Apple is said to have chosen a new supplier for its front-facing camera lens.
According to an unnamed industry insider, South Korean supplier LG Innotek will install the new selfie camera on the next iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro.
According to a new report from South Korea-based tech news site ET News, citing unnamed industry sources, the front camera will also have auto-focus.
The iPhone 14 is slated to be released in the fall and is believed to do away with the notched display. Apple is also likely to discontinue the iPhone Mini, leaving only the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Max, and iPhone 14 Pro Max in the new lineup.
Apple is claimed to have reclassified the front-facing camera as a "high-end" component, as well as quality issues with Chinese suppliers, for the change. The new front-facing camera is believed to cost nearly three times as much as previous iPhone camera components.
The news corroborated a previous prediction from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who claimed for the first time that the iPhone 14's front-facing camera would allow autofocus. All four iPhone 14 models, according to Kuo, will have an updated front-facing camera with autofocus, including the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max, and a wider ƒ/1.9 aperture.
A larger aperture would let more light to get through the lens and reach the front camera sensor on iPhone 14 models, resulting in better image quality. These camera changes, according to Kuo, could boost the depth-of-field effect for Portrait mode photographs and videos, while autofocus can increase focus during FaceTime and Zoom video conversations.
In comparison, the front camera on all iPhone 13 models has a fixed focus and a lower ƒ/2.2 aperture.
LG Innotek is reportedly prepping for mass production of the iPhone 14's front camera ahead of the device's September release.
Physical SIM cards may also be phased out as iPhones transition to eSIM-only models.
Component prices will also be affected by the shift in suppliers. While the front camera is typically one-third the price of the primary camera on the back, the addition of functions such as autofocus has increased the camera's cost by around three times when compared to prior versions.
We don't yet know how much of the price increase will be passed on to customers.
