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Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has backed up previous reports that Apple has added a periscope lens to the iPhonewith more supply chain information and forecasts.
The term periscope refers to a mechanism that allows for a folding lens. That gives iPhones a strongly increased optical zoom while you don’t need a thicker phone. It has long been rumored that Apple plans to add a periscope lens to the iPhone 15 series, but there are been problems†
A major issue has been that Samsung owns patents on the technology, and Apple reportedly wants to exclude that company from its supply chain for foldable zoom cameras. Apple is therefore looking for alternative suppliers†
According to Ming Chi Kuo’Apple is now expected to be a boon to multiple camera component vendors.
[Analysis] Apple’s camera supply chain will enter a rapid two-year growth cycle thanks to the adoption of a high ASP periscope design by the iPhone 15 / AppleiPhone 15 @mingchikuo https://t.co/CfUiUe7JQH
— (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) July 14, 2022
“The complete periscope lens module includes a high-ASP 1G2P lens, two high-ASP prisms, and a lens barrel,” Kuo writes in his more complete message On Medium† “The high ASP materials are the key to increasing the output value.”
“Apple’s lens supplier will provide more complicated assembly services for the first time,” he continues, “so Largan and Genius are expanding their production capacity in Taichung and Xiamen to fulfill this order.”
ASP is the average selling price, and in this case Kuo thinks cost is an issue for Apple and its suppliers. “If the initial yield isn’t good, the ASP can go as high as $60-70 (USD) or more,” he says.
This is one of the reasons why, according to Kuo, Apple is now partnering with five vendors to get the periscope lens and its features. It’s probably also a reason why the lens will initially be limited to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Kuo does indicate that he expects the lens to be in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. However, he also believes that suppliers “will benefit from more iPhone 16 models that use the periscope and other rear camera upgrades” later on.
Analyst Kuo appears to have stopped writing his previous investor note reports around March 2022 and then initially started tweeting his predictions. More recently, he’s been using Twitter to headline more elaborate reports he posts on Medium.
The tweets and reports vary between specific information he has received from the supply chain and his own assumption based on previous production cycles. The latter seems to be a mix of the two, with details from component manufacturers but more assumptions about the timelines.