14 DAY TRIAL // For next year’s iPhone refresh, Apple plans to switch to Sony CMOS sensors for the front-facing “FaceTime” camera. The Cupertino giant currently employs sensors believed to be made in the US.
A report from Nikkei states that (emphasis ours) “Sony has entered negotiations with Apple to double its supply of camera components for a new iPhone slated to roll out as early as next year, taking another step in its pivot toward the mobile and imaging fields.”
The Cupertino company has been using Sony’s CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) sensors only for the rear-facing “iSight” camera on its iPhones, but starting next year, it wants Sony to supply the front cameras as well.
The report, which doesn’t mention its sources, doesn’t say anything about the rear-facing camera, such as who the vendor is, the resolution, the optics, etc.
Apple has been rumored to use the same 8-megapixel sensor in its iPhone 6 this year, focusing only on the optics of the camera module. For instance, the company reportedly wants to expand the aperture and include optical zooming capabilities (as opposed to digital zoom).
The phone will employ a new design, according to the latest rumors. There’s no shortage of mockups that try to depict how the device will look.
The latest video comes from Joseph Farahi and Ovalpicture.com, who delivered a truly breathtaking design featuring an ultra-thin chassis and a bezel-free display.
Chances are the iPhone 6 won’t be as thin as the concepts would have you believe, but Apple will undoubtedly change the design a bit more drastically this year.
Screen size is paramount for the Cupertino company this time around, and some rumors say Apple has prepared two iPhone 6 models, one with a 4.7-inch screen, the other with a display that exceeds five inches on the diagonal.