New Gossip On How Apple Plans To Make The iPhone's Camera Better

It will stick with an 8 megapixel camera according to a Nomura analyst.

Apple has had an 8 megapixel camera on the iPhone since the iPhone 4S was rolled out in 2011.

Its top rival, Samsung, has a 13 megapixel camera on its top of the line phone, the Galaxy S4. So, it's a little surprising that Apple doesn't want to upgrade the megapixel count on the iPhone.

Some people were expecting Apple to bump to 16 megapixels, but Nomura says, "Apple's decision is based on the design requirement to retain the handset's more portable form factor."

Megapixels are one of those numbers that can be misleading.

The iPhone's camera is either the best or second best (depending on who you ask) for smart phones, even with an 8 megapixel lens.

Apple has managed to improve camera performance through software, and other hardware engineering.

It seems like it's going to stick with that plan for the iPhone 6. Nomura says Apple will use optical image stabilization (OIS) to improve performance.

Supporting Nomura's report is a recent patent application from Apple for optical image stabilization picked up at Unwired View. OIS will deliver better low-light performance and better video, says Unwired View.