The iPhone 15 Pro Max's hybrid lens technology will be the trend

Apple introduced a host of changes with the iPhone 15 Pro models, and the new camera is one of the most prominent additions. Meanwhile, Android smartphone manufacturers are using glass with plastic, which has many disadvantages compared to the glass-plastic hybrid generation.

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, a hybrid glass-plastic lens would benefit from both materials. Glass lenses are typically heavier, larger, and take up more space inside a smartphone than plastic ones. This is one of the reasons why only the iPhone 15 Pro Max has this technology.

To adjust and control the glass lenses, the camera also needs a more powerful motor, which consumes more power when processing optical image stabilization. Glass is also more susceptible to damage than plastic, making it difficult to apply.

So smartphone manufacturers often use plastic lenses, which eliminate most of the disadvantages of glass. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a lens that combines glass and plastic, called 1G3P (three plastic lenses and one glass).

Apple has placed multiple lenses to reduce image quality distortion. In addition to the "bitten apple", Huawei has also combined the hybrid feature of glass and plastic in the P70 Art. Other companies such as Samsung, Google... are expected to join this trend.

The use of glass and plastic hybrid lenses on the iPhone 15 Pro Max and P70 Art shows important new trends in the lens industry. The 8-element (plastic) lens generation is being challenged by 7-element (1 glass) lenses with the advantages of lower height and gradually improving cost. Glass and plastic hybrid lenses are a better solution to solve lens distortion.

On the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the 1G3P lens is exclusively supplied by Largan, but the glass is outsourced. If Largan meets Apple's quality standards, it could receive additional iPhone orders as early as 2025 or 2026.