With the iPhone 5 getting pretty much the same 8-megapixel camera that was introduced with the iPhone 4S, you can be certain Apple will launch the expected iPhone 5S with an improved shooter.
Of course, we’re talking about Apple here, so we won’t know the details until Tim Cook tells us on the day the company unveils the refreshed device – and we don’t even know when that’ll be yet.
While we wait for some concrete news from the tech giant, suppliers, analysts and “people familiar with the matter” will happily offer opinions, thoughts, rumors and outright non-sensical claptrap regarding the next-generation device, with a source at Vietnamese firm Wonderful Saigon Electrics (WSE) – which specializes in making camera modules for Apple’s handset – the latest to offer up some tidbits.
The unnamed source told Vietnamese site Tinhte that the iPhone 5S will feature a 12-megapixel camera and come with improvements enabling better results in low-light situations. Packing in more pixels would see Apple going the way of most handset makers, including competitors like Samsung, which launched its flagship Galaxy S4 handset in March with a 13-megapixel camera, up from the 8-megapixel sensor that came with the S3.
Having more megapixels will let you make bigger prints (though how many of you print shots taken with your iPhone?) and retain quality if you need to crop (do much cropping?), but it’ll also mean more memory will be given over to images, with their larger size.
Tinhte, by the way, has a pretty good track record, it seems. The site managed to get its hands on both an iPhone 4 and 4S before they were officially announced, as well as a third-generation iPad. It also got hold of a pair of Apple’s newly designed EarPods a few weeks before the Cupertino company itself showed them off.
What we don’t currently know is when the 5S will launch, with dates ranging from “very soon” to “late third quarter” doing the rounds.
When Apple does get around to unveiling the device, many expect it to come with – besides a better camera – a faster processor and NFC support, and may be offered in a range of colors too. A new look operating system, iOS 7, is also expected.