Submitted by Frank Macey on
Sure we know the iPhone 5 will feature a larger screen, thinner profile, metal back and LTE capabilities. What about the front and rear-facing cameras that iPhone owners use every day? 9to5Mac explains that despite having even less space in the iPhone 5, Apple must upgrade the camera systems to keep pace with competitors.
Reports surfaced earlier this year that the front-facing FaceTime camera would be upgraded to HD quality. At the time, it was rumored that Apple would stick with the 8-megapixel sensor in the iPhone 4S camera. Since then, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and Sony have been steadily improving their mobile cameras.
Aside from a needed redesign of the 5-lens system found on the iPhone 4S to make the iPhone 5 thinner, it's not clear where Apple has been sourcing its camera components this year. The iPhone 4S sensor is manufactured by Sony, who has introduced a 13-megapixel camera in its own Xperia mobile devices. This camera is said to be lightning fast, going from sleep mode to taking a photo in just one second.
Nokia's Lumina 820 and 920 feature Carl Zeiss lenses along with floating lens technology, which improves image stabilization. Whatever happens at Apple's Wednesday iPhone 5 announcement, we can be sure that camera improvements are going to be part of the show.