Whether you’re planning to upgrade or simply don’t care about the new iPhone, the wheels are constantly changing in Cupertino and in China and India, where your iPhone is actually made.
And fully in line with current Android trends, this year, Apple is gearing up to launch another set of camera-centric iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models.
While the camera was indeed the focal point of last year’s iPhone 13 Pro, aside from the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s jaw-dropping battery life, this year is a bit special for Apple. Let’s see why…
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will get a new 48MP main camera
While the leap in camera resolution in the Android world isn’t exactly groundbreaking, it will be a long-awaited change for Apple and its users.
As we’ve discussed in several news reports and review articles, this year’s iPhone 14 Pro will get the first camera resolution upgrade since the iPhone 6S (2015), when Apple jumped from an 8MP camera to a 12MP camera, mostly The iPhone 6S can record 4K video.
Dejavu or not, in 2022 Apple will switch to a 48MP main camera on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, allowing the iPhone to shoot 8K video, but also take advantage of pixel binning, eventually even producing something that can be viewed with Apple’s VR headset.
I discuss the features of the aforementioned iPhone 14 Pro and its implications for the future in this story, so if you want to learn more, head over there!
iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max: Apple users miss out on the best Android cameras again
Zoom photo taken with the Pixel 6 Pro’s periscope camera (using Action Pan). Clockwise – 8x, 4x, 8x, 8x.
But now back to the subject of today’s story, which is that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max don’t have a telephoto zoom camera. Neat.
For those unfamiliar, the periscope zoom camera (in modern phones) came out in 2019 with the Huawei P30 Pro (which I still have in a drawer). Since then, Android phone makers have been locked in a zoom race. That’s why you might hear or read manufacturers boasting “10x optical zoom,” “hybrid zoom,” “SuperRes zoom,” “moonshot,” and more.
While Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra wins in terms of range and flexibility with its 3x and 10x zoom cameras, my personal favorite zoom lens remains Google’s Pixel 6 Pro, which has a 48MP periscope shooter that also It happens to contain the largest sensor used so far in such a camera (shared with Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and Huawei P50 Pro).
Thanks to the Pixel 6 Pro’s 48MP periscope zoom lens, I took the absolute best photos I’ve ever seen with the phone. Yes, this is a big deal. If I hadn’t meant to, I wouldn’t have made such a statement.
While we’ll discuss the Pixel 6 Pro’s DSLR-like camera capabilities in a future story, for now, I can only tell you that my vacation photos look so much better than yours! It’s all thanks to the Pixel’s 48MP periscope zoom camera. Humble brag? !
Why the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max don’t have a periscope zoom camera
Too much innovation.
While there’s technically no reason the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max couldn’t have a periscope zoom shooter like the Pixel 6 Pro, there are practical reasons why Apple decided to omit the camera, and it’s all Apple.
In short, equipping the iPhone 14 Pro line with a new 48MP main camera, a new tele-zoom periscope lens, and a better ultra-wide-angle lens sounds absolutely incredible, and it definitely puts the iPhone 14 Pro ahead in terms of overall camera Packaging-wise, the Pixel 6 Pro and even the Galaxy S22 Ultra (given Apple’s lead in video quality).
However! All of this could lead to a lackluster camera feat for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in 2023, something Apple is definitely trying to avoid. As I hinted at at the beginning, the main differentiating factor between phones these days seems to be the camera.
Apple certainly doesn’t want Tim Cook to come on stage and say, “We have nothing!”.
That’s part of the reason Cupertino ditched the “S” iPhone upgrade, especially in the face of increasingly progressive Android phones that require Apple to step up its game and offer faster hardware upgrades.
Yes, that’s why Apple likes to promote its exciting new features, and why insiders are now telling us that it’s indeed the iPhone 15 Pro with a periscope zoom lens. I plan to discuss exactly what this camera will look like, and whether Apple might need to give the iPhone 15 Pro four rear cameras instead of three in future stories. stay tuned!
iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max: No periscope zoom lens – no buy?
I’ll probably go straight to the iPhone 15 Pro…
Even though Apple’s reason to keep the periscope zoom camera upgrade for the iPhone 15 Pro…is sound on a commercial and marketing level, I’m still a little disappointed by the result.
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will feature the first front-facing redesign since the iPhone X in 2017. We’re expecting a dual punch-hole display, and even if it doesn’t look ideal, you can’t deny that it’s more unique than the notch – it’ll give future iPhones some flair.
Also, as reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports, Apple is finally getting ready for a hardware upgrade to the iPhone’s front-facing camera, something that hasn’t been touched since the iPhone 11. The 12MP selfie shooter is starting to show its age in the last year, especially when compared to phones like the Galaxy S21 Ultra and S22 Ultra, the iPhone already shoots the absolute best video on any phone. They also happen to be very reliable for portrait photos, low-light photography and videography, and even cinematic video, and they can be useful if used properly.
Of course, the iPhone’s ultra-wide camera needs tweaking to perform better in low light, and I think Apple needs to bring back the sharpening and saturation of daylight photos, but overall, the iPhone is probably the most reliable phone camera available today.
What I’m trying to say is that, at this point, a periscope zoom lens for long range feels like the missing piece in the beautiful iPhone jigsaw puzzle. It’s not a fancy depth-sensing camera or a dedicated macro shooter.
A telezoom lens can forever change the way you take photos and videos with your phone, which is probably why I might skip the iPhone 14 Pro and stick with my…iPhone 8, or get the iPhone 13 with my Pixel 6 Pro .
how about you? Does the omission of the periscope zoom camera affect your buying decision, or is the top-notch video quality and battery life expected from the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max enough to convince you? let me know!
