iPhone 7 Plus to have dual camera system capable of DSLR-quality photos, report claims

The new camera is likely to be one of the headline features of the new iPhone, which is rumoured to have a body largely similar to the existing iPhone 6s

The iPhone 7 Plus is likely to have two cameras on its back, but otherwise come in a similar box to the existing 6s, according to a leading analyst.

Apple is set to release a new phone featuring dual-camera technology that will allow the phones to take pictures with the quality of a full DSLR camera, according to usually reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. But that feature could be limited to the larger, 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus, according to the same report.

The new camera is likely to be one of the headline features of the new iPhone 7, which is rumoured to otherwise come in a body largely similar to the existing iPhone 6 and 6s. Apple is expected to introduce the new phone in September — and it may be followed soon after by a complete redesign, according to the same analyst.

Various rumours have long suggested that Apple could be introducing dual-cameras to some version of the iPhone 7. Some of them have suggested that the new technology would allow the phone to produce deeper and more detailed images — while others have suggested even more ambitious uses for the technology, like 3D image scanning.

Dual-camera setups also take up less space than single ones. That might mean that the company can re-design the phone so that it loses some of the space taken up by the camera — and drop or at least shrink the controversial “camera bump” that protrudes from its back.

If the report is correct, it would be far from the first time that Apple has restricted better camera technology to its larger phone. Both the iPhone 6 and 6s have almost identical camera features to their larger siblings, but lack particular technologies that are thought to rely on the bigger iPhone’s extra space.