Cameras are a key component on every smartphone, and it looks like the next iPhones will see a photographic improvement, at least in the larger version of the Pro iPhone released this fall, the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Here’s what’s coming.
According to Weibo user Digital Chat Station, in a report picked up by MacRumors, this year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max will have an advanced sensor in the main camera. It’s reported that not only will it be more advanced than the current iPhone 15 Pro Max, but it’ll be bigger, too.
That’s important because the race for more megapixels is an empty one unless it’s accompanied by pixels of a decent size. Bigger pixels can draw in more light than smaller ones, so a sensor with the same number of pixels, but bigger ones, can perform better than a similarly sized sensor with a higher pixel count.
The new report claims that this year’s Max will be an “image flagship”. I mean, it is already. This report contrasts with other rumors that the Pro and Pro Max would have photographic capabilities that were closer to each other than this year, where the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers a 5x zoom in its telephoto, but the iPhone 15 Pro only has room for a 3x zoom. That rumor still stands, that both Pro and Pro Max will have 5x zoom on the telephoto lens.
But the Max, it seems, will still outstrip the regular Pro photographically, this time on the main camera sensor.
The pixel count, the report claims, will stay at 48 megapixels for both phones. But the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a stacked design, which promises better performance. There’ll be a better Analog to Digital Converter and better noise control.
Most important of all, the sensor size will increase from the 1/1.28 inch sensor found on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro, to a 1/1.14 inch sensor. That 12% size increase could promise significantly improved low-light performance, as well as greater dynamic range and improved background blur for better bokeh effects.
This could all be done without increasing the thickness of the phone.
More details will leak, but this is a promising upgrade for all iPhone users who enjoy taking the best photographs with the least effort.
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