm smartphone body. If the Galaxy S10 indeed ships with a tri-camera setup, it's not out of the question that Apple could follow suit with its most expensive iPhone model, and Largan will be waiting in the wings to supply it with the necessary lenses.
source: Digitimes
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