We’ve often said that TF International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is so plugged into Apple that he can tell you what the soup of the day will be at the cafeteria in Cupertino a year or two in the future. Kuo is now talking about an upgrade to the front-facing FaceTime camera for next year’s iPhone 17 series. In a blog post, Kuo forecasts a revenue increase over the next one to two years for Genius, the company that is Apple’s primary supplier for the lens used on the iPhone’s FaceTime camera.
One of the reasons for this top-line expansion for Genius is an upgrade to the iPhone 17 line’s front-facing camera from the current 12MP, also expected for this year’s iPhone 16 series, to 24MP. The FaceTime camera will also use a six-element lens on the iPhone 17 compared to the five-element lens used for the FaceTime camera lens on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 lines. This should help to improve the quality of video chats using the FaceTime camera as well as the quality of images shot or recorded using the camera. The unit price of the six-element lens (6P) is 100% to 120% higher than the cost of the 5P lens.
Kuo says that the iPhone 16 Pro models (iPhone 16 Pro render is on the left) will have a 48MP ultra-wide camera
With the larger 6.3-inch screen expected for the iPhone 16 Pro this year, we should see the Tetraprism periscope zoom appear not only on the iPhone 16 Pro Max but also on the iPhone 16 Pro. While Largan remains the main supplier of the periscope lens for the iPhone, Genius is also supplying the two iPhone 16 Pro series models with periscope lenses and will start shipping them at the end of the second quarter this year or early in the third quarter.
The company will also be the exclusive supplier of the ultra-wide lens for this year’s iPhone 16 Pro series which will be upgraded to 48MP with a pixel size of 0.7um and a sensor size of 1/2.6″. That compares to the iPhone 15 Pro series 12MP ultra-wide camera with a 1.0um pixel size and a sensor size of 1/3.6″.
Genius will be Apple’s exclusive supplier of the flat, thin “pancake lens” used on the Vision Pro. It also will deliver the ultra-wide lens for Huawei’s upcoming new P70 flagship series expected during the first half of this year.
Kuo’s track record might have dropped off a little but when it comes to Apple, you still have to listen to what he is saying.
