Huawei P9 with dual camera. Some reports claim the larger 'iPhone 7' will have a dual camera.... [+]
[UPDATE] The latest "iPhone 7" images, if accurate, mean that Apple is for the second time in two years focusing almost exclusively on internal upgrades -- this time, notably on the camera.
Assuming the extended video (via Chinese microblogging site Weibo and NWE) is accurate, the 4.7-inch model of the iPhone 7 looks a lot like the iPhone 6s and is essentially the second "s" upgrade, which would be unprecedented for Apple. Previous reports have been suggesting this for months now. "In terms of dimensions, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 appear identical with negligible changes to height, width and thickness," according to a 9to5Mac report on Sunday.
The Mac enthusiast site posted another round of images on Monday, pointing to a rumored third iPhone model, the iPhone Pro. The Pro is depicted with a dual-camera system in an image from the same China-based Weibo site. (Update: But the "Pro" model was subsequently called dubious by 9to5Mac.)
Dual camera or just better camera? iPhone Pro speculation aside, it's a given that any new iPhone will have an improved camera. But "a better camera" is not a novel marketing message -- unless that camera contains groundbreaking new tech. So far, the most reliable rumors point to a "bigger" rear camera on the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 (as shown in video above).
If accurate, that probably wouldn't be enough to make the iPhone 7 an interesting interim upgrade. Rising smartphone maker Huawei (now the No. 3 global smartphone supplier), for instance, is focusing on dual cameras to move the needle. Huawei's tagline on its new dual-lens P9 phone is “reinvent smartphone photography.” That camera, co-developed with German camera maker Leica, uses two 12-megapixel cameras to yield images with lots of detail. Enough detail to rival better standalone point-and-shoot cameras.
If an iPhone 7 with a dual lens camera is planned it would most likely be a larger model, as 9to5Mac reiterated on Sunday. The "larger 5.5 inch iPhone 7 model...is expected to feature a dual-camera featuring two 12-megapixel sensors."
That kind of step-up in camera tech would be enough to keep Apple competitive and possibly even set the stage for the mainstreaming of dual-lens smartphones. But, as of mid-July, that's still a big "if."
The dual-lens Huawei P9, by the way, is priced typically in the U.S. at between $475 and $515. A 5.5-inch iPhone 7 with a dual-lens camera would certainly be more than that.
This was originally published on July 18 @ 05:18 AM.
