Apple's next iPhone -- whether it's the iPhone 6s or the iPhone 7 -- could bring some radical changes to the handset's internal camera hardware that should improve picture quality.

In a patent application titled "Mirror Tilt Actuation," Apple describes new mechanics for a camera that should provide better image stabilization and compensate for user movement more efficiently. Current optical image stabilization systems just don't cut it when it comes to small cameras, the Cupertino giant claims.

"There have been various schemes proposed for miniature cameras, including: 'lens barrel shift,' in which the complete lens is moved in directions orthogonal to the optical axis relative to the image sensor; and 'camera tilt,' in which the lens and image sensor are together tilted relative to a support structure," reads Apple's patent filing. "For cameras and image capture devices in multifunction devices, neither method is practical."

The new method proposed involves magnets and the use of independently moving image sensor and zoom lens components. The new system involves a new lens assembly and an actuator that would tilt the lens to compensate for user movement. The actuator itself would be stabilized by magnets.

Of course, a patent filing doesn't necessarily mean that the technology will make it into Apple's next iPhone, which could come out soon than expected.

Although the iPhone 6 and iPhone Plus have been selling strong, Apple could be moving to a new production cycle that would involve two new iPhone models a year. If that's the case, buyers could see an "iPhone 6s" hit the market in March or April alongside the release of the Apple Watch. An "iPhone 7" would then presumably release in the fall, when Apple has typically unveiled new iPhones.

"The iPhone 7 release date is coming sooner than expected, and the iPhone 6S is coming even sooner -- according to a source we have in the supply chain who now tells us that Apple is looking at a condensed six month release timetable going forward in order to not only keep up with the more frequent releases from Samsung but also to provide a boost to iPhone sales when the iWatch launches in the spring," writes Jerry Miller from Stabley Times.

It also looks like Samsung will be manufacturing the new A9 chip for the next iPhone thanks to a process that can produce transistors as small as 14 nanometers.

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