According to TheElec, Japan’s Sharp is currently not involved in the development of Apple’s iPhone 16 / Pro series camera modules.
Since such projects typically begin two years before commercial launches, Sharp’s absence means it has effectively been cut off from Apple’s camera module supply chain for the iPhone 16 series.
Sharp has been Apple’s second-largest supplier of camera modules, behind rival LG Innotek. But the Japanese company’s camera module factory in Vietnam lost steam after production was shut down in September 2021 due to the epidemic, and supplies of high-end models have been declining.
According to sources, LG Innotek is currently the main supplier of 3D ToF (Note: time of flight, time of flight) depth camera modules in Apple’s iPad and iPhone, surpassing its Japanese competitors and occupying a dominant position in Apple’s camera module supply chain. More than 70% market share.
LG Innotek is also expected to be a major supplier of the foldable zoom camera module that Apple plans to launch on the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year.
Sharp’s exit means Apple is left with three major camera suppliers: LG Innotek, Foxconn and Cowell.
LG Innotek has benefited the most because it mainly supplies high-end camera modules used by the iPhone maker.
LG Innotek’s revenue doubled from 2020 to 2022, from 9.5 trillion won to 19.6 trillion won, while Apple enjoyed high sales of iPhones during the pandemic.
Foxconn, which assembles iPhones, has about a 10 percent market share in Apple’s camera module supply chain, while Cowell mainly supplies front-facing cameras, which are cheaper than rear-facing cameras.
However, Cowell is also expected to work on providing the rear camera, ToF and folded zoom modules, but this will take some time due to technical challenges.
At the same time, 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, by using a prism to bend light The folding zoom can make the image sensor thinner.
