The new iPhones, which will likely be announced at a press event September 9, will reportedly feature better cameras with bigger image sensors.
Mark Gurman at 9to5Mac cited sources saying that the new phones — likely called the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus — will have 12-megapixel cameras. The iPhone 6 has an 8-megapixel camera, and the limitations of that camera can be clearly seen in the washed-out details of images.
The new camera, the sources said, will shoot higher-quality 4K video, Gurman reported, and will feature improved image processing software.
The camera upgrade is just one of the many improvements we’re likely to see in the new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.
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The phones will also likely get sapphire screens with Force Touch and haptic feedback. Force Touch debuted on the Apple Watch, where it is used to change the watch face. When you press harder on the screen, it senses the increased pressure by measuring the increased surface area occupied by the finger. The device then responds with haptic feedback — a tap — that gives you the illusion you’ve pressed down on a physical button.
The new phones may also get better battery management technology, a better LTE antenna, and more memory.
The upgrade to 12-megapixel camera technology should bring Apple roughly into parity with its Android smartphone competitors like Samsung, HTC, and LG. For instance, Samsung’s latest premium phones, the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and Galaxy Note 5, have 16-megapixel rear-facing cameras. Pixel count, however, doesn’t necessarily translate to better image quality. This depends a lot on the image processing software inside the phone, and how well it works with the camera hardware.
The new iPhones are not expected to sell quite as well as the iPhone 6, the first Apple phone to offer a larger screen in years. But then the 6 is a hard act to follow. After the launch of the iPhone 6, Apple sold 74.5 million iPhones in the final quarter of 2014, a new record. In the following quarter, Apple sold 61 million iPhones, which is seasonally slower.
Gurman also reported that the new iPhones will get new animated wallpapers.
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