CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple unveiled a new flagship phone on Tuesday whose most significant feature is a fifth rear camera, positioned to photograph the other four.
“People told us they wanted to capture the full camera system in a single shot,” said Priya Anand, the company’s senior director of camera engineering. “Now they can. It’s the most detailed picture of our cameras we have ever taken.”
The lens is a 12-megapixel ultrawide with a custom sensor that the company says is optimized for “close-range documentation of precision-milled aluminum.”
Reviewers who received early units praised the phone’s build quality and battery life, and noted that the fifth camera produced remarkably sharp images of the other four, which in turn produced sharp images of everything else.
Analysts expect the feature to drive an upgrade cycle. “There is a real segment of the market that has been waiting for a phone that can photograph its own phone,” said Marcus Lin of Canalys. “That segment is small but extremely vocal.”
The device goes on sale Friday, starting at $1,199. A case that covers the fifth camera is sold separately.