Apple to Equip iPhone 6 With NFC, Larger 5.5-Inch Model With Optical Image Stabilization?

Apple is planning to equip its iPhone 6 with NFC and its larger 5.5-inch model with optical image stabilization, according to multiple reports from analysts.

Pacific Crest Securities made the following prediction after a trip to Asia:

We believe the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 smartphone camera will support optical image stabilization (OIS) and anticipate that it will represent one of several opportunities at Apple that will benefit InvenSense. In our analysis, we believe Apple chose to only include OIS camera technology in the larger iPhone 6 given that there is still a significant cost premium ($4 to $5) over standard auto focus solutions and that it provides a point of differentiation between the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the step-up model (5.5-inch). It remains unclear to us whether this OIS functionality will leverage a separate camera module gyro or the main phone gyro.


KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also predicted that the 5.5-inch model would be the one to get OIS due to lower shipments and the need for differentiation.

Differing from market consensus, we don't expect the main camera of the 4.7" iPhone 6 to use OIS VCM due to production capacity restraint at iPhone 6 VCM suppliers Mitsumi (JP) and Alps (JP). Rather, we predict it will use a middle-mount type of open-loop VCM updated from the one used in the existing iPhone 5S. The 5.5" iPhone 6 is more likely to be equipped with OIS VCM due to lower estimated shipments and the need for more product features to differentiate itself from the 4.7" iPhone 6

Pacific Crest believes that both models will be outfitted with NFC radios supplied by NXP. "This is consistent with our prior view of NFC in the iPhone 6 given the deployment of mobile NFC-enabled VeriFone terminals in Apple stores, the China UnionPay agreement, Apple payment patents and NXP's mobile-payment licensing agreement."

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 6 in September. It's unclear whether both sizes will be launched simultaneously or whether the 5.5-inch model will arrive a bit later than the 4.7-inch model.


Please follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, or RSS for updates.

Read More