A person allegedly working in Apple’s supply chain has spilled the beans on what we can expect from the iSight camera used in the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, set to arrive next month.
According to the source, the 12-megapixel camera will boast a bigger sensors capable of taking in more light — hopefully enabling the next-generation iPhones to perform better when shooting in low-light situations.
Although no precise numbers are given, this bigger sensor should translate as a wider aperture. Currently the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus lenses have a f/2.2 aperture. Some higher-end smartphone rivals — such as the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the LG G4 — meanwhile sport f/1.8 and f/1.9 apertures.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard that the iPhone 6s may be better at snapping photos in less-than-stellar conditions. Back in May, we reported how the iPhone 6s will reportedly use what is called RGBW coding technology from Sony, which adds a white sub-pixel alongside the standard RGB ones to improve image quality.
The new iPhone 6s camera report additionally claims that:
“Apple is currently ordering suppliers to produce five-element lenses for the iPhone 6S that are designed to work with 12-megapixel camera sensors, a person within Apple’s supply chain told Business Insider. These components are said to be in the mass production stage and are on schedule, this source said.”
Each of these “elements” refer to a layer of plastic which forms part of the camera. These elements work as their own standalone lenses, although when combined into one, they let the camera “capture more detailed and complex information.”
Interestingly, the report says that Apple is currently ordering six-element lenses for a future iPhone (most likely next year’s iPhone 7). That suggests that Apple’s far from finished when it comes to upgrading its iPhone cameras.
Given how much effort Apple has put into promoting the quality of its iPhone camera through high-profile ad campaigns, is it really any surprise the company wouldn’t want to be the best in this category?
