Apple has always been unique in the field of smartphone photography. However, since the launch of the iPhone XS, Apple's automatic HDR algorithm has gradually tended to oversharpen, causing its photographic results to be somewhat questioned. Although Apple has achieved a significant advantage in the iPhone 12 series, its static shooting capabilities have gradually lagged behind the industry's first echelon. Recent revelations about the iPhone 16 show that Apple is working to improve its performance in photography and night scenes, so can Apple take this opportunity to achieve a counterattack in the field of photography?
According to the latest information, Apple has been granted a patent for a new flash design. This patent not only includes the traditional two-tone flash, but also adds a circle of soft lights to the bezel part of the iPhone camera module. Obviously, Apple's move is intended to optimize and improve the performance of night portrait shooting. It is worth noting that many domestic manufacturers, especially vivo, have carried out long-term exploration in soft light, for example, the front lens of vivo S series is equipped with a soft light, aiming to make the portrait more natural. But when it comes to the rear lens, there aren't many manufacturers that use ring light design, so Apple's innovative idea is really different.
However, the ring flash design alone can't completely reverse Apple's current shortcomings in camera performance. In terms of imaging system upgrades, it is expected that next year's Pro Max series will have a 5x optical zoom function. However, it is not yet clear which sensor Apple will choose for this telephoto lens. If you continue to use a smaller sensor, even with a fivex optical zoom, the image quality is still significantly different from that of Android phones with a geodetic sensor.
It is worth mentioning that this year, the main camera of the iPhone 15 Pro Max has been upgraded to a 48-megapixel Sony IMX803 sensor with a 1 13-inch outsole and f1A large aperture of 78. It can be seen that Apple has taken an important step in the sensor upgrade, although Apple's upgrade strategy is slightly conservative compared to the one-inch outsole of the Android camp.
It is reported that the main camera of the iPhone 16 Pro Max will be further upgraded to the Sony IMX903 sensor, and its bottom size will reach 1 114 inches, which would be Apple's largest sensor to date. Despite this, compared with the Sony IMX989 in the Android camp and the soon-to-be-released Sony Guangyu LYT900, Apple's upgrade is still more cautious.
AI assistant creation season To sum up, although Apple's advantage in ** shooting is still solid, in terms of static ** shooting, the gap between it and domestic brands seems to be still widening. At present, many domestic brands have begun to use telephoto outsole sensors such as Sony IMX890 in products in the 3000 yuan price range. In the face of such a competitive situation, Apple undoubtedly needs to accelerate the pace of technological innovation in order to achieve new breakthroughs in the field of photography.