iPhone 13 to Feature Autofocus Ultra-Wide Lens

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Apple’s next-generation flagship smartphone series, the ‘iPhone 13,’ expected to be released this September, is likely to feature an autofocus (AF) ultra-wide camera lens.

On the 27th (local time), IT specialized media outlets MacRumors and 9to5Mac reported, citing Guo Mingchi, a researcher at Taiwan’s TF International Securities, that the iPhone 13 series will be equipped with an ultra-wide camera lens featuring autofocus functionality.

The ultra-wide camera lens currently applied to the ‘iPhone 12’ series has a fixed focus and cannot focus on specific objects. However, with the improved autofocus lens applied to the iPhone 13 series, it is expected to capture clearer images regardless of the distance to the subject. Using autofocus allows the lens to adjust and focus, similar to the wide-angle and telephoto lenses.

However, researcher Guo Mingchi expects the improved ultra-wide lens to be applied only to the ‘iPhone 13 Pro’ model. The expansion of this feature to the entire series is anticipated to occur starting with the next-generation model, tentatively named ‘iPhone 14,’ expected to be released next year.

Meanwhile, there are also forecasts that the launch price of the iPhone 13 series will remain unchanged from its predecessor. Previously, researcher Guo Mingchi stated that the price of the iPhone 13 series would be set at the same level as the previous iPhone 12 series, ranging from $699 to $1,099 (approximately 790,000 to 1,240,000 KRW). Apple has raised the price of new products every year since the iPhone’s launch. The iPhone 12 was also priced $100 (about 110,000 KRW) higher than the previous iPhone 11.

This change in Apple’s pricing policy is interpreted as a response to Samsung Electronics’ recent price cuts. Samsung set the launch price of the basic model of the ‘Galaxy S21,’ released in January, at 999,900 KRW, which is 240,000 KRW cheaper than its predecessor. This was the first time Samsung offered a 5G flagship smartphone priced below 1 million KRW. While lowering the price of the basic model, Samsung differentiated the models by launching the top-tier ‘Galaxy S21 Ultra’ at 1,450,000 KRW.

There are also expectations that the iPhone 14 series, expected to be released next year, will see a price reduction. Researcher Guo Mingchi predicted, “The price of the iPhone 14 Max will be set below $900 (approximately 1,020,000 KRW), marking the lowest price ever for a 6.7-inch iPhone.” Currently, the 6.7-inch ‘iPhone 12 Pro Max’ is priced at $1,099 (about 1,240,000 KRW).