While Apple's iPhone 6 has only been out in the market for four months, there are already rumors regarding the upcoming iPhone 6S.
The iPhone 6S will not be released until over half a year from now, but rumors out of Taiwan are suggesting that Apple is considering a dual-lens system for the smartphone's camera, according to website UDN, citing sources from Apple's supply chain in Asia.
In addition, "Force Touch," the pressure-sensitive touch system technology which will be launched with the release of the Apple Watch, could also be included in the iPhone 6S.
The transition into a dual-lens system for the iPhone 6S's camera will allow Apple to include an optical zoom feature on their flagship smartphone for the first time. The camera module of the iPhone 6S, which will likely undergo a redesign, will also lead to improvements in the low-light photo capture performance for the smartphone by allowing additional light to enter the camera's sensor.
Apple has been making sizeable investments in the company's imaging technology, counting the camera of the iPhone as one of its most marketable assets. As such, the camera of the iPhone is a possible area of interest for upgrades to be made in the future.
The camera sensor in the iPhone 6 Plus, which was supplied to Apple by Sony, includes features such as optical image stabilization and phase-detection autofocus. As such, the camera of the iPhone 6 Plus has received praise from experts as the "best smartphone camera ever made," rivaling even the quality of many current models of point-and-shoot cameras.
In addition to the rumors regarding the camera of the iPhone 6S, TPK, a touch module supplier based in Taiwan, is said to be a possible supplier of three-dimensional touch sensors for the smartphone. These sensors will bring Force Touch technology to the iPhone 6S, a feature that will be introduced in the upcoming wearable device Apple Watch.
For the Apple Watch, Force Touch will allow the device to detect the amount of pressure applied by the user in touch commands, which will then translate to different input commands. For example, users pressing heavily on the device's screen can bring up a list of options, and a light press on the screen can then select one of those options. Such a feature could prove to be useful in the iPhone 6S.
UDN also thinks that the feature will be included in the smartphone to lead to higher accuracy in the reading of the pulse and blood pressure of the user as an additional input sensor for Apple's HealthKit system.
