As the iPhone 14's release date approaches, we're hearing more and more rumours and leaks about what the phone might have. And the most recent suggestion might be a game-changer for anyone who regularly takes selfies.

According to one tech analyst, the selfie camera, also known as the front-facing camera, maybe gets autofocus and an additional lens element.

iPhones have been steadily improving in terms of photography, which is why they consistently rank near the top of our lists of the best camera phones and best smartphones.

However, the substantial updates are usually reserved for the sophisticated rear-camera arrays – Apple hasn't updated much about the selfie camera since the iPhone 11, so some attention in this area is long overdue.

It also offers another tantalising possibility to the various rumours regarding the iPhone 14 that have already surfaced. Ming-Chi Kuo, a tech analyst, made the most recent prediction on Medium(opens in new tab). Apple has made no formal statements on what will or will not be included in the iPhone 14.

While this report, like all rumours, should be taken with a grain of salt, Kuo has a track record of making correct Apple forecasts. Selfie camera lenses are often fixed focus rather than autofocus, which means they represent everything in the picture as sharply as possible.

An autofocus system would be able to pick out specific subjects in a frame to be the only focal point, basically replicating what Portrait Mode does with software in real life and resulting in a higher-quality photograph.

According to Kuo, another upgrade to the selfie camera could be an additional lens element, bringing the total number of lenses to six.

A bigger number of elements does not always imply better optical quality, but it can, and if this report is genuine, it would appear to hint at a general improvement in quality for the iPhone 14's selfie camera.

The Apple iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro were both fantastic phones, but they weren't significant advancements over previous models, instead opting for a more conservative approach.

With this latest rumour, it'll be interesting to see if the iPhone 14 makes a bigger jump ahead - but we still have a long way to go till September to find out.

If you're interested in smartphone photography, check out our list of essential iPhone 13 Pro camera tips. If video is more your thing, check out our roundup of the finest iPhone gimbals.