Hybrid Lens Technology Integrates Glass and Plastic in iPhone 15 Pro Max

The advanced glass-plastic hybrid lens used in the iPhone 15 Pro Max is likely to be adopted by high-end Android phones, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Most smartphones currently use plastic lenses due to the drawbacks of glass lenses. Glass lenses take up more space in a thin device, are heavier, require stronger motors for stabilization, and are more fragile. However, the iPhone 15 Pro Max features a glass-plastic hybrid lens known as 1G3P, which combines one glass element with three plastic elements to balance quality and practicality. Kuo suggests that other premium smartphone brands will follow suit in adopting hybrid lenses.

The adoption of glass-plastic hybrid lenses in the iPhone 15 Pro Max indicates new trends in the lens industry. These include the use of molding/spherical glass instead of lower performance wafer-level glass, the competition between 8P lenses and 1G6P lenses, the use of glass-plastic hybrid lenses to solve lens deformation caused by CCM design, and the likelihood of other high-end smartphone brands adopting hybrid lenses in the future.

The tetraprism lens in the iPhone 15 Pro Max is currently made by Largan, with the glass element outsourced to another supplier. However, Largan is working to develop its own glass element to meet Apple’s quality standards and aims to produce the entire lens module by 2025 or 2026. The tetraprism lens is expected to be featured in the iPhone 16 Pro next year, thanks to improved yields. Largan owns patents related to the lens and is in a legal battle to protect its position as Apple’s supplier.

Note: Please note that the information provided in this text comes from an investment note by an analyst and may not be 100% accurate.