Apple Inc. has been widely expected to release its flagship smartphone, the iPhone 7 this year, and the upcoming device is now rumored to come with two cameras housed in the back, based on a brand new patent filed by the company for "small form factor telephoto camera" under the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The latest rumor follows a recent speculation that the iPhone 7 this year would feature a flexible display and battery, based on a patent filed by the company in 2015. Apple's patent filing showed that the company was working to bring a bendable screen with touch-sensitive layers and display covers to a future device. The technology incorporated in the iPhone 7 would allow the device to bend over without being damaged. Apart from improving its durability, the technology could also enable new features in the iPhone 7, such as allowing users to initiate commands by bending their phone.

Now the latest speculation is that the iPhone 7 camera will sport a similar iSight sensor unit also featured in the iPhone 6, along with a small format telephoto camera. The telephoto camera will be able to capture better photos by analyzing parameters, such as depth and range, thus making it better than singular sensors.

According to the new patent filed by Apple in October 2013, the twin cameras in the iPhone 7 will come with the capability of "adjustable iris or aperture stop," allowing users to change the focal ratios from 2.4 to 10.0. The feature will also allow users to make a number of customizations for each shot, which is not available in the current-generation iSight camera housed in the iPhone 6.

Apple could either layer one camera underneath the other, or house the two cameras side-by-side. The company could also integrate the two camera sensors into one external unit. However, there are no details available yet about how exactly Apple plans to integrate the dual camera in the upcoming iPhone 7.