Kuo: 48-megapixel sensors coming to iPhone in 2022, Mini model to be cut

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released a few new predictions concerning iPhone development over the next few years. In addition to claims that 2023 iPhones will use under-screen Face ID sensors, Kuo is also guessing that Apple’s 2022 iPhones will boast 48-megapixel camera sensors and that the iPhone Mini will become a relic of the past.

The reports come via MacRumors, who claim to have seen Kuo’s statements in a note to investors. In the note, Kuo says that his firm believes “that the new 2H22 ‌iPhone‌ may support direct 48MP output and 12MP (four cells merge output mode) output simultaneously.”

With 12MP output, the CIS pixel size of the new 2H22 ‌iPhone‌ increases to about 2.5um, which is significantly larger than the ‌iPhone 12‌ and ‌iPhone 13‌, and larger than existing Android phones, and close to the DSC level. We believe that the camera quality of the new 2H22 ‌iPhone‌ will elevate mobile phone camera photography to a new level.

With a 48-megapixel camera, the 2022 iPhone could easily record 8K video. Kuo also believes the 2022 iPhones will be able to “enhance the AR/MR user experience,” speaking to Apple’s push into augmented and mixed reality features. 

Another part of the note also suggests that the iPhone Mini line will be discontinued in 2022, killing off the worst-selling version of the modern iPhone family. The iPhone 12 Mini has struggled to make a dent in the market, accounting for only 5% of total iPhone 12 sales in the first half of January (per Reuters). 

What do you think of the 2022 iPhone’s massive camera boost? What about the iPhone Mini’s death sentence? Let us know in the comments. 

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