Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple is planning on introducing major camera upgrades with the 2022 iPhones. Additionally, the company will not launch a new mini iPhone in 2022.

While Apple will launch four new iPhones in 2022, they will feature display sizes of 6.1-inches and 6.7-inches. Two of them will be a part of the non-Pro iPhone lineup and the remaining two will be a part of the Pro series.

What this means is that the 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini will be the last mini iPhone from Apple. The iPhone 12 mini demand has been far lower than expected signifying the lack of consumer interest, so Apple abandoning its 5.4-inch iPhone from next year should not be surprising.

Kuo also believes that Apple will introduce some major camera changes as a part of the 2022 iPhones. This includes switching to a new 48MP camera sensor on the 2022 iPhones that will output photos at 12MP resolution by default using pixel pinning. This will allow the camera sensor to simulate the pixel size of 2.5um for better low-light sensitivity and dynamic range.

Kuo believes the 2022 iPhones will “elevate mobile phone camera photography to a new level.” The use of a 48MP camera sensor will also allow the 2022 iPhones to record videos in 8K resolution.

Our Take

Many Android phones already feature 48MP or 64MP primary camera sensors and use pixel binning to output photos with better dynamic range and details. Apple also seems to be planning on using a similar technique with its 2022 iPhones.

Apple is not expected to introduce any major camera changes with the iPhone 13 lineup this year. The company is expected to make use of a wider aperture lens for the ultra-wide camera that should help in low-light scenarios and sharpness.