For months, Apple's iPhone 4 and 4S have been the most popular cameras used to shoot and upload images to Flickr. Now, with the release of the iPhone 5, Apple is poised to add another of its devices on Flickr's camera chart as it introduces new photography features in its latest update.

The iPhone 5 now sports a longer 4-inch Retina display. "By making the screen taller, not wider, iPhone 5 is just as easy to use with one hand so you can tap, type and scroll the same way you always have, while enjoying even more of your content," said Apple in a press release.

The new phone is 18 percent thinner than its predecessor, as well as 20 percent lighter. It supports "ultrafast" wireless standards, including LTE and DC-HSDPA – LTE will only be available via Everything Everywhere (EE) in the UK.

Thanks to the new A6 chip, designed by Apple, the iPhone 5 is said to be faster while delivering increased battery life. This is said to be particularly evident while using the phone's camera features – Apple claims its camera is 40 percent faster than the one featured on the iPhone 4S.

While Apple has kept the same eight-megapixel resolution for its iSight camera, it has redesigned the optics to make the camera smaller than the one in the iPhone 4S. It is composed of five glass elements and offers a fast f/2.4 aperture.

The camera also features a hybrid IR filter, and spatial noise reduction technology to remove noise and improve low-light performances.

Apple has added a sapphire crystal lens cover it claims is thinner and more durable than standard glass, while providing crystal clear images.

But improvements haven't only been made to the hardware. Apple has also updated its software by making it possible for users to shoot panorama images with resolutions of up to 28 megapixels. Panorama images are obtained by sweeping a scene horizontally – the iPhone, then, automatically creates the image and compensates for any unwanted camera movements.

The iPhone's video features have also been updated with improved stabilisation and face-detection technology for up to 10 faces. Apple has also made it possible for users to shoot still images even while recording video.

Finally, in addition to Full HD, 1080p video capabilities for the iPhone's main camera, Apple has also updated the front-facing camera, making it possible to shoot video at a resolution of up to 720p.

Apple's iPhone 5 will be available on 21 September in the UK and in eight other countries. UK pricing has yet to be determined.