Since 2022, LG Innotek has been providing the front-facing camera modules to the iPhone 14 Pro series. With autofocus technology, this module has now increased its price nearly three times. While the South Korean company also supplies high-end rear-facing cameras for Apple, the manufacturer wants to expand production and grab future deals.
The Elec reports that LG Innotek will spend almost $1 billion at its Haiphong, Vietnam facility to build an additional camera module production line. It is expected to be completed in the second half of 2024, with mass production beginning in 2025, ahead of the iPhone 17 release.
At this time, Apple is expected to announce four different iPhone models. The Pro models would have Face ID embedded under the display, while the regular versions would feature Always On Display for the first time – as an analyst leaked Apple’s iPhone roadmap throughout 2027.
That being said, this new line will double LG Innotek’s camera module production capacity at the Vietnam facility, which currently accounts for 30% of all the camera module outputs it can produce. Seventy percent is produced at Gumi and Paju in South Korea.
The Elec says that this investment is focused on meeting the demand for camera modules from Apple iPhone models. LG Innotek is now the leading supplier of these pieces to Cupertino.
Interestingly, LG wants to maintain its advantage as Apple was planning to use front-facing camera modules from a Chinese rival last year, but it didn’t due to quality issues. With that, LG intends to stay ahead and continually supply camera modules for high-end iPhone models, as customers are seeking these devices more often than regular models, and Sharp, the Chinese rival, is still being pushed out of Apple’s camera module supply chain due to “various setbacks.”
In the meantime, Apple is expected to announce the new iPhone 15 series in almost two months, in which the company will unify the Dynamic Island cutout through all four models it will sell.
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