Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) next generation smartphone (iPhone 6) will house the same 8 megapixel camera that earlier versions had. Although reviewers, critics and users were not impressed with Apple's impenitence, there is a theory behind not improving the megapixel count but tweaking the software advancements.

Apple will not compound the camera sensor on the iPhone 6; instead will focus on ways to better the picture quality.

The Theory:

According to Apple Insider, megapixels are less of a priority for Apple than the image quality as a whole; this is to be accomplished by utilizing optical image stabilization.

It is worth noting that, instead of increasing the quantity of pixels on the iPhone 5S, Apple magnified each pixel size to intensify the sensor's light-gathering abilities.

This can be attributed to the new set of lenses with f/1.8 aperture (compared to f/2.2), in addition to the more powerful optical stabilization system. This new lenses could offer better performance even with low or poor lighting, claims Culturemob.

According to reports gathered from The China Post, "iPhone 6 may not feature a higher-resolution camera sensor in the 12 megapixel to 16 megapixel range. Instead, the new iPhone's camera could feature improved image stabilization, which is expected to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure."

While Apple is still sticking to 8MP resolution, most manufacturers have migrated to higher & better resolutions. According to Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities Company, "the 13MP camera sensor resolutions will reach by the end of this year to be about 65% of the total growth trend in 2015."

The Rumor (Sony Xperia G3 & Future iPhones):

Sony enjoys a 65.7% market share of photo sensor resolution with 13MP & beyond. Rumor has it that, Sony might opt for a 1/2.4 inch sensor with a resolution of 21 sqm, earmarked for the future Sony Xperia G3 smartphone.

If rumors were true, Apple might be making the next iPhone thinner than the predecessor. The distinguishing factor is that: the thinner phone body demands less advanced camera module.

Multiple lenses and camera sensors get heaped on top of each other consuming more space and have the potential to cause problems with thinner devices. According to the iDownloadBlog, this could be the reason why there is no megapixel bump for the iPhones.

Apple started this 8 MP trend with their iPhone 4S in 2001, that continued with iPhone 5 in 2012 and iPhone 5C in 2013. Although iPhone 5S model featured an 8 megapixel sensor, there were several hardware and software improvements - larger aperture and dual LED flash, which helped the image quality to a great magnitude. And iPhone 5S was much appreciated.