Apple loves presenting triples of ‘good/better/best’ in its portfolio, and this year’s refresh on the iPhone range is no exception. The ‘good’ is already here with March’s release of the iPhone SE, and September should see the release of the ‘better’ iPhone 7 and the ‘best’ in the iPhone 7 Plus. There’s more confirmation on one of the ‘best’ features that the iPhone 7 Plus will be receiving.
It comes via Patently Apple, which reports on camera supplier LG Innotek. The South Korean supplier is reported to be the sole supplier of the iPhone 7 Plus’ advanced dual-lens camera technology.
Apple’s Advanced Imaging
This will be the first iPhone to ship with dual-lens technology, which can offer improved low-light performance, different levels of physical zoom in the lens, and the ability to use depth analysis to improve post-processing on the image. LG’s handset business already ships a dual-lens camera in its G5 smartphone, so the company has experience with these optics. How Apple optimizes the hardware into its own software chain will be an interesting comparison when the 7 Plus is released.
News on LG’s victory in the supply chain over rivals Sony was widely expected, and the leak matches up with one earlier in the week which illustrated space for the dual-lens hardware (and a smart connector) – Forbes’ Gordon Kelly has more on this.
The Competition Is Catching Up
Both LG and Huawei already have dual-lens handsets available in the market, but there has not been a significant rise in public perception of the technology. That could leave Apple to be seen as the first major handset to ship with the technology – certainly in western markets – but there’s another South Korean manufacturer who will spoil that particular PR party. Samsung
The Galaxy Note 6 is expected to be launched in early August and go on sale shortly afterwards in the US and Europe. That will give the South Korean phablet roughly three weeks head-start over Apple’s largest iPhone. The Note is expected to ship with, you guessed it, a dual-lens camera.
The Galaxy Note range is seen as a more advanced design than Samsung’s Galaxy S7 smartphones, and as such the geekerati will be watching the release closely and reviewing the handset in-depth.
The Leaks Say Wait
Apple’s slice of visual delight may well be showcased as ‘technology and results that only Apple can deliver‘, but the evidence from the competition will say something else – that Apple’s advances are the same advances as everyone else can make. And if that’s the case, what’s so special about the iPhone 7 Plus?
After all, everyone knows that the best technology is being held back for 2017′s iPhone 8.
Source: Forbes (By: Ewan Spence)
