Rumor Roundup: Will the iPhone 7 Have a Dual-Lens Camera?
07/30/2016
Latest Tech
Apple fans have been disheartened by the tech giant’s claims that the iPhone 7 Plus — to be released this fall — will not come equipped with a dual-lens camera configuration as previously rumored. But now, PetaPixel reports that at least one model of the iPhone 7 may, in fact, still incorporate the design, which would produce higher-quality photos and give users even more editing power over their final images.
New photos leaked on the popular Chinese social blogging site, Weibo, reveal photos of the iPhone 7 Plus and two stacked iPhone 7 models, in which the dual camera capability is “clearly visible” on what looks to be the iPhone 7 Plus. Though the iPhone 7 lacks the technology, its lens is still significantly larger than previous models, supporting theories that Apple is upping their photography game yet again.
Forbes adds to the exciting news by suggesting that the iPhone 7 carrying the dual-lens is actually a third model dubbed the ‘Pro." That bit of info is attributed to another source of leaked photos attained by Nowhereelse.fr. If the Pro model follows a similar design first rumored by Quartz back in February, each of the cameras in the dual-lens will have a separate purpose, one capturing lighting nuances, the other capturing color.
“By simplifying the design like this, you don’t lose quality, compared to a traditional camera sensor that does both these sensing tasks at once,” Quartz noted.
The rumors are further supported by Apple’s Spring 2015 acquisition of LinX, an Israeli-based tech company that produces “miniature multi-aperture cameras designed for mobile devices.” The technology optimizes a dual-camera’s ability to capture light information, the same design speculated in Apple’s upcoming releases.
PetaPixel warns that along with a dual-lens and large camera port, the newer model may lack a headphone jack—a critical piece of hardware for any photographer who has ever tried using their headphones to trigger the camera “remotely” (Learn more about this hack here).
What do you think? Would a dual-lens significantly improve your photos? Tell us in the comments below.