At Apple’s autumn conference last year, the iPhone 15 Pro Max was definitely one of the most talked about protagonists simply because it was Apple’s first smartphone equipped with a periscope telephoto lens.
Of course, the iPhone 15 Pro Max only supports up to 5x optical zoom, and due to the small sensor size, its performance in most scenes is slightly regrettable.
## (Source: Apple)
In the Android camp, The 1-inch outsole sensor has almost become a standard feature of flagship models. As the "outsole telephoto" trend once again hits the high-end market in 2023, even telephoto lenses that have not received much attention from manufacturers in the past have also ushered in huge changes. .
If you only look at the hardware, the iPhone is indeed far behind.
Perhaps Apple is also aware of this problem. On the iPhone 16 series, its image specifications are finally about to undergo a huge upgrade.
The lens is full of powerful materials, and the iPhone 16 image makes up for the shortcomings
Digital blogger "Digital Chat "Station" revealed that the main lens and ultra-wide-angle lens of iPhone 16 Pro Max will have significant improvements, mainly focusing on the sensor and number of pixels.
Let’s take a look at the main shot first.
The main camera sensor of iPhone 16 Pro Max has been upgraded from the previous generation’s customized Sony IMX 803 to Sony IMX 903, and the size has increased from 1/1.3 inches to 1/1.14 inches. remained unchanged at 48 million. Technically, the new customized Sony IMX 903 uses double-layer transistor technology and supports 14Bit ADC and DCG.
(Source: Apple)
Double-layer transistor technology, It is the main technology of Sony Imaging's new brand "Light Yu". Its advantage lies in the increase in the size of the photodiode and the maximum number of electrons that a single pixel can accommodate, which enhances the photosensitivity.
This technology has been tested on iPhone 15/Plus, OPPO Find N3 and other models earlier, and the actual imaging performance is quite good.
(Source: realme)
And telephoto Regarding the lens, there is currently no very specific specification information leaked out. Considering that the 5x optical periscope telephoto lens module that was only unveiled last year has only been used for one generation, it is also possible that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will continue to use it. very big. However, this sensor performed poorly during the initial launch of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Perhaps Apple needs to spend more time optimizing it.
# Surprisingly, the most unified upgrade of the iPhone 16 series is the ultra-wide-angle lens. According to reports, this generation of iPhone will increase the pixels of the ultra-wide-angle lens to 48 million pixels, which is consistent with the main camera. In addition, the lens arrangement of iPhone 16/Plus has also returned to the vertical arrangement of the iPhone 11/12 period.
(Photo source: MacRumors)
No surprise, so The changes are for the Apple Vision Pro, which Apple has just launched for pre-sale. After all, only dual lenses arranged in the same position can shoot "spatial video." In order to make shooting more convenient for users, iPhone 16 Pro/Max will add an independent physical shooting button, which can be entered into the shooting interface by long pressing.
(Source: MacRumors)
iPhone 16 series in images The "upgrade" in terms of specifications is actually disappointing. In fact, the iPhone does not have much flaws in image performance. It is nothing more than some minor problems in the purity of night scenes and the stability of telephoto imaging. These can be solved through hardware "brute force", but Apple chose Continue to protect Apple Vision Pro and give up upgrading the most practical telephoto lens.
In any case, hardware is not the only evaluation criterion for imaging capabilities. If Apple makes new breakthroughs in computational photography, it may also have the opportunity to "come back against the wind" and regain its own home ground.
#To pave the way for Vision Pro, will the iPhone give way to others?
#At the iPhone 15 series launch conference, we could clearly feel that Apple’s positioning of the iPhone in the imaging field has changed.
When external storage is connected, iPhone 15 Pro/Max upgrades the Pro Res video shooting specifications to 4K 60fps, in conjunction with the Academy Color Coding System , enabling it to gain certain professional video creation capabilities. In addition, Apple has also brought a log video shooting function to it.
(Source: Apple)
Whether it is Pro Res, log, or ACES (Academic Color Coding System), all of them are providing convenience for "professional" creators. With the arrival of Apple Vision Pro, two models of the iPhone 15 Pro series also support "spatial video" shooting in a recently updated iOS version.
