iPhone 15 Camera Upgrades Will Be 'Star of the Show' at Apple Event

[Kiwamu]

Remember when they announced the first iPhone and fooled the audience with saying they are going to announce

• An iPod with touch controls
• A revolutionary mobile phone and
• An internet communicator

... and then unveiled, that is one device being very capable of all three (at that time). I would love to see something that is hinting at that again, instead of "We got a (slightly) better camera than before."

 

[L92]

Coming from a photographer: stacked sensor has nothing to do with improved dynamic range or capturing more light.
Stacked sensors have faster readout speed, meaning they have less rolling shutter. This was basically never an issue with smartphone cameras, so I'm not sure what benefit it can provide, maybe they will spin it up with some marketing terms. In order for them to capture more light they need to use a larger sensor, or a brighter lens there is no other way.

 

[toobravetosave]

More problematic will be the rubes and noobs that try to charge their laptops with the phone USB C cord and wonder why it isn't working (or working slow).

That's what happens when bureaucrats make tech mandates. People will try to use the USB C cable that came with their mouse to charge a laptop. Wonder how many of those cheap cables will melt?

Good luck charging your MacBook with a lightning cable then i guess

 

[WarmWinterHat]

More problematic will be the rubes and noobs that try to charge their laptops with the phone USB C cord and wonder why it isn't working (or working slow).

That's what happens when bureaucrats make tech mandates. People will try to use the USB C cable that came with their mouse to charge a laptop. Wonder how many of those cheap cables will melt?

It's not going to melt; it's not going to work...

When I plug an undersized usb-c cable to my dell work laptop, windows shows a pop-up that says it can't charge and tells me why.

 

[duffman9000]

When are they not?

I know I’m in the minority, but in my opinion the cameras in iPhones are well past good enough. At this point I would be more impressed with a shrinking of the camera tumor than another size increase accompanied by software over processing.

Good enough compared to what? I have a 14P and prefer the pics from my friend’s Pixel.

 

[casjohnr]

Meanwhile my 14 Pro Max still struggles with the advanced task of trying to focus on the dizzying heights of QR Codes :/

 

[duffman9000]

am I the only one who thinks the camera is fine enough? I guess this is for the social media gurus?

I don’t think it’s fine enough when competitors are doing better.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Good enough compared to what? I have a 14P and prefer the pics from my friend’s Pixel.

The gal has an older Pixel (few years old) and it takes nicer photos, in my opinion, than my 13 Pro.

I have a real camera, though, so it's not a big deal.

 

[appleguy123]

Good enough compared to what? I have a 14P and prefer the pics from my friend’s Pixel.

Good enough for a device that’s always in your pocket, and needs to travel with you every where. I’m tired of needing a case so that the phone is stable on a flat surface. If I wanted to take photos that were suitable for printing on poster board, I would buy an actual camera.

 

[Lvmyiphone]

So no update to the main camera I'm coming from an iPhone 14 pro Max I always gotten every iPhone usually main camera is updated...
What is going on

 

[ProfessionalFan]

am I the only one who thinks the camera is fine enough? I guess this is for the social media gurus?

You could have said it was "fine enough" long ago, and it would have been stuck in whatever state that was forever. Just imagine if the camera hadn't advanced since then at all. Technology advances.

 

[Born Again]

Most people here including myself can’t tell the difference between an iPhone 14 pro shot vs 13 or 12. Size of the sensor is limiting.

Honestly the star of the show is the unjustified price increase.

Prove me wrong next week on the number one talking point following the event.

 

[MayaUser]

do we know if the periscope lens are fixed or like on the Xperia?

 

[twolf2919]

USB-C is the star of the show, that alone justifies the upgrade

...for very few is that a reason to spend $1k on a new phone. Most have the lightning cables already, so what's the big deal? Sure, USB-C potentially has higher data throughput (but even that is rumored to only be enabled on the Pro phones), but most people don't use cables anymore, except to charge.

