Apple could give the iPhone’s front camera a significant upgrade in 2025. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the iPhone 17 will ship with a 24MP TrueDepth camera and a 6P lens.
The higher-resolution sensor “will significantly improve the image quality” and capture more detailed and sharper selfies.
iPhone 17’s selfie camera might get a big resolution bump
The Cupertino giant has stuck to a 12MP resolution front camera since the iPhone 11‘s launch in September 2019. The last notable upgrade was the addition of autofocus with the iPhone 14 Pro series in 2022. So, an upgrade on this front is long due.
Apple uses the higher resolution 48MP primary camera on the iPhone 15 series to shoot 24MP photos. They pack more details and are sharper than 12MP pictures, which previous iPhones and other Android phones capture. Switching to a higher resolution front camera could also enable iPhone 17 to save selfies in 24MP. Or it can use pixel binning for better low-light photos.
Genius will be Apple’s primary supplier for the new 6P lens, boosting its revenue and profit in the second half of 2025. The 6-element lens is apparently 100-120% more expensive than the 5P lens currently used by Apple.
iPhone 16 Pro’s Ultra Wide camera could get a 48MP upgrade
In his Medium post, Kuo also claims the iPhone 16 Pro‘s Ultra Wide camera is set to get a major upgrade this year. Apparently, Apple will switch to a 48MP 1/2.6″ sensor with 0.7um pixels — up from the iPhone 15 Pro’s 12MP 1/3.6″ shooter.
Despite the sensor size and resolution bump, the phone will seemingly continue capturing pictures at 12MP. Still, the analyst believes there will be a significant improvement in image quality.
Rumors suggest Apple is switching to a 48MP telephoto camera on the 2025 iPhone. Coupled with the Ultra Wide camera upgrade this year, the iPhone 17 Pro lineup could ship with three 48MP lenses to capture even more detailed photos.
