Apple Buys LinX To Build iPhones With DSLR-like Camera Quality

Apple is now working on improving its camera quality as the company is acquiring the Israeli camera technology firm, LinX. The acquisition deal will see Apple shelling out around $20 million, which isn’t much for a bid to control and improve the iPhone’s photo quality. The iPhone represents more than half Apple’s overall business.

If LinX delivers as good camera modules as it is touted for, then we can see forthcoming iPhones delivering Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) quality photos. That’s a bit of a figure of speech because optically, DSLRs have an inherent advantage, but phones can use computing resources to process and enhance images. Thanks for their system-on-chip, aka SOC, processors, phone have computing resources that far outpace DSLRs. Their camera mobules are also getting extremely sophisticated – this is not about brute force.

The news was first reported by Dow Jones, and Apple also confirmed the news with Wall Street Journal, the company said, “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”

The multi-aperture cameras of LinX deliver crisp quality images and just by looking at them, we can understand that why Apple would be acquiring such technology. In June 2014, LinX announced its first multi-aperture cameras designed for smartphones. Interestingly, LinX cameras are smaller in height than the regular mobile camera, but it delivers better quality and more detailed image.

In a press release, LinX also revealed that it’s intent to eliminate the need of DSLRs. It delivers stunning SLR quality images by replacing big sensors with multiple (small) cameras and the products include variety of two, three, or four cameras on a single system. The company claims that the images captured by its camera is three times more sensitive towards light, and it also has lower noise levels.

Low Light photography comes forward as the greatest benefit of LinX cameras, which allows quick exposures under indoor light and does not even cause motion blur.

Zara Ali
Categories: Apple, Cellphones
Tags: Camera, iPhone