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According to the latest news, Apple may add a series of new iPhone camera features tailored for professionals such as video creators, including ProRes for video, video portrait mode and more.
Whether you’re shooting video of your kids as you chase them around the park or holding your iPhone out the window on a bumpy road, you’ll get more precise stabilization than ever with the Sensor-shift camera design.
Apple first introduced sensor-shift stabilization on the Wide lens of the iPhone 12 Pro Max. The technology stabilizes the camera's sensor instead of the iPhone 12 Pro Max lens for even greater image stabilization and improved photo quality.
Apple is expected to increase orders for the voice coil motors (VCM) that are used as the basis for sensor-shift image stabilization in handheld devices in late June into early July, even outpacing the number of orders that were placed by Android manufacturers for the second half of 2021 according to a report on DigiTimes.
As Apple describes sensor-shift on the iPhone 12 Pro Max Rear Camera, "Until now, sensor‑shift stabilization was only on DSLR cameras. This is the first time it’s been adapted for iPhone. "
Apple's upcoming iPhone 13 models will be slightly thicker than the iPhone 12 models and will also feature larger, thicker camera bumps with lenses that protrude less, according to iPhone 13 schematics seen by MacRumors.
The new iPhone 13 and 13 Pro models are expected to feature a thickness of 7.57mm, up from 7.4mm in the iPhone 12 models. That's an increase of 0.17mm, which won't be hugely noticeable to most people.
The camera bumps are getting thicker in part to prevent the lenses from protruding quite as much on the iPhone 13 models. Rather than the individual lenses protruding as we saw on the iPhone 12 models, the camera bump itself on the iPhone 13 family will protrude more while the lenses will sit closer to a flush position, similar to the design of the 2020 iPad Pro Camera.
As noted by the report, Japan’s Mitsumi and Alps are now main suppliers of VCMs for new iPhone camera modules, and Mitsumi in particular has placed increased contract production orders to Taiwan makers including Audix and Chinese peers such as Zhonglan Electronic Technology, JCT Electronics, and GYZ Electronic Technology. Alps apparently handles automated production on its own.
DigiTimes sources believe that since “demand for VCMs to support the function will grow three to four folds after all new iPhones incorporate the capability” that all of the iPhone 13 models will adopt the sensor-shift stabilization functionality in some way.
With the iPhone 12 Pro Max, the upgrade was added to the wide-angle lens, which is also known as the primary 12MP camera. If you are wondering, this form of stabilization acts on the sensor instead of the lens for improved image quality. We will also need to see if this is applied for video capture or not, so we recommend waiting for more details to come through.
In addition to the upgraded stabilization, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently forecast that the new iPhone lineup will also feature new iPhone display screen, LiDAR scanners, and more.
There are rumors that the iPhone 13 may also provide a new astrophotography function, which may allow many photographers to take a good night sky photo without a tripod.
More people will be able to capture sharper photos and steadier videos without having to splurge for the most expensive iPhone. Combined with any other camera upgrades Apple has planned for this year's release, that's a lot to look forward to.
