Apple’s upcoming iPhone 7 will feature dual cameras for improved photography features, but only on the flagship 5.5-inch model, according to an investment note by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, a copy of which was obtained by AppleInsider this morning.
The analyst, who has a strong track record in predicting Apple’s future product plans, thinks that iPhone shipments will fall below 200 million units this year due to a soft iPhone SE launch and weakening demand for the current flagship iPhone model, the iPhone 6s.
For context, Apple shipped 232 million iPhones in 2015.
As mentioned, Kuo thinks that a rumored dual-lens camera system will be featured exclusively on a 5.5-inch model of the next iPhone, leaving a 4.7-inch version of the handset without this feature.
As a result, Apple’s whole iPhone 7 lineup may not be as competitive in terms of imaging as originally expected given that a number of handset makers are expected to add dual cameras to their phones, including Chinese manufacturers Xiaomi, ZTE and Lenovo. In fact, some Android phones with dual-cameras are already on the market.
Another thing to factor in: the iPhone 7 is expected to have a “similar form factor as iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus,” potentially disappointing those who are expecting a brand new industrial iPhone design come this fall.
Overall, Kuo projected iPhone shipments of between 85 million and 95 million units in the first half of this year, followed by 105 million to 115 million in the second half of 2016.
Source: AppleInsider