Analyst backs triple-lens iPhone rumor, predicts it could arrive with fall 2019 refresh

An analyst has backed a rumor calling for an iPhone with a three-lens camera system.

In a note to clients, a copy of which was obtained by Taipei Times, Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co. analyst Jeff Pu speculated that the Cupertino technology giant could launch an iPhone with a triple-lens rear camera in the fall of next year.

Suppliers Largan and Catcher reported better-than-expected revenue, prompting the analyst to speculate that a triple-lens iPhone could release in the second half of next year.

Huawei’s Mate Pro 20 flagship uses a similar camera setup, with the Chinese company expected to bring that lens system to a lower-specification Mate 20 model.

The rear of Huawei’s flagship sports a 20-megapixel f/1.6 monochrome lens, an 8-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto lens and a whopping 40-megapixel f/1.8 RGB main lens for the combined 92 megapixels of image-processing might.

Naturally, users don’t end up with 40-megapixel or 92-megapixel shots—the Huawei device uses a technique, utilized in Nokia’s old PureView cameras, that basically combines the pixels received from the three separate rear cameras into one ten-megapixel shot with the combined light information from the whole sensor.