The iPhone 5s Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on September 17, 2013 9:01 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Apple
- Mobile
- iPhone
- iPhone 5S
Video
Apple’s new H6 ISP brings with it a modernization of the video recording options for the iPhone 5s. The default video record mode is still 1080p at 30 fps, but there’s also a new 720p 120 fps “slo-mo” mode as well. In the latter, video is captured at 120 fps but optionally played back at 30 fps in order to achieve a high speed camera/slow motion effect. The result is pretty cool:
In the camera UI you can select what portions of the video you want to play back at 30 fps and what portions you want to leave at full speed. The .mov file is stored on NAND as a ~27Mbps 720p120 without any customizations, however when you share it the entire video is transcoded into a 30 fps format which preserves the slow motion effect.
The slo-mo mode is separate from the standard video recording mode, it’s the next stop on the dial in the new iOS 7 camera app. Video preview in slo-mo mode also happens at 60 fps compared to 30 fps for the standard video record and still image capture modes.
Camera preview frame rate, toggling between slo-mo and normal modes
Adding high speed camera modes to smartphones is a great step in my opinion and a wonderful use of increases in ISP and SoC performance. I would like to see Apple expose a 1080p60 mode as well. Technically 1080p60 does require slightly more bandwidth than 720p120, but I’d hope that Apple targeted both in the design of H6 and simply chose to expose 720p120 as it’s an easier feature to market.
Standard 1080p30 recording is also available:
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Abhip30 - Tuesday, September 24, 2013 - link
It's not cortex arm-a57. Since A6 apple uses arm achitecture. A6 was based on armv7 and A7 is custom design armv8.systemsonchip4 - Friday, September 20, 2013 - link
First consumer device to have ARM A57 processortipoo - Friday, September 20, 2013 - link
It's a custom core, not A57 or anything else from standard ARM designs.systemsonchip4 - Saturday, September 21, 2013 - link
Its a ARMv8 implementation, so yes it may be a little different then a cortex a57 SoC but it is still a ARMv8 Soc and that is why the A7 is able to beat the s800 SoC clocked at 2.3 ghzstevesous - Friday, September 20, 2013 - link
Every year, they say we will see that in next year's model,When will you guys finally get it?
yhselp - Saturday, September 21, 2013 - link
"Interestingly enough, I never really got any scratches on the back of my 5 - it’s the chamfers that took the biggest beating.""If you're considering one of these cases you might want to opt for a darker color as the edges of my case started to wear from constantly pulling the phone out of my pockets"
Hmm...
darkich - Sunday, September 22, 2013 - link
Alright, I'll make a bottom line of this review.. I accused Anand of being Apple biased, now I take that back.He is simply and clearly an INTEL fanboy, even while believing in his utmost objectivity.
He just can't help it.
Then again, when you think of the decades of omnopotent Intel influence he was growing up with, in a way, that bias becomes only natural and forgiving.
This is my message to you, Anand - Apple A7X will open your eyes real soon.
Even you won't be able to overlook the ridiculous magnitude of superiority of that SoC to your Bay Trail.
Mark these words.
Take care, Darko
yhselp - Monday, September 23, 2013 - link
It's not a matter of whether the A7/A7X is faster than a given Bay Trail variant, or at all. The fact of the matter is that Intel is sitting on some truly spectacular architectural IP and that's a scientific fact; the thing is that they can't seem to get it out in time. Bay Trail is but a 'baby', exceptionally conservative architecture whereas A7 or 'Cyclone' is not -- above all else it's wider.Apple/ARM is better or as-good this round and might continues to be in the future if Intel doesn't speed up it's game. That's true. However, even Intel's smaller architectures ARE superior to A7/ARM, let alone their big Core stuff (which isn't far from being synthesized for smartphone use); not to mention their manufacturing process advantage.
talg - Sunday, September 22, 2013 - link
Do you know from SoC point of view what function does A7 have ?justacousin - Sunday, September 22, 2013 - link
Based on some of my reading Samsung is the manufacturer of the A7 chip, what is to be said about this?