If history is any guide, Apple may use a derivative of Sony’s 13MP IMX214 image sensor in the next iPhone. It can capture 4K HDR video at 30fps, and 1080p HDR video at up to 60fps.
I wonder if Sony would make a version for Apple with fewer but larger pixels? A 10.8MP version would maintain the 1.5µm cell of the iPhone 5S camera. A 9MP version would have 1.8µm cells, which I thought was more likely than a rumoured f1.8 aperture.
But I might have been overly pessimistic, the stock 13MP version is already in a device touting f1.8, although I’d like to see confirmation on that claim.
UPDATE September 10 2014: You know the old saying…. “Nope!”. I’m now beginning to think 2015 will be the year of 4K for Apple. I’ll be looking for a sensor like the IMX214 in the the “iPhone 6S” next year.