iPhone 6 May Sport All-New Split Camera
While other smartphone makers are busy packing as many megapixels and camera features as they can into their smartphones, it looks like Apple is once again focusing on image quality for the iPhone 6. A new patent reveals that the company is developing a new dual-sensor camera that will improve image quality while allowing for a thinner overall design.
The title of the patent filed with theU.S. Patent and Trademark Office is called"Electronic device with two image sensors." As reported by Apple Insider, the camera has two distinct sensors. The first sensor would capture luma data (brightness), while the other would capture chroma date (color).
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The camera would then create the image by combining the data captured by each of the above sensors. This process could possibly introduce latency, but we suspect that a faster A8 processor, rumored to power the iPhone 6, would be able to compensate.
There are two benefits to Apple's new approach. First, because the camera would be split into two modules, they could be made thinner and by extension the iPhone 6 itself. This is important because Apple's next smartphone is expected to sport a larger display.
Second, Apple's patent claims that a split-camera design would result in better image quality, because it would improve the signal-to-noise ratio and overcome color reproduction issues caused by optical filters.
In the camera phone wars, Samsung has traditionally offered more features, and that will likely continue with the Galaxy S5, which houses a 16-megapixel sensor and offers real-time HDR. Samsung's flagship will also have a Shot & More mode that lets you choose among multiple effects after you shoot. But if Apple has its way, it will hold on to the photo quality crown.
via Apple Insider
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