Further evidence has emerged for suggestions that the iPhone 5S could have dual-LED flash in the form of photos of what French leak site NWE claims are part of the rear shell. The slot for the flash has room for two LEDs rather than one.
While it’s possible this is simply to double the power of the flash, analyst Ming Chi-Kuo has previously suggested that the LED flash will feature both white and yellow-based lights. If so, the result should be far more natural-looking indoor flash-lit shots. Explanation below the fold …
Different type of lighting has a different color cast – what photographers call ‘color temperature’. This is measured in Kelvin, or K. Daylight has a color temperature of around 5500-6500K. Typical indoor lighting has a color temperature of around 3000K, a far yellower light. Cameras attempt to compensate for this by adjusting the white balance to suit. This is all well and good until you use flash.
Use flash in artificial lighting indoors and you’ll likely get a photo of white faces and a yellow-looking background. With flash on, the camera sets the white balance for that (a similar color temperature to daylight), resulting in everything else appearing yellow. If the iPhone 5S is clever enough to use the yellow flash indoors, both flash and existing lighting will have a similar color temperature, giving more natural-looking shots.
Of course, all claimed leaked component photos need to be viewed with skepticism. Many are third-party components or out-and-out fakes. But we are hearing the same thing on this one from multiple sources, and NWE does have photos showing it isn’t just a one-off piece:
