Selfie fiends may have a good reason to upgrade to Apple's next-generation iPhone, as configuration files discovered in the first beta release of iOS 9 hint at new capabilities for the front-facing camera, including 1080p recording and a built-in flash.
In an iOS 9 manifest file --Â discovered by developer Hamza Sood --Â that lists ways for apps to determine the hardware capabilities of the device they're running on, a number of entries reference front-facing camera features that don't currently exist. In addition to 1080p recording and a front flash, the manifest also refers to "Front60FPSVideo," "FrontSlomo" and "FrontPanorama."
The front-facing camera on Apple's iPhone 6 series is capable of capturing video at 720p and 30 frames per second, and lacks the ability to capture panoramic photos or slow-motion video.
This marks the first suggestion that Apple could be planning an upgrade to the front-facing camera -- which the company markets as "FaceTime HD" -- in its next-generation iPhone. Until now, speculation has focused primarily on possibilities for the rear iSight camera.
Some expect Apple to move to a dual-camera setup on the rear, possibly with a new 12-megapixel sensor. Other reports have pointed to the addition of sensors with Sony's RGBW technology, which adds an extra white subpixel to improve low-light sensitivity.