iPhone 13 plays catch-up with Samsung with this new camera feature

Renowned Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo says (via MacRumors) that the iPhone could finally get autofocus support on the ultra-wide camera with the iPhone 13. However, only the high-end iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will get the feature. This will put the iPhone 13’s camera subsystem somewhat on par with the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, which happened to be the first-ever Samsung device to include the feature. Interestingly enough, the lower-specced Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ do not support it.

Autofocus on an ultra-wide lens is still somewhat of a high-end feature reserved for flagship smartphones. Most OEMs, Samsung included, chose to neglect the feature for the longest time. Thankfully, most modern-day flagship smartphones include it. Our Galaxy S21 Ultra review determined that the ultra-wide lens’ autofocus support greatly enhanced the visual fidelity of captured images. It also doubled up as an excellent macro lens for close-up shots.

Of course, even Samsung wasn’t the first smartphone OEM to add autofocus support to its ultra-wide camera. The earliest smartphone we could find with the functionality enabled was the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, which was launched all the way back in 2018. Then again, Huawei has always remained ahead of the pack when it comes to high-end camera features. The real question is: Will all three Galaxy S22 phones ship with autofocus on their ultra-wide lenses? Based on what little we know about the matter so far, it’s hard to tell.