The iPhone 16 Professional can take beautiful photographs in any circumstances and that is to say nothing of its neat 4K sluggish movement mode. Its a number of rear lenses and new Photographic Types provide quite a bit for photographers, whether or not they’re simply beginning out or if they have been taking images for years. The iPhone 16 Professional even put up a powerful combat towards the opposite finest digicam telephones round, together with the Galaxy S24 Extremely, the Pixel 9 Professional and the Xiaomi 14 Extremely.
Learn extra: iPhone 16 Professional takes on Xiaomi 14 Extremely
But it surely’s nonetheless not the right digicam and whereas early studies from business insiders declare that the cellphone’s video expertise will get a lift, there’s extra the cellphone will must be an all-round images powerhouse. As each an skilled cellphone reviewer and an expert photographer, I’ve exceptionally excessive expectations for top-end cellphone cameras and having used the iPhone 16 Professional since its launch, I’ve some ideas on what wants to vary.
Listed here are the details I wish to see improved on the iPhone 17 when it doubtless launches in September 2025.
Bigger picture sensor
Although the 1/1.28-inch sensor discovered on the iPhone 16 Professional’s primary digicam is already an excellent measurement — and marginally bigger than the S24 Extremely’s 1/1.33-inch sensor — I wish to see Apple go greater. A bigger picture sensor can seize extra gentle and provide higher dynamic vary. It is why professional cameras are likely to have a minimum of “full body” picture sensors, whereas actually high-end cameras, just like the wonderful Hasselblad 907X, have monumental “medium format” sensors for pristine picture high quality.
Even on professional cameras, sensor measurement is essential. Even the full-frame picture sensor within the center is dwarfed by the medium format sensor on the suitable. Cellphone digicam sensors do not come wherever close to to this measurement.
Xiaomi understands this, equipping its 14 Extremely with a 1-inch kind sensor. It is bigger than the sensors discovered on nearly some other cellphone, which permits the 14 Extremely to take beautiful images in quite a lot of circumstances — together with Taylor Swift concert events. I am eager to see Apple a minimum of match Xiaomi’s cellphone right here with an analogous 1-inch kind sensor. Although if we’re speaking pie-in-the-sky needs, perhaps the iPhone 17 may very well be the primary smartphone with a full-frame picture sensor. I will not maintain my breath on that one — the cellphone, and the lenses, would must be immense to accommodate it, so it’d doubtless be extra environment friendly simply to allow you to make calls along with your mirrorless digicam.
Variable aperture
Talking of the Xiaomi 14 Extremely, one of many different causes that cellphone rocks so exhausting for images is its variable aperture on the primary digicam. Its widest aperture is f/1.6 — considerably wider than the f/1.78 of the iPhone 16 Professional.That wider aperture permits plenty of gentle in dim circumstances and extra authentically achieves out-of-focus bokeh round a topic.
The streetlight exterior this pub has been was a lovely starburst because of the variable aperture of the Xiaomi 14 Extremely.
However Xiaomi’s 14 Ultraaperture can even shut right down to f/4, and with that narrower aperture, it is in a position to create starbursts round factors of sunshine. I really like attaining this impact in nighttime imagery with the cellphone. It makes the ensuing photographs look far more like they have been taken with an expert digicam and lens, whereas the identical factors of sunshine on the iPhone simply appear like roundish blobs. Disappointingly, Xiaomi truly eliminated this function from the new 15 Extremely so whether or not Apple sees worth in implementing this type of expertise stays to be seen.
Extra Photographic Types
Although Apple has had varied kinds and results built-in into the iPhone’s cameras, the iPhone 16 vary took it additional, with extra management over the results and extra firming choices. It is sufficient that CNET Senior Editor Lisa Eadicicco even declared the brand new Photographic Types her “favourite new function on Apple’s newest cellphone.”
I believe they’re nice too. Or moderately, they’re an incredible begin. The completely different colour tones, like those you get with the Amber and Gold kinds, add some pretty heat to scenes, and the Quiet impact provides a classic filmic fade, however there’s nonetheless not a complete lot to select from and the interface could be a little sluggish to work via. I would like to see Apple introduce extra Photographic Types with completely different colour firming choices, and even with tones that mimic classic movie shares from Kodak or Fujifilm.
I like the hotter tones produced by the iPhone’s Amber model on this picture, however I would positively prefer to see extra choices for getting artistic with colour tones.
And certain, there are many third-party apps like VSCO or Snapseed that allow you to mess around with colour filters all you need. However utilizing Apple’s kinds means you possibly can take your photographs with the look already utilized, after which change it afterward when you do not prefer it — nothing is hard-baked into your picture.
Higher ProRaw integration with Photographic Types
I do suppose Apple has barely missed a possibility with its Photographic Types, although, in that you need to use them solely when taking photographs in HEIF (high-efficiency picture format). Sadly, you possibly can’t use them when taking pictures in ProRaw. I really like Apple’s use of ProRaw on earlier iPhones, because it takes benefit of the entire iPhone’s computational images — together with issues like HDR picture mixing — however nonetheless outputs a DNG uncooked file for simpler enhancing.
The DNG file sometimes additionally gives extra latitude to brighten darkish areas or tone down highlights in a picture, making it extraordinarily versatile. Beforehand, Apple’s colour presets may very well be used when taking pictures in ProRaw, and I beloved it. I incessantly shot street-style images utilizing the excessive distinction black-and-white mode after which edited the uncooked file additional.
I do plenty of avenue images in black and white, and I would love extra flexibility to take ProRaw pictures in monochrome.
Now utilizing that very same black-and-white look means solely taking pictures photographs in HEIF format, eliminating the advantages of utilizing Apple’s ProRaw. Oddly, whereas the older-style “Filters” are now not out there within the digicam app when taking a uncooked picture, you possibly can nonetheless apply these filters to uncooked images within the iPhone’s gallery app via the enhancing menu.
LUTs for ProRes video
And whereas we’re on the subject of colour presets and filters, Apple must carry these to video, too. On the iPhone 15 Professional, Apple launched the power to shoot video in ProRes, which ends up in very low-contrast, nearly gray-looking footage. The concept is that video editors will take this uncooked footage after which apply their edits on high, usually making use of distinction and colour presets referred to as LUTs (look-up tables) that offers footage a selected look — suppose darkish and blue for horror movies or heat and light-weight tones for a romantic drama vibe.
However Apple does not provide any form of LUT for enhancing ProRes video on the iPhone, past merely ramping up the distinction, which does not actually do the job correctly. Certain, the purpose of ProRes is that you’d take that footage off the iPhone, put it into software program like Davinci Resolve, after which correctly colour grade the footage so it appears modern {and professional}.
ProRes footage appears very low distinction and desaturated. Apple must introduce methods that will help you do extra with ProRes information on the iPhone.
However that also leaves the information in your cellphone, and I would love to have the ability to do extra with them. My gallery is plagued by ungraded video information that I will do little or no with as a result of they want colour grading externally. I would like to share them to Instagram, or with my household over WhatsApp, after reworking these information from drab and grey to fantastically colourful.
With the iPhone 17, and even with the iPhone 16 as a software program replace, I wish to see Apple creating a variety of its personal LUTs that may be immediately utilized to ProRes video information on the iPhone.
If Apple have been in a position to implement all these modifications — excluding, maybe, the full-frame sensor which even I can admit is a contact bold — it will have an absolute beast of a digicam on its palms.
