Apple will fit its next-generation iPhone models with a triple camera set-up to rival the likes of the Huawei P30, Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Plus. As well as the wide-angle and telephoto lens seen on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, the as-yet unnamed successor is expect to add an ultra-wide lens into the mix.
According to oft-reliable technology analyst Ming-Ch Kuo, the iPhone XS and XS Max follow-ups will sport a 12-megapixel telephoto lens, 12-megapixel wide-angle lens, and a 12-megapixel super-wide-angle lens – all supplied by Sony.
Ultra-wide angle cameras aren't anything new. Indeed, LG has been fitting its flagship smartphones with the fisheye-effect lenses since 2016, when it introduced the LG G5 and LG V20. However, the camera has become a mainstay of Android smartphones in the last year, and now it looks as if Apple wants in on the action.
The ultra-wide angle camera will be reserved for the pricier iPhone XS (from £999, $999) and iPhone XS Max (from £1,099, $1,099) successors, Kuo has revealed. The follow-up to the iPhone XR (from £749, $749) will have the same dual-camera system on the back that's already available on its costlier current-generation siblings.
As it stands, the iPhone XR has a single, rear-mounted 12-megapixel wide-angle lens.
In order to avoid the back of the iPhone XS and XS Max successors looking like something that will haunt those with trypophobia for the rest of their days, Apple will purportedly adopt a new "black lens-coating technology" that will make the new lenses look "inconspicuous" on the back panel of the forthcoming iPhone.
Elsewhere, Apple will improve the front-facing camera on the follow-ups to the iPhone XS, XS Max and iPhone XR, Ming-Chi Kuo has stated. The selfie camera will increase from 7-megapixels to 12-megapixels on all three handsets.
All three iPhone models, which will ship running iOS 13, will be revealed in early September, provided that Apple sticks with its typical launch schedule.
