Further support for one much sought-after upgrade was identified by Patently Apple. Which uncovered some information thanks to a US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) patent application filed by Apple for a “camera with folded optics.” If you’re unfamiliar, it’s the tech used to create superzoom lenses in smartphones like the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
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Apple appears to have leapfrogged Google in the smartphone camera race for now. However, multiple rumors suggest some serious improvements coming to the iPhone 13 ultrawide camera. Still, Samsung retains an advantage in some regards. This is thanks to the fantastic reach it offers with 10x optical zoom in the aforementioned Galaxy S21 Ultra. Samsung and other smartphone manufacturers have leveraged periscope (a.k.a. folded optics) technology in the last few years to vastly expand the zoom range possible in a smartphone through the use of prisms. Despite patents on periscope lens cameras filed from 2014 to 2016, the company has apparently been unable to get around other existing patents. Last year, we saw reports that Apple was looking for folding camera suppliers. So whether this new filing points to Apple having cracked the problem somehow or simply more defensive patents isn’t clear. Regardless of whether it can produce its own designs or license through others, the ever-reliable analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, weighed in on the subject of an iPhone with a periscope lens back in July of last year in an investor note covered by MacRumors. Based on his supply chain sources, he believed that it would not arrive until 2022, so iPhone fans hoping for a superzoom may still have a long wait ahead.
