There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the iPhone 14 Pro, especially as we get closer to Apple’s September 7th event where the new phones are likely to be revealed. Pro models signal the most significant changes, with progress in particular rumored to be poised to re-establish iPhone dominance in an area where competing phones are catching up.
I’m talking about the rumored changes to the iPhone 14 Pro’s camera, as Apple switches to a 48MP sensor for the main shooter on the rear camera array. For years, Apple has used three 12MP sensors for the wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto lenses on its Pro phones. The 48MP sensor would be a huge step up from that.
This isn’t just a matter of more megapixels being better (which is kind of a fallacy anyway). Installing the iPhone 13 Pro Max on top of the best camera phones proves that it’s not how many megapixels you have, but what you do with it. However, the switch to a more advanced main camera on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max numbers to improve the quality of photos that special iPhones can take.
The 48MP sensor is expected to provide better detail and brighter images than current Apple phones. This is the last point that stuck in my mind because I think there is one area where the newer iPhones are starting to lag behind the competition. While it’s a camera phone as good as the iPhone, it’s not the best performing on the low-rent settings.
Low Light Photos: How iPhone Measures
To be clear, I’m not suggesting that the low light and night shots produced by the current crop of iPhones are either below par or unacceptable. When viewed individually, your iPhone’s low-light photos look absolutely gorgeous. But stack them against similar shots from phones with other cameras – like we do when we test new phones – and you’ll see that other phones glow in the dark when compared to iPhones.
Keep in mind that this Pixel 6 Pro versus the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which seems fitting as Google phones are the closest to getting the best iPhones out of a top camera phone. When we shot some pumpkins at night, the Google Pixel 6 Pro’s shot was clearly better. They are brighter and more detailed, without washing out the shadows in the image. Sure, the darkness of an iPhone shot sets the mood, but good luck trying to spot the details of the surrounding vegetation.
The confrontation between the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the iPhone 13 Pro Max follows the same pattern. Apple’s phone takes the best photos overall, but the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the best option when the lights are low. It may have to do with Samsung’s focus on Nightography — the phone maker’s marketing term for improvements to low-light photography over its latest flagship — but shots like the one depicting a more pleasing winter scene through the S22 Ultra’s lens. You can see where the ground ends and the building begins in the S22 Ultra shot, while things are a bit fuzzy and less clear when captured by the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The inside shot delivers evenly matched results, and you could say the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s heavy silhouette is more atmospheric. However, you can get more detail from the image of the Galaxy S22 Ultra thanks to the overall brighter image.
Samsung also brought its night capabilities to the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and this is shown in the night mode comparison with the iPhone 13 Pro Max. While the iPhone produces a richer image when shooting a cup of coffee in the dark, the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s voltage is noticeably brighter. You’d rarely recommend the Galaxy Z Fold 4 a camera phone to any of Apple’s current flagships, but in this shot at least, the foldable Samsung is carrying a phone of its own.
There is clearly more to it than just hardware. Night shots rely heavily on image processing, so improvements to Apple’s computer photography will go a long way toward improving the appearance of these images. However, you can only work with the photos you’ve taken, and it seems pretty clear that current iPhones don’t collect as many details as competing phones. That will handle the 48MP sensor of the iPhone 14 Pro.
We’re not the only ones to notice that the latest iPhones aren’t exactly at the top of the low-light photography game. DXOMark (Opens in a new tab), which evaluates a number of smartphone features including cameras, iPhone ranks below devices including Honor Magic 4 Ultimate, Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and Huawei P50 Pro if using night photography. (Interestingly, the iPhone 13 Pro tops the Galaxy S22 in the DXOMark rankings.) There is clearly room for improvement, although that can be said for several camera phones based on a December 2021 DXOMark/YouGov survey that found 50 % of those surveyed were not satisfied with the low-light image quality.
iPhone 14 Pro camera outlook
Apple has a solid reputation for regularly producing camera phones, and will likely continue with all iPhone 14 models. But the iPhone 14 Pro versions have a chance to take a real leap forward by upgrading the main camera and reap the rewards in the form of more detailed low-light photos. We’ll find out for sure what the iPhone 14 Pro’s cameras can do in the next month or so, but the initial rumors are certainly promising.
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