A patent granted to Apple Inc. and published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Tuesday, titled "Digital Camera with Light Splitter," indicates that the company may use the newly patented light-splitting camera sensor system on its upcoming iPhone to give it better optical image stabilization and color accuracy, accompanied by a 'true zoom lens.'

Every year, Apple's new iPhone is accompanied by advancements and upgrades, such as the OIS (optical image stabilization) feature in the latest iPhone 6 Plus. However, a proper optical zoom, such as those found in DSLRs, has always been missing in Apple's iPhones. According to the patent, iPhone 7 and all future idevices from Apple will feature a new technology involving the use of a three-sensor prism-based camera module that splits light into component red, green and blue (RGB) colors, picking them up individually with each sensor before combining them. The new light-splitting design will offer a number of advantages, like improved color accuracy, polarized space for a zoom lens, polarization without brightness loss, and extraction of image data. The patent document also refers to the true zoom lens, or parfocal lenses, feature that will maintain focus when its magnification or focal length is changed.

The new camera module could arrive on Apple's upcoming iDevices, like iPhones, iPads and MacBooks, and could also be made available on non-portable devices, such as PCs and TV monitors. Major camera companies, like Canon, Panasonic, and Philips, are already employing the light-splitting technology in their products, though it might be costly to implement on iPhones, and also require more space in the phone's chassis, which will not be preferred by Apple.

According to the patent details, Apple had filed the patent on Sept. 9, 2011, and has credited the company's core camera design director, Steven Webster, and optical engineer, Ning Chan for inventing the technology.