How Much Better Will The Camera On The iPhone 5S Be?

There have been six iPhone models from Apple in as many years, and each one has made fairly significant improvements to its camera. Apple now claims (in a recent TV ad) that, "Every day, more photos are taken with the iPhone than any other camera." If you look on Flickr, indeed you will see that three of the top 5 most popular cameras are iPhone (4S, 5 and 4, in that order.)

The original iPhone and the 3G (see top left and center above) featured a 2 megapixel fixed-focus camera. Compare that to the 8 megapixel/1080p camera in the 4S and 5 (lower center and right) to see how far Apple's camera technology has come. The next iPhone (the 5S or whatever it is called) is widely rumored to bump the resolution up to 12 megapixels.

More pixels in digital photography don't asure better images though, but the next iPhone is also supposed to add improved "high dynamic range images and better nighttime photos," according to Apple Insider. Also rumored is a 2 megapixel front-facing camera capable of "full HD video recording capabilities," and a new feature in iOS 7 called "Dual Shot" that will "bring support for capturing photos with the front-facing and primary camera in the same time," according to a report by iOSDoc.

All of this emphasizes how much iPhones double for users as their primary camera—which has boosted the total photo output on the internet. Meanwhile, the image comparisons above were created by Camera+, a highly regarded camera app for the iPhone and iPad, as a way of calling attention to their enhancements to the existing iPhone camera. (See their complete post for more eye-opening comparisons.) This is also an important part of how the iOS ecosystem works. An improvement in the iPhone photo platform not only sells more phones, but more photo-related apps as well. Plus, larger images will create new business opportunities for poster printers and require more storage space in the cloud.

As we try to bring the next iPhone into focus, it is clear that its role as a camera is only going to get more important. I would look for photos to be even more integrated in iOS 7 and iCloud. And I'm sure Apple's competitors are getting the picture and will be redoubling their efforts as well.

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