Apple iPhone 6 Rumors: Next-Gen iPhone’s Camera Could Feature Electronic Image Stabilization, Larger Pixel Size

Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) upcoming iPhone iteration, presumably called the “iPhone 6,” may not feature optical image stabilization, or OIS, technology for its camera as the company is expected to focus more on an ultra-thin design for the new flagship handset, according to an analyst.

In existing iPhone models, the processing power of the embedded system-on-a-chip is used to enable software-based image stabilization. And though the OIS technology is considered to be superior, it would require the camera components to be physically much larger, a limitation that Apple is expected to eschew in the iPhone 6, GforGames reported, citing Sun Chang Xu, an analyst at ESM-China.

Sun took to Weibo, a Chinese social networking site, to say that Apple is expected to use Electronic Image Stabilization, or EIS, technology on the iPhone 6’s camera as it would allow the handset to sport a slimmer camera that does not protrude out of its body. In addition, the analyst also said that the iPhone 6’s camera would feature a significantly larger pixel size of 1.75 micrometers compared with the 1.5-micrometer pixel size of the camera on the iPhone 5s.

According to GforGames, EIS, unlike OIS, does not require moving hardware parts to reduce the amount of blur in a picture as it relies on software. However, EIS' performance reportedly does not match that of OIS technology, and might compromise image quality in low-light conditions.

The credibility of the information provided by Sun has not yet been confirmed, but the argument made by the analyst cannot be ruled out, 9to5Mac reported, adding that Apple is rumored to be working on “extraordinarily thinner battery components” for the iPhone.

Leaked renderings of the next-generation iPhone also point toward a chassis thickness of about 6 millimeters. On Monday, a video surfaced on YouTube comparing a purported iPhone 6 case to the fifth-generation iPod touch. The video shows that the iPod touch fits perfectly inside the case, suggesting that the iPhone 6 could be about 6.1 millimeters thin.

Rumors are rife that Apple could launch the iPhone 6 this fall in two screen sizes of 4.7-inches and 5.5-inches. The smaller version of the phone is expected to ship first, while the larger version is estimated to ship later due to production issues with the device's display and battery life.