With iOS 5 Beta 3, you can mirror your FaceTime call onto a larger display

FaceTiming into your iPhone (or iPad 2) is great, but sometimes it’d be nice to see your friend or loved one on a bit of a larger screen.

For those anxiously awaiting that day, it’s almost here.

iPhone owners testing the new iOS 5 beta (version 3) discovered a new feature: AirPlay mirroring. If you’ve got an AirPlay-enabled device, you can mirror your FaceTime chat on a larger screen (like your TV).

FaceTime, a feature which was introduced with the iPhone 4, has gotten a lot of press since its debut. FaceTime is just one of many companies offering video conferencing software, including a dramatically revamped version of AIM and similar features on competing products. Between FaceTime and services like Skype, video chatting is quickly becoming the de facto way to stay in touch with friends.

Unfortunately, as seen in the image above, the AirPlay mirroring functionality isn’t perfect (yet). It looks like the VGA resolution front facing camera causes the image to be a bit blown out when it’s ported to the big screen display. But it could still make a cheap, convenient video conferencing tool for businesses.

Perhaps, if this feature isn’t cut from the final version of iOS 5, we could expect the iPhone 5’s front-facing camera to get a significant upgrade to fix that problem.

Apple’s official version of iOS 5 is due for release this fall.

iOS 5 Features: AirPlay Mirroring for FaceTime [TiPb via Slashgear]