Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com, May 19, according to TheElec, Japan Sharp is not involved in the development of Apple's iPhone 16 / Pro camera module.

Since such projects usually start two years before a commercial launch, Sharp's absence means it has effectively moved away from Apple's iPhone 16 series camera module supply chain.

Sharp has always been Apple's second-largest supplier of camera modules, after rival LG Innotek. But the Japanese company's camera module factory in Vietnam lost power after the outbreak stopped production in September 2021, and the supply of high-end models is declining.

LG Innotek is currently the main supplier of 3D ToF (CTOnews.com time of flight) depth camera modules in Apple's iPad and iPhone, surpassing its Japanese competitors and accounting for more than 70 per cent of the market in Apple's camera module supply chain, according to sources.

LG Innotek is also expected to become a major supplier of foldable zoom camera modules that Apple plans to launch on the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year.

Sharp's withdrawal means Apple has only three major camera suppliers: LG Innotek, Foxconn and Cowell.

LG Innotek benefits most because it mainly supplies high-end camera modules used by iPhone manufacturers.

LG Innotek revenue doubled from 2020 to 2022, from 9.5 trillion won to 19.6 trillion won, while Apple enjoyed high sales of iPhone during the outbreak.

Foxconn, which assembles the iPhone, has about 10 per cent of Apple's camera module supply chain, while the Cowell mainly supplies front-facing cameras, which are cheaper than rear cameras.

However, Cowell is also expected to work on providing rear cameras, ToF and foldable zoom modules, but this will take some time due to technical challenges.

Meanwhile, Apple plans to introduce folding zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro Max model of the iPhone 15 series, and plans to apply the technology to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models of the iPhone 16 series to be launched next year, which can make the image sensor thinner by folding zoom light with a prism.

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