The iPhone 14 Pro And the iPhone 14 Pro Max It has some advantages of the main camera over the regular iPhone 14Like a 3x zoom lens. But this year’s new exclusive feature is the 48MP sensor for the main wide camera on Pro models. And based on our tests, it produces some pretty amazing results.
The new 48-megapixel sensor on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max is 65% larger than the sensor on the iPhone 13 Pro, and features a second-generation optical image stabilization system. The main camera sensor can improve light capture and group all four pixels into a larger pixel quad (resulting in 12MP shots) or use each pixel individually to enhance detail at a higher 48MP resolution.
It’s the last scenario I was interested in for this comparison, which shows what happens when you use the ProRAW format and take 48MP photos.
The beauty of taking 48MP photos is that you have a lot of pixels to play with, especially if you want to crop, reframe or zoom in. I took several photos with the 48MP ProRAW setting on and off to see how different it makes.
Note that we converted files to JPEGs based on this comparison, but you can still see a huge difference in detail, color and overall quality – and why our iPhone 14 Pro series tops out. The best camera phone existing.
Times Square Baby
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In this first phone captured in Times Square, we focused on a winged baby basket atop a building. And you can see that ProRAW mode saves a lot of detail when you crop it.
The straw around the baby in particular is most visible, as are the wings behind it. The building in the background looks more natural too, as it has been artificially installed by the iPhone 14’s computational photography. Even the neon lights on the right look more realistically accurate. The 48MP shot is cleaner than the 12MP version, as a bit of blur crept into the image.
circular
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In this next shot, we took this photo of the circuit in Bryant Park. Check out the butterfly and especially the details on the right.
I appreciate the sharpness of the Tiffany blue butterfly when we zoom in, and the bluish green seems to deepen. A 12MP version of the same shot artificially increases contrast. Also notice how the lights go out a bit in the 12MP photo and are more muted and realistic in the 48MP photo.
Times Square Buildings
This is a fun shot because you have the bright sky in the background surrounded by buildings, which makes the picture challenging.
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At first glance, the 12MP photo of the iPhone 14 Pro Max looks more attractive due to the saturated colors; There is also a greater contrast between the sky and the clouds. However, there is a lot of noise in the 12MP photo compared to very little in the 48MP shot while zooming in. The building to the left of the Prudential sign looks roughly like a painting in a 12MP image.
Fountain
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This is a challenging picture because of all the shadows around the fountain. Let’s see what happens when we get close to it.
The biggest difference area I see is in the water. You can capture more drops in the 48MP photo than in the 12MP photo of the same fountain. There’s also more lighting balance in the 48MP iPhone 14 Pro Max shot, similar to what we see from Google Pixel phones.
statue
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These images of William Cullen Bryant’s statue look dramatically different, from the coloration to the columns surrounding the statue.
In this case, the 12MP iPhone 14 Pro Max image renders the bust so dark, that it’s almost a black point. You get more fine detail in 48MP photos, especially in the face and right hand. And while the letters don’t stand out much in the 48MP photo, they look more natural.
bird
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I’m honestly amazed that both phones were able to make the bird up the pedestal so well given how dark things are in the shadows. But once the difference is enlarged, it is night and day.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max’s 48MP ProRAW mode did a great job of rendering the face on this dark statue. It’s much easier to spot the beard and hairline in this shot than in the 12MP version. The Grace Building in the background is also more visible. The bird stands out a bit more in the 12MP photo, but that’s before editing.
Royal District Building
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This photo was taken across Bryant Park with the Empire State Building in the distance. This is the only photo where the unedited results from the 48MP photo didn’t appeal as much as I would have liked.
If I were to share one of these photos, I would probably choose the 12MP version (at least before editing). The blue sky is richer and there is more contrast again. The 48MP photo is flatter, and there seems to be a movie over the photo, especially when you look at the Empire State Building. But this RAW image gives editors more blank canvas to edit from.
minimum
The 48MP camera in ProRAW mode is pretty impressive, especially if you want to zoom in or crop a photo after a fact to reframe your shot. Here we tested only one aspect of ProRAW.
In general, images captured in ProRAW mode offer more realistic and life-like contrast – especially in shadows – and feature fewer digital artifacts. There’s less sharpening by the iPhone’s camera software, and the images maintain a wider dynamic range for later adjustments. (This may also result in some differences in blur and exposure that creep into a few of the samples above.)
While the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s 12MP photos are great, you simply have more creative freedom in ProRAW mode. With a good photo-editing app — or even an Apple app — you can get the colors exactly the way you want them. So I will definitely give it a chance.
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