It is not difficult to guess that Apple’s development route for the iPhone is a lightweight professional video device that can support more high-standard video recording modes, but when taking photos Just keep the image stable. This may be the reason why Apple did not follow the market and choose a 1-inch sensor and an ultra-large telephoto lens.
## (Source: Apple)
On the other hand, more A large sensor means that the processor needs to bear greater data processing pressure. With Apple's current heat dissipation measures or the sustained performance of the A17 Pro, it is difficult to support such a huge data throughput. But thinking about it from another angle, at least the iPhone still has its own advantages in imaging, and this advantage is constantly expanding.
After Apple Vision Pro occupies a large enough market share, the iPhone’s talent in video capabilities will have more room for use. In other words, Apple believes that “video” is the future of the imaging field.
(Source: Apple)
This is from the iPhone 16 Pro /Max can see some clues by adding an independent physical shooting button. After all, Apple once criticized the relationship between physical buttons and smartphones. Now it has actively added such a design. If it were not to "open the way" for Apple Vision Pro, it would be very difficult. It's hard to find any other reasonable explanation.
# As a consumer, I am naturally skeptical of "imaging students" like the iPhone. It is true that the iPhone has considerable advantages in video shooting, but so far, most users still use "photos" as the main way to share their lives. And Apple's lack of progress may cause it to lose some loyal fans.
If Apple wants to secure its throne, it needs more "magic weapons"
## The 2023 global mobile phone market report released by the international research organization IDC shows that Apple leads the world with a 24% market share. In addition, this is the first time since 2010 that Apple has surpassed Samsung and won the first place in global shipments of the mobile phone market.
In the past two years, "image" has become one of the symbols of whether a smartphone is "high-end". For example, Xiaomi, with its Mi 12S Ultra, Mi 13 Ultra and other models with outstanding image performance have been widely recognized.
Looking back at the iPhone 15 series, the improvement in image specifications is quite limited. The most obvious part is only the telephoto lens exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but its performance is impressive. Feel sorry.
(Photo source: Apple)
Consumers’ opinions on iPhone Disappointment is also traceable: IDC report shows that iPhone net sales in 2023 will decrease by 2% year-on-year to US$200.583 billion.
So what is the secret behind the iPhone still selling well? In fact, Apple launched many promotional activities last year, including annual renewal, trade-in and other policies, all of which were fully powered and provided sufficient discounts. Similarly, Apple's official interest-free installment program also covers a wider range, stimulating consumers to purchase new iPhones.
But marketing activities are difficult to use as a long-term strategy to stimulate consumers to buy the latest iPhone. If you want new products to sell well, you always need to rely on the product strength of the iPhone itself. Considering users’ expectations for iPhone, “image” is indeed the part that needs to be solved first.
(Photo source: Apple)
Research agency Counterpoint mentioned in its latest market report that the dividing line between the high-end and mid-range markets has shifted from performance and quality to imaging. Flagship and high-end machines often have good imaging capabilities, and these capabilities depend on what specifications they use. hardware.
In the imaging evaluation of Lei Technology iPhone 15 Pro Max, we mentioned that the imaging performance of this generation of iPhone has always been quite satisfactory, and the newly added telephoto The lens has become the biggest shortcoming. Apple, which has fallen behind in imaging, is time to re-examine the iPhone's development path in the imaging field.
(Source: Apple)
Of course, there is another possibility. Since the iPhone occupies an absolute leadership position in the high-end market, Apple can safely design it as an auxiliary tool for Apple Vision Pro, and then naturally make the latter become Apple’s next leading product. Smart devices in the market have completed the gorgeous transformation from smartphones to the XR market.
No matter what, before the "future" has yet to come, the iPhone still accounts for nearly 1/3 of Apple's revenue product line, perfecting the product's Various experiences are the best answer to stabilize the market. We also look forward to Apple making a great "turnaround" with the iPhone 16 series and giving consumers enough surprises in both hardware and software.
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