Apple 'iPhone 8' front and rear cameras to record 4K video at 60fps, firmware suggests

AppleInsider

The recently leaked HomePod firmware continues to yield clues as to what the public can expect from Apple's "iPhone 8," with the latest report suggesting both front- and rear-facing cameras will support 4K video recording at 60 frames per second.

Lines of code discovered by iHelp BR on Thursday point to potential high-resolution recording capabilities for both front and rear shooters, specifically "4K60Video" support.

References to the function appear in a block of code related to HEVC, or H.265, encoding, a next-generation video codec due to arrive in both iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra this fall. The advanced algorithms included in HEVC keep file sizes small while maintaining high levels of quality, a benefit for 4K video systems deployed in devices with limited storage or processing power.

At this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple SVP of Craig Federighi revealed certain Mac configurations will boast support for HEVC hardware acceleration, including the late 2015 27-inch iMac, early 2016 MacBook and MacBook Pros manufactured in 2016 and beyond. It can be surmised that a next-generation iPhone model will support similar acceleration features, though such features have yet to be officially confirmed.

If the code points do indeed reference forthcoming 4K at 60fps recording capabilities, exactly how Apple will manage the feat in both front and rear shooters is unknown. HEVC should help with file management and processor load, but camera hardware limitations have in the past precluded the inclusion of super high-resolution front-facing imagers.

Due to design constraints, all front-facing iPhone cameras feature lower resolutions than their rear-facing counterparts. This has been true since Apple debuted its first selfie shooter with the iPhone 4. Even the latest iPhone 7 and 7 Plus iterations, the rear cameras of which support 4K video recording at 30fps, sport lower rated front-facing cameras capable of only 1080p resolutions.

Apple is widely expected to announce a next-generation flagship iPhone this fall alongside internal updates to the iPhone 7 series. Rumors hold that the new model will boast a full-face OLED display, 3D-sensing camera hardware, wireless charging and more.

jd_in_sb

That HomePod accidental leak is a treasure trove!

kevin kee

jd_in_sb said:

That HomePod accidental leak is a treasure trove!

So true  I wonder what else people dissect from that. As saying goes. beware of pandora box.

Avieshek

120Hz display as well.

bluefire1

One word: WOW!
Wallet open and ready.

jameskatt2

This would be a HUGE reason to buy the iPhone 8.

It would be perfect for creating 4K YouTube Videos.  You can see yourself while creating the video.

The iPhone 8 would kill off a lot of 4K cameras for YouTube Video Productions.

And you carry this camera everywhere.

HEVC is easy for Apple to do since they can simply create a custom chip.  And they can afford the licensing fees.

palegolas

I think if they're doing the faceID thing, they'll need really high quality sensors and cameras on the front to reach the level of security they need. So I'm not surprised there. They also need great low light performance on the front facing camera, to use face ID at night.

omasou

Maybe the higher resolution front facing camera is required for facial recognition?

I also find it very strange so much information for one product leaked with another product. Someone messed up the build flags.

theothergeoff

bluefire1 said:

One word: WOW!
Wallet open and ready.

"WOW" = Wallet Open and Waiting

theothergeoff

jameskatt2 said:

This would be a HUGE reason to buy the iPhone 8.

It would be perfect for creating 4K YouTube Videos.  You can see yourself while creating the video.

The iPhone 8 would kill off a lot of 4K cameras for YouTube Video Productions.

And you carry this camera everywhere.

HEVC is easy for Apple to do since they can simply create a custom chip.  And they can afford the licensing fees.

well... 'easy' is relative.   They can do it cost effectively  (custom chip design then sliced over 200 million units shipped over the life of the product), compared to 4K cameras (that sell in the 1s of millions if they are lucky), thus saving money for the licensing.

anton zuykov

jd_in_sb said:

That HomePod accidental leak is a treasure trove!

What if Apple just tries to combat "Ooh, Apple will fail spectacularly dis time fo su" type of reviews and articles by simply "accidentally' showing that there is a lot of new stuff. Besides, that will help to keep the loudmouths occupied too...( who otherwise have a field day, when there is nothing from Apple to disprove what they would say).
Maybe it just Apple's way of disproving them, without making any official statement?
dk.

iqatedo

Very pleased with 4K video on the 7+ (at 30fps). Now I just need something on which to view it.

macgui

kevin kee said:
 As saying goes. beware of pandora box.

Bullshit analogy.

jameskatt2 said:

HEVC is easy for Apple to do since they can simply create a custom chip.  And they can afford the licensing fees.

Well, they are already onboard with HEVC in iOS 11 so this looks promising.

I really, really like the idea of 60Hz playback especially at 4K. I've over the soap opera effect. As much as I love the SE form factor, 60Hz video sings a siren's song.