Smartphone camera lens maker Largan Precision Co (大立光) is expected to see its strong revenue momentum continue into the first quarter of next year after posting its highest revenue in 46 months, a renowned Apple Inc analyst said last week.
The company’s bottom line would also see significant improvement due to a price increase in the tetraprism telephoto lens for the iPhone 15 Pro Max and its better yield rates for producing new specification lenses in the fourth quarter, TF International Securities Group Co (天風國際證券) analyst Kuo Ming-chi (郭明錤) wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday.
TETRAPRISM LENSES
Photo: Chen Mei-ying, Taipei Times
Largan’s advanced tetraprism design helps Apple to extend optical zoom to five times on the iPhone 15 Pro Max camera system, market watchers said, adding that the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro models next year could have similar tetraprism lenses.
Largan on Thursday reported last month’s consolidated revenue rose 22.6 percent from the previous month, up 9.2 percent year-on-year to NT$5.57 billion (US$172.9 million).
Last month’s revenue represents the company’s highest monthly figure since November 2019, when it posted NT$6.66 billion in revenue, which Kuo attributed to the contribution from Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max and Chinese telecom firm Huawei Technologies Co’s (華為) Mate 60 Pro.
Taichung-based Largan is a global company that designs, produces and assembles high-end optical lenses. It also counts Samsung Electronics Co and several Chinese brands among its major clients.
High-margin lenses of 20 megapixels or more for smartphone cameras accounted for 10 to 20 percent of the company’s total sales last month, Largan said in a statement.
The majority, or 50 to 60 percent, came from sales of 10-megapixel lenses, while 8-megapixel lenses contributed less than 10 percent, it said.
Largan’s third-quarter revenue came in at NT$13.63 billion, an increase of 66 percent from the previous quarter, and 1 percent higher than a year earlier.
The company said revenue for this month would continue to rise amid higher demand from clients.
Cumulative revenue in the first three quarters totaled NT$30.94 billion, down 6.99 percent from the same period last year, it said.
“Largan’s main growth drivers in 2024 will come from two iPhone 16 Pro models adopting tetraprism lenses, and the significant upgrade of Huawei’s high-end phone lens specifications,” Kuo wrote.
The company is to hold an investors’ conference on Thursday to share detailed financial figures for last quarter and its business outlook for this quarter, as well as an update on new production lines in Taiwan.
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