Apple is reportedly planning a major camera upgrade for its upcoming iPhone 15 and 15 Plus models. Analysts say the 48-megapixel primary sensor introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max could make its way to more affordable iPhone models.
Last year, Apple updated its iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max with an all-new 48 MP camera sensor, but kept a 12 MP sensor on the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus. The successors, the next iPhone 15 and 15 Plus which will arrive at the end of the year, will finally have to take advantage of the new cameras which had been reserved for the Pro models, according to the speculation of analyst Jeff Pu.
However, we already know that these will not be the same photo sensors as the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro, which will use larger cameras. Moreover, the iPhone 15 Pro could well for the first time use a better main sensor than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The latter already benefits from a periscopic sensor taking up a lot of space inside, and Apple would therefore have chosen different main cameras for the occasion.
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus could be a little late
However, some reports indicate thata possible delay could be due to a problem related to the production of the components of the camera, specifically the CIS (CMOS image sensor) stacked for the 48-megapixel camera on the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. Analyst Jeff Pu said he “would continue to monitor risks related to the production scheduleand that he expected the smartphones to launch alongside the 15 Pro and Pro Max in September. It now remains to be seen if they will be released on the exact same date, or if the more affordable models will remain on pre-order for another week or two.
While the camera upgrade is great news for consumers, it remains to be seen what the difference in image quality will be. The 48-megapixel sensor is a significant step up from the 12-megapixel sensors used in previous iPhone models, but megapixels alone do not determine image quality. Sometimes in certain scenarios, the iPhone 14 Pro offered less attractive shots than its predecessor, the iPhone 13 Pro.