Apple may have to abandon orders for the Sony camera modules for smartphones next-generation iPhone. This was reported by Nomura analyst Chris Chang, citing close to a production chain source.
According to him, Sony can not provide the necessary volume of deliveries of dual cameras for the iPhone 7 Plus because of the low yield rate of products, as well as the effects of the recent earthquake which devastated the Prefecture of Kumamoto. Then, the Japanese manufacturer was forced to stop the activities of the local factories for the production of image sensors for digital cameras. “We believe that LG will get a substantial share of orders for deliveries of dual cameras from Apple,” says Chang.
Although Sony does not comment on rumors about the presence of dual cameras for the iPhone in February of this year, a top Manager of the company indirectly confirmed this information. Commenting on the company’s results for the year, the company’s CFO warned that the market for high-end smartphones is slowing, which will affect the demand and production volumes, while noting: in 2017 there will be a sharp growth of sales of models of dual cameras.
“We believe that the real rise of smartphones with dual cameras will happen in 2017,” said a Sony representative. He did not mention the names of the manufacturers, but the latest rumors about the iPhone 7 Plus modification with two main chambers suggest that one of these “major players” would be Apple. To Sony believe that the emergence of dual camera in the iPhone would entail increased demand for similar modules and their subsequent appearance in the most different smartphones.
In January it was reported that the main supplier of image sensors for cameras iPhone 7 Plus was supposed to be Sony, and the resolution of both modules will be 12 megapixels. The first camera provides optical image stabilization and a wider angle, while the second will be equipped with a three times optical zoom. If optical stabilization appeared in the iPhone 6, the optical zoom is really new for Apple.
Perhaps in the beginning of the year, when for the first time there were rumors about a dual camera in the iPhone 7 Plus, it was not so obvious now, but a dual camera in all respects superior to traditional “single” in the future the number of mobile devices with cameras will continue to grow.
