Most people are focused on Apple’s big event next week where we should be officially introduced to the iPhone 8 / iPhone X / iPhone Edition / iPhone Pro or whatever they decide to name their new flagship device. However, for Apple’s designers and engineers, the work on the iPhone 8 is done. The device is ready to be revealed in a week and should be released to the world later in September. The focus inside Apple is now quickly shifting to next year’s flagship release. That’s right… We’re already talking about the iPhone 9, baby!
This new rumor comes from a report by DigiTimes and focuses on the iPhone 9 camera. The standard for flagship smartphones these days seems to be dual 12-megapixel camera sensors. If this report is correct, it looks like Apple could be stepping up their game for the iPhone 9 camera.
According to the report, Apple has already placed an order for iPhone 9 camera sensors. In fact, the entire production capacity of “above 12-megapixel” modules has been blocked off by Apple. It appears that Taiwanese manufacturer, Largan Precision, has been tapped for the job. The “above 12-megapixel” detail doesn’t tell us a lot. Is Apple making a small upgrade to 13-megapixel camera sensors for the iPhone 9 camera or will we see something that’s a major step forward from what’s currently on the market?
If this report about the iPhone 9 camera does turn out to be true, it would appear that the smartphone wars are beginning to focus on the camera. The Red Hydrogen One is an upcoming device with an emphasis on photo and video content. Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 8, their first dual camera sensor smartphone with some very cool features. And, of course, the iPhone 7 Plus is highly reviewed for its camera capabilities. Faster chipsets are great. Plenty of RAM is awesome. However, a lot of people care about the quality of the camera packed into their smartphone.
Augmented reality is also a big focus in the smartphone world. Apple has an ARKit built into iOS 11 and we can likely expect to see some more talk about AR during their event next week. Since augmented reality uses the camera to operate, better cameras could mean improved AR performance. Lots of megapixels are nice, don’t get me wrong. However, the camera features are what truly sells a device. How Apple incorporates their new camera modules into their software offerings is what will truly make the iPhone 9 camera a winner or a bust.
Next week’s iPhone 8 event may give us a better idea of where the iPhone 9 camera is heading. Apple will obviously want to build on the groundwork they lay with the iPhone 8. This is not the type of company to show off a feature only to kill it one year later.
Of course, this isn’t the only iPhone 9 rumor we have heard prior to the launch of the iPhone 8. Apple is obviously already hard at work on next year’s flagship device. There have been patent drawings shown that display an iPhone working with Apple Pencil. We haven’t heard much about Apple Pencil coming this year so we can likely assume that the iPhone 8 will not launch alongside an iPhone-enabled Apple Pencil. Of course, Apple always has some kind of surprise up their sleeve so never say never.
Apple Pencil support in the iPhone 9 with “above 12-megapixel” camera sensors could make for some very interesting artwork. Clearly, Apple wants to put an emphasis on the creative work that their products can do. We saw this with the iPad Pro and we will likely see similar marketing for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 9.
Even if you’re already looking ahead to the iPhone 9 release, don’t miss the iPhone 8 launch event next week. There could be a lot of hints of what’s to come. Apple is starting the second decade of the iPhone and you can bet there will be some very interesting features that the company will be looking to build on over the next few years in upcoming releases. The iPhone 8 is just the beginning. Getting excited yet? Keep your eyes peeled for more iPhone 8 and iPhone 9 leaks and rumors as the hype continues to build!
