For months, there have been rumors that Apple is finally going to bump up the camera in iPhone 6S and 6S Plus from 8-megapixel to 12-megapixel. Now a new report coming out of China also claims that the iPhone 6S will sport a 12-megapixel camera. Citing Japanese media reports, Chinese website Feng.com reports that Sony will be supplying the 12MP camera sensor for the next-gen iPhones.
RGBW to improve the iPhone 6S’ low-light performance
The report noted that Apple will switch the camera sensor from RGB to RGBW technology.The added white sub-pixel will help improve the low-light performance of the camera. Recently, IHS Technology analyst Kevin Wang said that both the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus would have a 12-megapixel camera. However, he noted that pixel size in the next-gen cameras would likely be smaller, which in turn, would lead to poorer low-light performance.
But the added white sub-pixel alongside the standard red-blue-green will ensure that the new iPhones offer a brighter display and better low-light camera performance without draining additional battery power. The report further adds that the Cupertino company will also increase the autofocus speed, but it did not provide any details on how.
iPhone 6S unlikely to feature a dual-camera setup
Feng.com said that there is little possibility of a dual-camera setup with wide-angle lenses. It claims that Apple had originally planned to use the RGBW technology in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus that were launched last year. But the company delayed it to make sure that its implementation meets quality standards. The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens are expected to ship this fall.
Apple’s flagship smartphones have retained the 8MP main camera since the iPhone 4S in 2011. Even with the just 8-megapixel camera it offers amazing picture quality. It would be interesting to see how Apple’s camera does when it is upgraded to 12-megapixel. Both the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are expected to feature Force Touch technology iOS 9 software, and A9 processor. The A9 chipset will be manufactured by Samsung using the Korean company’s 14nm FinFET technology.
