The Biggest ‘iPhone 13’ Could Be Getting an Even Bigger Camera Module

iPhone 13 and 13 Pro Max renders Credit: EverythingApplePro
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Last year Apple gave the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max a nice camera boost over its smaller sibling, and we’ve already heard reports that the trend will continue with this year’s iPhone lineup. The downside is that it looks like the camera bump might be getting even larger as a result.

There’s no doubt that better cameras require bigger sensors, which require more space. This is exactly why the current iPhone 12 Pro Max sports camera lenses protrude 1.25mm father than those on the iPhone 12 Pro. That may not sound like a lot until you consider that all the iPhone 12 models are only 7.4mm thick without the camera bump.

In the case of the iPhone 12 Pro Max, this was done to make room for a 47 percent larger image sensor, which resulted in a big boost for low-light photography. In turn, since the lenses had to be farther away to accommodate the larger sensor anyway, Apple could also push the larger iPhone’s optical zoom up to 2.5X, rather than the traditional 2X zoom.

Not surprisingly, we’ve already heard that Apple plans to push the camera system even more on this year’s “iPhone 13 Pro Max”, and now a new series of leaked drawings show us just how much of an impact that’s going to have on the camera module.

In a new video, EverythingApplePro shares a detailed look at the physical design of this year’s iPhones, based on alleged leaked CAD drawings of the new devices. The renderings show this time around, the camera module on the 6.7-inch iPhone model will be even larger in every direction.

Specifically, the drawings show that the camera module on all the “iPhone 13” models will be almost perfectly square, but the one on the Max will increase by 3.38mm in height and 4.77mm in width for a total size of 37.62×36.56mm.

If these drawings are accurate, it’s also expected to protrude by 0.87mm more than the one on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Since the specs only affect the exterior design of the upcoming iPhone models, there’s no conclusive information on why the sizes are increasing, but it’s not hard to figure out when you consider other rumours of what we’re expecting on this year’s largest iPhone, combined with the changes that Apple made last year.

Reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has previously shared that Apple plans to pack in a larger f/1.5 aperture for the main lens, along with some significant improvements to the ultra-wide camera, which will reportedly gain a six-element lens with autofocus.

However, since larger apertures don’t actually require an increase in the size of the camera module, we have to assume that Apple has much more up its sleeve. Most likely, this will be another increase in the sensor size, plus the addition of sensor-shift optical image stabilization to the secondary cameras.

Last year, Apple brought the new sensor-shift optical image stabilization exclusively to the iPhone 12 Pro Max, but only on the main wide-angle lens. Ditto for the much larger sensor. From what we’ve heard about the “iPhone 13 Pro Max” so far, it seems likely that Apple may want to improve the sensors on the other lenses as well, providing a better low-light photography experience across the board.

These latest CAD renders also corroborate another report earlier this week that the non-pro iPhone models will switch to an unusual diagonal camera layout. More significantly, it also appears that the LiDAR Scanner will also remain exclusive to the iPhone Pro for at least another year, as it’s not depicted in any of these CAD drawings either.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]

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