iPhone 5s camera specs: better optics, slow motion, and ‘True Tone’ flash

As a part of the iPhone 5s announcement today, Apple is eager to talk about the improved camera. It’s got a 5-element lens with an aperture of f/2.2 on top of a sensor with a surface area 15 percent larger than the device it replaces (though it’s still 8 megapixels). Larger sensors typically mean low-light sensitivity is improved — you can take better pictures with less noise with less illumination.

Part of The Verge Live: Apple’s 2013 iPhone event

But when you do need illumination, the new iPhone’s “True Tone” dual-LED flash — with different color temperatures on each LED — kicks into action. It’s been rumored for quite some time, a possible boon for low-light photographers who dread the washed-out look and unnatural coloration that a typical flash offers.

Like the Galaxy S4, Apple’s putting emphasis on the 5s’ burst mode and slow-motion capabilities — the phone can take up to 10 shots per second. For slow motion, the video camera can take 720p at 120 frames per second.

The new sensor is perhaps a bigger deal: it’s been two generations since the iPhone last got an upgrade in this department (though the 5 featured improved optics).