Twitter user “RGcloudS” claims that the iPhone 15 lineup will boast a glass-plastic hybrid lens with an ƒ/1.7 aperture before Apple makes improvements to the technology with next year’s iPhone 16 lineup.
The upgrade is said to make the iPhone 15 series the first smartphones sold outside of China with a hybrid lens design. Currently, devices with this technology from manufacturers like Xiaomi are only sold in China.
The hybrid lens will reportedly feature a single glass element and six plastic elements. The wide camera currently used across the iPhone 14 lineup has seven plastic lenses.
The iPhone 15 lineup’s main camera will also feature an ƒ/1.7 aperture, a slight increase over the ƒ/1.79 aperture on the iPhone 14 Pro models. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models are expected to be equipped with the same 48-megapixel rear camera introduced on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max last year. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus feature a ƒ/1.5 aperture, meaning that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus could be looking at an aperture downgrade this year.
The larger aperture will enable the wide camera to capture up to 20% more light. Capturing more light allows for improved performance in low-light conditions, as well as the ability to use faster shutter speeds. A larger aperture can also create a shallower depth of field, emphasizing the subject of an image by providing additional blurring of the background.
Next year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max will reportedly receive an upgrade of the wide camera to an eight-part hybrid lens design with two glass elements and six plastic elements. The upgrade is also said to introduce five- and six-element hybrid lenses on the telephoto and ultra-wide cameras. The lenses are alegedly to be supplied by Sunny Optical Technology.
Last week “RGcloudS” said the iPhone 15 lineup could feature stacked battery technology. The information came as part of an alleged leak about Samsung’s Galaxy S24+ and S24 Ultra models, which are also said to use the stacked battery technology.
Now, the leaker says it has been confirmed that the battery upgrade will instead be used in the iPhone 16 series, alongside 40W wired charging and 20W charging via MagSafe. Apple reportedly has plans to introduce larger image sensors and stacked battery technology alongside each other.
The “RGcloudS” account primarily focuses on Android leaks, so the Twitter user’s track record for Apple leaks is unclear. As usual, take any reports like this with a grain of salt-free seasoning.
(Via MacRumors)