Since the launch of the iPhone 4s in 2011, Apple has always kept the iSight camera at a mere 8 megapixels. Not that megapixels define the camera's quality, since Apple's iPhone cameras remain one of the best smartphone cameras to date.
Still, its rivals have run away with as high as 20 megapixels, and many believe it is about high time Apple gave its camera a long-awaited megapixel bump. And that may come very soon, as a new report coming out of 9to5Mac claims Apple is outfitting the iPhone 6s with a 12MP camera and a couple of other fancy features that are sure to give the iSight another edge against its competition.
9to5Mac's Marc Gurman, known for a history of accurate leaks and reports before they are officially confirmed by Apple, says the iPhone 6s will certainly be the first iPhone to make the jump from 8MP to 12MP, backing earlier reports coming from supply-side sources that the next iPhone will indeed finally get more megapixels.
A 12MP camera for the iPhone 6s will enable it to take larger photos with higher resolution without decreasing the quality of the images thanks to an upgraded image signal processor integrated into Apple's A9 chipset, the sources claim.
They also say that Apple is also giving the camera a huge upgrade in video recording by allowing the next iSight to record 4K videos. The ability to shoot videos with a resolution four times as high as Full HD is not new. In fact, Samsung first launched 4K video recording in a smartphone in early 2014 with the Galaxy S5, enticing several other manufacturers to follow suit. However, Apple will likely play up the iPhone 6s' ability to shoot videos in 4K as one of the biggest new features of the device.
Lastly, 9to5Mac reports that Apple will be adding front-facing LED, which might sound like a gimmicky feature at first, but with the ubiquity of selfies, is likely going to be popular with many users. Previous reports have claimed that a new code in iOS 9 beta was found pointing to a new LED module for the front camera, but Gurman's sources say the iPhone 6s will actually be using the display for the LED flash, so that when users take a selfie, the screen becomes a bright white for a second to light up the photo.
The report also claims that the iPhone 6s' front camera will also be able to take slow motion videos with a resolution of 720 pixels and panorama photos.
Aside from the upgraded camera, other marquee features to expect include Force Touch for iPhone, animated wallpapers similar to those on the Apple Watch, and Apple's newest, fastest A9 processor. The iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus are expected to be revealed at an Apple event scheduled for Sept. 9.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns | Flickr