 

[Lwii2boo]

Honestly, yawn. Last year I upgraded from a Xs to a 14 Pro (carrier trade-in), and I actually regretted it, and still do. I should have just replaced the battery and saved my money until the Xs was unsupported.

That exactly what I’ve advised to my GF. Swap battery in Apple Store for 75€ in January. She will wait for the 16 series or 15 Pro next year if good discount after 1 year.
My dad has a 14 Pro and honestly except in camera department and 120 Hz, it’s very close once you compare them with same battery health.

 

[dbc34]

Will the iphone 15 cameras be anywhere near what the 14 Pro Cameras are? If so, i'm going back to the regular phone instead of the pro due to cost. I just enjoy having a better optical zoom which is why I've been using the Pro. Promotion doesn't mean that much to me on a 6.1 inch screen. I use my iPad mini 6th gen to consume the majority of my content anyways.

 

[icanhazmac]

Good luck charging your MacBook with a lightning cable then i guess

Clearly not my point. Try harder.

Most of us here readily know the difference between a laptop capable charging cable and a gas station bought cheapo cord but expecting the general public to know is a giant leap of faith.

John Q Public will have a laptop cord fray or break and just grab the nearest "C" cord they can find.

It's not going to melt; it's not going to work...

When I plug an undersized usb-c cable to my dell work laptop, windows shows a pop-up that says it can't charge and tells me why.

Fair point with a laptop but imagine a cheap gas station cord that is being used for a device that is say 10 watts bigger than it is rated for, or 20 watts, etc. Not all these devices will be smart enough to know the cord is undersized.

Granted, this issue exists today (think extension cords) but with the EU mandate for a single cord I think it will be exacerbated.

 

[magicschoolbus]

Makes sense considering how many “content creators” there are now. Everyone is their own little superstar with all their massive audience!

 

[tagsaid]

Camera updates are the wow factor of every release, and maybe they will throw in something more.

Last year the dynamic island was a nice touch, and we all know how often that gets used. It has potential but the adoption rate is just sad.

This is the first iPhone that I already have no interest in getting. I’ll wait until they have a flip/fold or something really “new”

 

[coachgq]

It’s actually a ‘lease program’ similar to Apple’s yearly upgrade program in the US, but two years. So that $500 I never spent in the first place, unless I buy the phone out. But the plan is still double the cost of my old (paid off) phone.

Oh, dang. It doesn't make sense if you can't own it and resell it.

 

[BGPL]

Yuk. $1199 for a camera upgrade? No thanks. God we miss you Steve.

 

[jamezr]

No it doesn’t. Most consumers have no idea what that is.

They do if they have multiple Apple devices. I can carry one cable and power adapter for my iPP 11 and MBA 15 and soon a iPhone 15 PM

 

[MarcKerr]

Can you do something about the giant camera wart. Put some technology into a real periscope setup and flatten the back. Everyone has to put a case on the phone to even out the back so you aren't laying it down on the lease so why not just make the body thicker, add some battery and make it truly drop/break resistant. Or come up with actually good cases.

 

[Gherkin]

Given that Apple is convinced it’s the camera that will wow us with the iPhone 15 series, it’s pretty clear that I don’t need to consider either of the Pros. I have plenty of high-end cameras and only use my phone camera in the occasional pinch. Here’s what I’m thinking: The new periscope telephoto lens will cancel out any weight savings from the Pro’s titanium frame. A base iPhone 15 or 15 Plus is probably all that I - or many of us - really need. As always, a look at the final specs of the production models is needed before a final decision.

The non-pros are really becoming so good at this point. The lower quality screen is pretty much the main difference I feel like.

I wonder what Pro model the standard 15 will be better than? Certainly the standard 15 will be better in pretty much every way than the 12 Pro (besides the higher refresh rate screen)?

 

[roland.g]

It's useful but not worth forking out any amount of money for.

My 13 Pro should last me a few more years.

I bought my 14PM last year specifically to get along as far as I could before shifting off Lightning. Too many Lightning cords to suddenly not need.

Anyway as most others have said the camera is the star is a big dud.