Apple's first foldable iPhone will feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-screen camera built into the inner display, according to the latest JP Morgan equity research report seen by MacRumors.
We've previously heard rumors that Apple will use an under-display camera for the book-style foldable's inner display, but this is the first reference to the camera's proposed megapixel count.
Under-display camera technology has been used on some Android phones, but they tend to have lower resolution sensors (4 or 8 megapixels, for example) because the image quality suffers due to being behind display layers.
The jump to a 24-megapixel camera (with six plastic lens elements, per the report) would therefore be a significant technological advance, potentially resulting in clearer, sharper images with more detail. The detail suggests Apple has achieved a breakthrough in greatly improving light transmittance and image quality compared to previous designs.
However, the JP Morgan forecast also suggests Apple has made some compromises to keep the foldable device compact, such as a lack of LiDAR and optical image stabilization.
Apple's foldable iPhone is expected to include a dual-lens rear camera, with a front-facing camera for both folded and unfolded states, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently corroborated reports that the device will have four cameras consisting of one front camera, one inner camera, and two rear cameras. Prolific Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station claims that the rear dual lenses will be 48 megapixels each.
Other sources have claimed that the inner display features an under-screen camera, while the outer display – in the device's folded state – will have a punch-hole camera. Apple is reportedly relying on Touch ID integrated into the side button instead of Face ID for biometric authentication.
Gurman has said he expects the device to be launched next year in the fall season. However, Japan's Mizuho Securities banking firm has suggested a postponement to 2027 could still happen because of Apple taking longer to decide on key design elements such as the hinge.
