Report: Apple is finally upgrading the iPhone’s selfie cam–but not till next year

A little over a year ago the iPhone saw a dramatic increase in the megapixel count for its rear-facing camera, quadrupling from 12MP on the iPhone 13 Pro to 48MP on the 14 Pro. But it looks like the comparatively neglected front-facing camera is headed for its own upgrade in 2025.

The prediction comes from Ming-Chi Kuo, a widely respected (albeit fallible) analyst who frequently discusses Apple’s plans in terms of their financial effect on third-party suppliers. In a Medium post this week, Kuo claims the iPhone 17 will have a 24MP selfie camera, up from 12MP on every model from the iPhone 11 to, apparently, the iPhone 16.

“The front camera of the iPhone 17 will be upgraded to 24MP/6P lens (vs. the 12MP/5P lens of iPhone 15 & 16),” Kuo writes, “which will significantly improve the image quality.” The 5P and 6P notations indicate the number of plastic elements in the lens.

Kuo then goes on to discuss how this change will affect the revenues of the company selected as the primary lens supplier for the handset, a topic of great interest to his report’s intended audience but one that isn’t all that exciting for us. Except for this tidbit: “The unit price of the 6P lens is 100–120% higher than that of the 5P.” Will the iPhone 17 see a price bump to account for this increase in production costs? We will have to see.

In the more immediate future, this year’s iPhone 16 Pro is expected to get a new periscope lens. This lens, which enables the phone to offer much greater zoom capabilities, arrived on the iPhone 15 Pro Max last year, but Apple was reportedly unable to include it in the smaller 15 Pro because of a lack of space. That will no longer be the case in late 2024.

“[Apple lens supplier] Genius’ progress on the iPhone 16 Pro’s periscope lens is on track. It will start shipping by the end of 2Q24 or early 3Q24,” Kuo writes.

The 16 Pro will also see an upgrade to the megapixel rating of its ultra-wide camera, from 12MP on the 15-series handsets to a whopping 48MP, thereby matching the main rear-facing lens.