Next-Gen iPhone to include significant camera improvements
Evidence suggests that the next-gen iPhone will come with a 5 megapixel camera along with LED Flash
By Yoni Heisler King
Even if you think that the iPhone is the greatest device known to man, there's no denying that the iPhone's camera wasn't exactly best in class material when first released. Apple, though, has made some strides since the original iPhone, with the 3-megapixel camera and tap to focus feature on the current iPhone 3GS both being solid improvements. But to be fair, there's a lot more to photo quality than merely comparing megapixels, so it makes little sense weigh the iPhone against competing smartphones based solely on specs. So while I can't really tell you if the Google Nexus One takes better photos than the iPhone 3GS, I can tell you that Apple appears poised to make some serious improvements to the iPhone camera when it will presumably release the fourth iteration sometime this summer.
For starters, reports started trickling in a few weeks ago that the next iteration of the iPhone will include a 5-megapixel camera from Omnivision. It remains unclear which Omnivision image sensor in particular Apple is going to go for, but it's worth nothing that Omnivision this past Summer announced a 5 megapixel image sensor capable of capturing video in 1080p quality.
Second, sources recently informed AppleInsider that Apple is looking to include LED camera flash components in the next version of the iPhone, which if true, would be a welcome addition that would do wonders to improve photos taken in low light environments - a task which the iPhone currently struggles with. And because LED flash provides a constant source of light, the iPhone would become more adept at taking video in low light environments as well. Apple is reportedly seeking to purchase tens of millions of flash components, suggesting that they might also wind up in the iPod Touch. If you recall, the current version of the iPod Touch was originally supposed to include a video camera, but last-minute engineering difficulties shelved those plans temporarily.
One of the great things about taking photos on the iPhone are the sheer number of useful and fun photo editing apps available on iTunes. Upping the ante with a 5-megapixel camera and LED flash would be a solid upgrade, and taken together, would arguably make the iPhone the best smartphone for users who simply can't stop taking photos.
Source Courtesy: network world.com