Apple's next iPhone 5 may sport HD-capable front camera

KGI analyst Mingchi Kuo said in a note to investors earlier this week that Apple's sixth-generation iPhone could include a front-facing camera capable of HD resolution. He also believes that Apple could employ a flip-chip (FC) solution for the front-facing camera on the upcoming iPhone so that the camera’s position would be moved to the middle.

Kuo noted that an HD front camera would better suit the 4-inch display that he expects Apple's sixth-generation handset to have. Currently, the front-facing camera of the iPhone 4S is capable of VGA resolution. As for the rear-facing camera, Kuo said Apple will likely retain the 8-megapixel camera while improving the aperture range to go up to f/2.2. The iPhone 4S has a maximum aperture of f/2.4. The analyst also predicted that the rear camera on the next iPhone will be noticeable thinner, "making it the most challenging iPhone design yet."

Apple suppliers would be extremely puzzled producing the rear camera component because of the changes to the design. Kuo claims that Apple is going to slim the iPhone down to 7.9mm or less.

Various rumors suggest that Apple will launch the new iPhone this fall in either September or October.