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iPhone 7 Dual-Camera Rumors Could Mean DSLR Quality For Next iPhone

By Thomas Kuegler
Published on: 03:26 PST, Feb 1, 2016

The iPhone 7 could be a photographer’s best friend. The newest set of rumors about the iPhone 7 out of the Apple camp point to the popular device incorporating a dual-camera setup. What exactly does this mean for picture quality?

Gordon Kelly at Forbes reports that the new technology will offer greater optical zoom, along with “DSLR-quality” pictures. It makes sense, because these rumors come at the same time as the news about Apple’s rebirth of the “Shot on iPhone” ad campaign.

Despite the hype about the dual-camera, Cult of Mac reports that the improved camera won’t necessarily be available for everyone upon release.

David Pierini writes, “This week, KGI securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told investors Apple was working on a couple of different iPhone 7 models, including one with a dual-camera setup that likely will be marketed toward serious photographers. Kuo said the photographer’s handset would be more expensive and, at first, in short supply. He even floated the possibility that this iPhone 7 could have a true optical zoom lens.”

The iPhone 7 dual-camera could be more expensive, which would split the pricing structure of Apple’s newest model just like the previous Apple 6 and 6 Plus models.

As for the beginning of it all, some insiders think that Apple’s recent purchase of a startup called LinX was the foundation for the new dual-camera technology. Ever since they purchased them last year, Apple has kept quiet about the details of acquisition.

LinX has been working on array camera technology since 2011, and Apple must have wanted a piece of the pie.

David Pierini writes “Array camera technology is the use of multi-aperture cameras (mobile devices tend to have single aperture cameras) to improve image quality. Prior to acquisition, LinX developed algorithms and a camera architecture that boosted resolution, performed better in low light and rendered truer colors.”

So, since LinX was developing the array camera technology, Apple swooped in, bought the company, and is now going to use that technology for the future iPhone 7.

Getting into the science of the new technology is a bit difficult, but David Pierini describes it well, writing, “There was also less crosstalk, or noise, a phenomenon when photons (particles of light) falling on one pixel is falsely sensed by surrounding pixels.”

“The dual-camera system, combined with whatever magic software LinX came up with, recorded more photons and appeared to be less sensitive to the so-called crosstalk of pixels.”

So, in the end, the dual-camera technology is going to significantly improve the image quality of the new iPhone 7–that is, if Apple is planning to incorporate the technology with it.

Alphr reports that the new iPhone 7 is coming out in September, and could feature three different versions.

“A recent rumour claimed Apple would be using a dual-camera setup for the iPhone 7 Plus, but new predictions suggest that the dual-camera array will appear on an additional third iPhone 7 model. It’s possible that the new iPhone will be the same size as a Plus, but include the new dual-camera. I think it could be called something like the iPhone 7 Pro and will be pushed as a super-charged phablet/camera replacement.”

This is obviously great news for photographers everywhere. The iPhone 7 dual-camera array will attract consumers from all over, and may change the whole landscape of phone cameras as a whole.

[Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images]

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