Apple to Introduce a Three-Camera Setup With the Next iPhone Flagship

Apple has a big year ahead of itself. The company started off with the news of its revenue shortfall, likely caused by the disappointing sales of the iPhone XR. This year, though, the company will continue betting big on iPhone with three new handsets.

Cupertino is expected to introduce two high-end iPhone devices with OLED displays and a cheaper iPhone with an LCD display later this year, according to the WSJ. The company’s 2019 lineup of iPhones will be identical to last year’s, with some key changes to the OLED devices.

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — and get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift!

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Apple is reportedly adding a three-camera setup to the most expensive iPhone device this year, which will likely be called the iPhone 11 Max. The new three-camera setup will likely shift Apple’s primary focus to the camera-related features on the most expensive iPhone this year, which would help the company compete with its Android competitors. The three-camera setup supposedly won’t be available on the regular, 5.8-inch iPhone 11, which would also be a major differentiator unlike last year’s iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max where the hardware was practically the same.

As for the successor to the iPhone XR, Apple will continue to use LCD panels for the device. It isn’t clear whether Apple is planning to introduce any major features for the iPhone XR successor, or whether it will just be all about spec upgrades. And if Apple doesn’t want a repeat of last year’s iPhone XR, they probably might want to build some exciting features for the cheaper iPhone. We are also unsure what this new device will be called — iPhone XRS? iPhone XR 2? iPhone 11R? Apple’s branding has been a mess as of late, so it’s all very fuzzy.

WSJ does state that Apple is too deep into the product planning for this year’s phones, so the company isn’t changing major features like the display on the iPhone XR yet. It is, however, planning to put OLED panels for the cheaper iPhone models next year, which will unify the displays across all its iPhones for 2020.

We are still at a very early stage of iPhone rumours, though. Apple usually unveils new handsets around September and considering 2019 just started, there’s going to be a ton of rumours before the new iPhones are public. And with iPhone sales declining, you can be sure there will be a bunch of ridiculous rumours to build up hype for the next iPhones.

Fasten your seatbelts.

Tagged with

Share post

Please check our Community Guidelines before commenting

Conversation 12 comments

  • digiguy

    Premium Member
    11 January, 2019 - 9:04 am

    <p>I repeat my predictions, they will come with a smaller and cheaper version of the XR (in addition to the current size). Whether they'll call it Iphone SE 2 or something else nobody knows and they will probably decide the name at a very late stage… But if this year has thought them something, it is that they need a lower entry point. What is more than certain is, instead, that they won't lower the prices for the rest of the range (other that the iphone 8, the 7 will be discontinued), even if that's what most people would want.</p>

  • jchampeau

    Premium Member
    11 January, 2019 - 9:12 am

    <p>"Courage" isn't exactly the word that comes to mind when I read that Apple will put one extra camera sensor on the back of an iPhone.</p>

    • Skolvikings

      11 January, 2019 - 9:23 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#395596">In reply to jchampeau:</a></em></blockquote><p>Who said anything about "courage?"</p>

      • karlinhigh

        Premium Member
        11 January, 2019 - 9:47 am

        <blockquote><a href="#395615"><em>In reply to Skolvikings:</em></a><em> Who said anything about "courage?"</em></blockquote><p>Didn't Apple say that, when they removed the headphone jack?</p>

  • RM

    11 January, 2019 - 9:17 am

    <p>Two more cameras so you can do some more fancy camera tricks, for how much more money? Cold day . . . </p>

  • jwpear

    Premium Member
    11 January, 2019 - 10:51 am

    <p>I have some suggestions for Apple. Give us a new iPhone with a home button. Give us an improved launcher with more flexible app organization features and glanceable information. Or give us the ability to replace the launcher with a third party app. Give us an improved iMessage app with ability to pin favorite contacts at the top (or copy the favorite feature from the Phone app) and give ability for 3rd party apps to send and receive iMessages. Or give us ability to replace iMessage with a 3rd party app. And finally, how about a lower price that's a better representation of the value of the phones. </p><p><br></p><p>At this point, the hardware is pretty good outside of the missing home button. We need more focus on iOS and the iOS apps.</p>

    • Chris_Kez

      Premium Member
      11 January, 2019 - 12:08 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#395711">In reply to jwpear:</a></em></blockquote><p>Obviously not exactly what you're asking for, but if you use 3D touch on the iMessage icon it will try to intelligently list the three most likely contacts. For me, my wife is always in that list but the other two spots change from time to time. Using 3D touch on the Phone app icon shows the top three Favorites from your contact list, which means you can edit it however you like. 3D touch on the Facetime icon just shows the most recent three. I have no idea why Apple decided to take three different approaches. ¯_(ツ)_/¯</p>

  • bluvg

    11 January, 2019 - 12:28 pm

    <p>2 cameras, 3 cameras, 5 cameras… </p><p><br></p><p>https:// http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjAZnGeBcgg</p&gt;

  • truerock2

    11 January, 2019 - 1:53 pm

    <p>In my world, just about everyone I know owns an iPhone. I've never met anyone who was "excited" about an iPhone. Obviously such individuals exist because they are standing in line for hours on release day of a new model. I just don't know anyone who ever stood in line for an Apple product – although just about everyone I know owns Apple products. Also, I've never met a person who bought an iPhone because of some specific feature on a newer model – they buy a new iPhone when their old iPhone gets too old.</p><p><br></p><p>There was a time – way back when – where you would get a new iPhone every 2 years whether you wanted one or not. The new iPhone was something built into your AT&amp;T service contract. When those days ended, I was given 2 new iPhone 4s phones that I didn't need or want for free and AT&amp;T cut my monthly bill in half. Wow – was that a great time.</p><p><br></p><p>I really like the idea of multiple camera lenses because I hate wide angle lenses because they take horrible pictures (except in a few particular artistic/creative situations). I figure… the more lenses a camera has the more likely I will be able to have a "normal" lens so I can take decent photos.</p>

  • dontbe evil

    12 January, 2019 - 1:05 am

    <p>wow that's revolutionary /s</p><p><br></p><p>I still remember apple fans mocking other phone with 2 cameras, than 3 cameras … LOL</p>

    • blackcomb

      20 January, 2019 - 4:12 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#396239">In reply to dontbe_evil:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>They'll start to mock phones with 4 cameras…</p>

  • melinau

    Premium Member
    12 January, 2019 - 6:12 am

    <p>Without being excessively negative, I think that this "speculation" is a pretty febrile attempt by Apple to drum-up interest in its products.</p><p>Who really cares any more if Apple use OLED Screens or LCD, of they have 2,4,3 or any other number of cameras? Of course it may be important when choosing a handset, but 8 months ahead of the probable launch? The crux of Apple's problem is that older users, already locked-in to their walled garden are prepared (and wealthy enough) to pay very high prices, younger people are increasingly not.</p><p>Having profited by charging a large premium for the fruity logo, Apple has painted itself into a corner. If it produces a lower-price iPhone, does that "cheapen" the brand – reducing its ability to charge ultra-premium prices for its flagships. </p><p>All our children and their partners have abandoned Apple, or are running increasingly out-dated Apple hardware because they see little value in paying the premium.</p><p>Ultimately I think Apple will need to sell much less expensive hardware, or they won't be able to keep selling their Services to new generations of users.</p>

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thurrott © 2024 Thurrott LLC