Judging by the number of rumors buzzing around the internet it seems almost certain that at least one version of the upcoming iPhone 7 will come with a dual-camera setup. Word on the street until now has been that in addition to the standard model Apple is planning to offer a premium version of the larger ‘Plus’ model with a dual-cam designed by Linx, an optical engineering company that was bought by Apple last year.
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According to new information this might be, at least partly, incorrect. Financial publication Barron’s quotes Citi Research in saying that all 5.5-inch iPhone models coming this fall will have dual-cameras on the back, not just a premium model.
Barron’s also quotes Chris Chan of Asia-based financial services group Nomura:
‘We think Sony may not be able to deliver its full share of dual cameras to Apple due to: (1) lower-than-expected yield, and (2) damage to its production facility from the April earthquake in Kumamoto. As a result, we think LGI will gain majority share of the initial dual camera orders from Apple…’
Looking at the amount of information out in the open there is almost no doubt that whatever the manufacturer of the modules, we’ll have a dual-cam iPhone to play with in September. The question is if the dual-lenses will be used for optical zooming, as on the LG G5, or to enhance image quality and simulate a shallow depth-of-field, as we’ve seen in the Huawei P9. We’ll only have to wait a few more months to find out…
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)