Although the iPhone 5s has only been out for about 4 months now, next-gen iPhone rumors are already ramping up. The handset, believed (for right now, anyway) to be called the iPhone 6, has been widely reported to feature a larger display and other improvements.
Today, a new report from China adds to the chatter by claiming that Apple’s next smartphone should see some camera improvements such as enhanced optical image stabilization. It also calls for the handset to retain the current 8-megapixel sensor for its iSight camera…
MacRumors passes on the report from The China Post:
“According to Nomura Securities, Largan’s recently lagging performance in the market is caused by rumors that Apple may adopt an 8 mega-pixel (MP) camera with improved optical image stabilization on its upcoming handset, instead of the 16 MP upgrade anticipated by industry observers. Apple’s decision is based on the design requirement to retain the handset’s more portable form factor, said Nomura Securities. […]
Largan retains a leading edge among competing suppliers, as even though the camera’s pixel count remains the same, the company is among the few companies capable of coping with the complexity of the camera module, said Nomura Securities. The production of smaller-factored camera modules would require significantly improved optical aperture and resolution attributes, which are the company’s competitive strengths, said Nomura Securities.”
Apple first started using an 8-megapixel sensor in the iPhone’s rear camera back in 2011, with the iPhone 4s, and it used similar sensors in its iPhone 5 and 5c. The iPhone 5s also features an 8-megapixel camera, but utilizes several hardware and software enhancements.
Obviously, we’re still several months away from seeing the next iPhone, so there’s no way of knowing if Apple actually plans to keep the 8MP camera or not. If it does, I’m sure some folks will be disappointed, despite the fact that it’s been proven that the MPs don’t matter.
Thoughts?