Seven requirements for the iPhone 14 Pro camera to keep its throne

 

When they go on sale on September 7, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are anticipated to be Apple's new flagship devices. The camera system, which is predicted to be a significant improvement over the iPhone 13 Pro, is once again their most anticipated feature.

In our list of the finest camera phones, Apple's current "Pro" series has managed to hold onto the top spot, but their advantage is far from unchallengeable. They are under intense pressure from the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, Google Pixel 6 Pro, and the exclusive to China Xiaomi 12s Ultra. If the iPhone 14 Pro range wants to keep the title, it needs some worthwhile additions.

Apple's current "Pro" series has managed to maintain the top spot on our list of the best camera phones, but their advantage is far from insurmountable. They are under a lot of pressure from the China-only Xiaomi 12s Ultra, Google Pixel 6 Pro, and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. The iPhone 14 Pro line needs some noteworthy upgrades if it hopes to retain the title.

How will that compare to the iPhone 14 Pro series? The reports have so far made a strong implication about the impending technology advancements. These improvements include an increased ultra-wide camera with bigger pixels, an increase in resolution to 48MP (from the existing 12MP), and the inclusion of autofocus for the front selfie camera.

But if the iPhone 14 Pro and Max are to stave off the several rivals vying for their camera phone crown over the coming year, they will need more. We've created a list of features we hope to see on Apple's upcoming flagship devices. There will undoubtedly be some surprises during the iPhone 14 announcement, but if we end up with the most of them, we'll be pretty satisfied photographers.

One is a new "Cinematic mode"

'Cinematic mode' was the biggest iPhone update for video makers last year. This was the first time that video had artificial bokeh (or background blur), like you see in 'portrait mode' images. And it sort of worked.

Even while it's a wonderful effect to experiment with, "Cinematic mode" has several restrictions, such as the fact that it can only film in 1080/30p. In addition to other frame rates like the renownedly cinematic 24fps, we'd want to see the choice of 4K resolution (assuming the A16 processor can handle it).

It could transition from novelty to a dependable vlogging tool if "Cinematic mode" can also increase the accuracy of its edge recognition, especially for fast-moving subjects and in low light. Even the director's chairs can be shaking uncomfortably with the greatest YouTube cameras.

Improved hybrid zoom

The iPhone 13 Pro's major drawback compared to its rivals are its zoom skills. We adore its telephoto camera, which, with the help of Night mode, provides you with a wonderful 77mm equivalent focal length for portraiture even at night. To be a genuinely adaptable travel companion, though, it would benefit from some additional reach.

A "periscope" lens that uses folding optics to squeeze optical magnification into a smartphone's chassis is the most obvious option, but it appears that it won't be available until the iPhone 15 Pro next year. But that doesn't mean we wouldn't like to see this year's flagships enhance their "hybrid" zoom in order to catch up to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Optical and digital zoom are combined to create "hybrid" zoom. Digital zooms have traditionally been simply clipped into a single image, with predictable poor results. However, methods developed by the Google Pixel 3 can now effectively aggregate data from many frames to assist telephoto lenses. Although iPhones currently have a hybrid zoom feature, upgrading to a 48MP sensor could greatly enhance it.

3. Practical 8K video tips

Nobody needs to use a smartphone to record 8K videos. At this resolution, there are few ways to watch videos, and editing and storing them is difficult. This does not imply that an 8K video mode would be useless on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max because of their 48MP sensors.

Shooting in 8K has a few advantages, one of which is the ability to crop into your movie while maintaining 4K resolution. Talking-head interviews frequently employ this "reframing" approach to produce different perspectives or jump cuts from a single lens. It's feasible that Apple will employ this resolution to assist you in doing some similar, automatic video changes, even though it will be more difficult to achieve with a little smartphone sensor.

A similar effect is already produced by the Filmic app's "DoubleTake" feature using several iPhone cameras. We'd like to at the very least see a function similar to Adobe Premiere Pro's "Auto Reframe," which recognises the action in your video and automatically adjusts it for various aspect ratios. This feature is useful if you need to post on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

4. A larger principal sensor

To be completely honest, we're a little worried about the reported switch to a 48MP primary sensor on the iPhone 14 Pro. Being the first time in seven years that Apple will have deviated from the 12MP resolution that has served its iPhone so well, this is a significant change. And it presents difficulties that undoubtedly kept the camera engineers up late.

A large number of pixels being crammed onto a tiny sensor has historically been a bad idea. More noise is produced by smaller individual pixels, which frequently masks the additional detail that a greater resolution gives you. There may have been teething issues after all, according to some recent leaks, with "Night mode" having "some issues" to resolve (per @LeaksApplePro).

However, this is just rumour, and there are solid grounds for anticipating that the switch to 48MP resolution would be successful. First of all, Apple hasn't a reputation for making hasty, stupid changes to the iPhone's camera. Furthermore, according to respected analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 14 Pro's primary camera sensor will be roughly 57% larger than the iPhone 13 Pro's. This implies that its 12MP photos should also be an improvement above today's flagships thanks to pixel binning (combining four pixels into one).

5. A true "Pro" photography mode

The Halide Mark II (above) camera demonstrates the kinds of features that would be ideal for an Apple Camera app "Pro" option. (Image credit: Halide)

When you look at their default Camera app, Apple's flagship iPhones are less "Pro" than they are when you look at them by name. We recognise that the majority of users must continue to use point-and-shoot cameras, but it wouldn't hurt to include an optional "Pro" mode to the stock app for more experienced shooters.

Apple took a small step in this direction by introducing the Apple ProRaw format on the iPhone 12 Pro, which enables further editing flexibility in programmes like Lightroom. But it would be fantastic to have some of the tools seen in programmes like Halide Mark II (above), including the capacity to shoot ProRaw and HEIC files concurrently, or the ability to view manual focusing aids like histograms and zebras.

In the event that that doesn't work, may Apple soon add a special astrophotography setting to its Camera app? Although Apple's starry "Far Out" invitation would imply otherwise, we believe it alludes to the speculated inclusion of satellite connectivity for emergency texts when you're out of cell range. Apple frequently defers to third-party programmes for specialised photography effects. We're open to being pleasantly surprised, though, given the supremacy of Pixel cameras in the astro department.

6. No cost iCloud Photos space

Although Google Photos's once-unlimited free storage is no longer available, the site still offers 15GB of photo storage before you need to start paying a membership fee. This makes Apple's iCloud Photos' 5GB storage restriction seem fairly terrible. The notification "Your iCloud storage is full" is therefore well known to the majority of iPhone users.

Could the most valuable corporation in the world use the release of the iPhone 14 to reveal a more forgiving free limit? With our bank accounts under attack from skyrocketing bills, it would undoubtedly be a major PR victory and encourage more people to switch to iCloud Photos.

However, this proposal may have trouble convincing Apple's seasoned bean accountants, and historical experience suggests that raising the storage limitations for iCloud isn't a top priority for the business.

7. An updated wide-angle camera

Our least-used iPhone camera—while it depends on personal preference—is undoubtedly the ultra-wide. On the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, though, if recent reports are to be believed, that may well change.

The two new flagships will have ultra-wide cameras with greater 1.4 m pixels than the current models, whose equivalent cameras only have 1.0 m pixels, claims the reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Given how much a 13mm lens enlarges the image, this won't necessarily help you capture better wide-angle pictures, which is a difficult skill to learn. But since larger pixels are able to catch more light, it ought to significantly improve their low-light performance. When combined with Night mode, we might find ourselves hitting the ".5" button more frequently to activate the ultra-wide camera.