The Apple iPhone 7, although not yet announced, will probably become available in September. The rumor mill has stated plenty of potential specifications for the handset, and now an analyst has suggested that the iPhone 7 Plus will have a dual-camera with OIS. That would give Apple’s next iPhone an unmatched camera.
Ming-Chi Kuo, a reliable forecaster when it comes to mobiles, has issued a research note that predicts the iPhone 7 Plus, the premium model, is going to have a dual-camera. The note highlights that Apple might have two versions of an iPhone 7 Plus in development, one of which has a dual-camera. The other model would have an iSight rear camera.
This means that the iPhone 7 Plus will effectively have a couple of cameras that combine to give you superior photo quality. So that might enable an optical zoom camera for the handset. With supply chain constraints, the dual-camera setup would have to be limited to a smaller range of iPhone 7 Plus models.
A dual-camera iPhone 7 Plus could have a number of advantages for photography. Firstly, with a dual-camera, you could take SLR quality photos with the 7 Plus. The camera would have an ultra high dynamic range and perhaps even 3D depth mapping. Furthermore, with smaller sensors the phone’s camera module could be more compact.
It is, of course, just a rumor; but few can doubt that this one has some substance. For starters, Apple acquired LinX in 2015. LinX is a company that designs sensors and imaging algorithms for dual-cameras.
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In addition, Apple also made a new patent application for dual-camera systems. The focus of that patent is to give photographers some way to zoom into subjects without reducing the image quality. So the LinX acquisition and patent highlights that Apple has, at least, been considering dual-camera systems for future phones.
Some Android handsets have bridged the gap on iPhone cameras, so Apple needs something to give its phone cameras a new edge. A dual-camera for the iPhone 7 Plus would probably ensure that it becomes the best phone for photography.
