- The latest research note by Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple is planning to upgrade the front camera of iPhone 17.
- iPhone 17 is touted to sport a 24MP front camera along with a 6P lens.
- Also, the iPhone 16 Pro ultra-wide lens will be upgraded to 48MP/0.7um.
While we are still iPhone 16 and a year away from iPhone 17, it seems that Apple has big plans in store for its 2025 iPhone. According to notable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is planning to make the front camera of the iPhone 17 twice as powerful as the iPhone 15 series.
In a recent research note, Kuo discusses the business prospects of Genius Electronic Optical Company Limited, a China-based company that is an Apple supplier. In the note, Kuo has revealed that Genius is set to gain benefits as there will be a “significant upgrade to iPhone 17’s front camera lens“.
As per Kuo, iPhone 17 will tout a 24MP/6P camera as opposed to 12MP/5P lens in the latest iPhone lineup. For the unaware, here “P” refers to “plastic” and it denotes the number of lens elements that are added to a camera module. Naturally, more megapixels translates to more lens elements or ‘P-s’.
The rumored 6P lens in the front camera of iPhone 17 is expected to deliver close-to-reality images with increased sharpness and detail. Kuo says that Genuis will remain the primary lens supplier for the front cameras in the iPhone 17 series. Since the 6P lens is almost 100-120% higher priced than its predecessor, therefore Genius is expected to rake in more profits and revenue in 2H25.
Additionally, Kuo has also mentioned in the note that iPhone 16’s ultra-wide camera will also receive an upgrade from 15 Pro’s 12MP/1.0um lens to 48MP/0.7um.
Beebom’s Take
iPhones are long due for an upgrade in the front camera department. While contemporary Android smartphones are one-upping each other in terms of the number of megapixels, Apple has stuck with a 12MP front camera since the launch of the iPhone 11 in 2019. The proposed 24MP front camera on iPhone 17 series will make the iPhone’s TrueDepth camera system even more powerful and users will be able to benefit from sharper, detailed selfies and FaceTime calls.
However, the upgrade from the 5P lens to 6P lens and 24-megapixel front camera will be accompanied by increased cost which will trickle down to users. Would you be willing to pay more for a better front camera if Apple decides to choose the ‘Apple’ route and make the 24MP camera exclusive to the Pro or Ultra models?
