Well-connected Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says The upcoming 2022 “iPhone 14” lineup will include two 6.1-inch devices and two 6.7-inch devices, but no mini-sized 5.4-inch iPhone. The lineup will similar to the current iPhone 12 lineup, which includes two high-end models and two low-end models.
That information comes from an investor note shared by MacRumors. Apple debuted a 5.4-inch “mini” model of its venerable iPhone in last year’s iPhone 12 lineup. While the Cupertino firm will continue to offer a 5.4-inch iPhone option in 2021, the size will be discontinued after that. iPhone 12 mini sales have reportedly not been performing as well as had been expected.
Kuo believes that Apple will introduce significant camera upgrades in the 2022 iPhones, adding a 48-megapixel camera in the high-end iPhone 14 models.
In terms of pixel size, the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and new 2H22 iPhone are about 1.7um, 2um, and 1.25um, respectively. We believe that the new 2H22 iPhone may support direct 48MP output and 12MP (four cells merge output mode) output simultaneously. With 12MP output, the CIS pixel size of the new 2H22 iPhone increases to about 2.5um, which is significantly larger than the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, and larger than existing Android phones, and close to the DSC level. We believe that the camera quality of the new 2H22 iPhone will elevate mobile phone camera photography to a new level.
Kuo also expects the high-end iPhone models to be capable of recording 8K video, and he says that in the future, watching iPhone-recorded videos on an 8K display or TV will “offer a better user experience.” Kuo says that the 48-megapixel camera in the 2022 iPhone will create videos and images “more suitable for AR/MR devices.”
Kuo also has predictions for future iPhones, such as a periscope telephoto lens in 2023, as well as under-display Face ID, which could eliminate the notch in the iPhone’s display.