Report: Apple Begins Testing USB-C iPhones with Triple-Lens Cameras

A triple-camera iPhone is on the docket for 2019, and a new report suggests Apple is mulling a switch to USB-C, too.

Apple is reportedly planning to release three new iPhones this year. That includes an update to the iPhone XS and XS Max (internally codenamed D42 and D43) and a refresh of the iPhone XR, sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

Design-wise, the new devices will largely look the same as their predecessors. But the direct successor to the iPhone XS will sport a triple-lens camera setup, Bloomberg’s sources said. That corroborates a slew of other rumors suggesting a triple-lens iPhone is in the works.

What Does This Mean?

Current top-tier iPhones sport two cameras, but adding a third lens to the mix will allow the iPhone XS Max successor to “capture more pixels so Apple software could, for example, automatically repair a video or photo to fit in a subject that may have been accidentally cut off from the initial shot.”

• In other words, the triple-lens iPhone will likely have a wider field-of-view than past Apple handsets.
• Triple-lens cameras sport a number of other benefits, such as better clarity and improved low-light performance.
• Apple is also planning on updating its Live Photos feature, allowing for “clips” up to six seconds long.

Gurman also reports that Apple is testing “some versions” of the 2019 iPhone lineup that swap Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector for USB-C.

Since this year’s lineup is still in the testing stage, this isn’t conclusive proof that iPhones will make the switch to USB-C in 2019. But it does suggest that Apple is planning to adopt the more universal standard eventually.

• Switching to USB-C would allow consumers to charge their devices with the same cables used on many Android devices.
• USB-C is also the port standard used on most modern MacBook devices, as well as Apple’s 2018 iPad Pro lineup.

The report also adds that the 2019 iPhones will pack a new Apple processor — presumably the A13 series — as well as an “updated Face ID sensor.”

2020 iPhones

While this year’s iPhone lineup is at least eight months off, Gurman’s sources already had a few details about the handsets being planned for 2020.

Apple apparently has larger changes in store for next year, apparently to “accommodate plans for 5G networking capabilities.”

The firm is also reportedly developing an advanced laser-powered 3D rear camera that will be able to “scan the environment to create three-dimensional reconstructions of the real world.” It’ll have a range of up to 15 feet, much further than the tech in the current TrueDepth cameras.

There have been previous reports of a laser-peered, rear-facing camera, but Gurman’s sources suggest that it won’t be included on 2019 iPhones due to delays. Instead, the report suggests that the laser camera could be first seen on an iPad Pro update sometime next year.

[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.]