How the iPhone camera has improved over the years

iPhone 5 promo video (back, black, camera closeup 001)

The iPhone may be one of the most popular cameras in the world today, but it hasn’t always been like that. The original iPhone (and the iPhone 3G) had just a 2MP camera, with no flash, putting the handset well behind the competition in terms of photo-taking.

Since the 3G, however, Apple has made sure to update the phone’s camera with ever iteration. It went from a 3.2MP sensor to a 5, and then to 8. And wouldn’t you know it, someone has created an image showing its improvement in picture quality over the years…

The following image is made up of several photos taken by Lisa Bettany, and compiled by Reddit user camerack:

It’s pretty cool to see how the iPhone’s camera has evolved over the years. Each picture looks better than the one before it in some way or another, whether it be sharpness, lighting, saturation or color. It’s especially noticeable on the right-hand ‘detail’ side.

And according to the rumor mill, the next iPhone isn’t going to break tradition. Recent reports suggest that the ‘5S’ will look similar to its predecessor, with upgraded internals and an improved camera system. We’ve heard the sensor could be as big as 13MP.