Technologies
Your Old Phone Can Still Take Excellent Photos With These Pro Tips
Don’t count out the camera on your older phone. It can still take fantastic photos.

The iPhone 14 Pro, Google Pixel 7 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra are among the best camera phones you can buy in 2023. Packed with multiple lenses and amazing AI software, these phones can take shots that rival professional mirrorless cameras.


However, these top phones come with huge price tags that make them out of reach for many of us. Worry not. Even if you’ve got an older iPhone or Android phone or a budget-focused model without all the bells and whistles, there’s a lot you can do to still take beautiful images. After all, as any photographer will tell you, it’s not just the best camera that takes the best photos.
Still, you’ll need to put in some effort yourself to elevate your shots from simple «ho hum» snaps to «oh, wow!» pieces of art.
Here, then, are my top tips for how to get the best images from an older iPhone, Galaxy phone or any older Android phone.


In this shot, taken on the iPhone X, the road snaking its way into the frame helps to add a leading line that guides the eye up toward the cloudy mountains.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETNail your composition
You can take a photo using the most advanced camera system on the planet, but if you’ve messed up your framing, you’ll still get a bad photo. After all, if you’re taking a photo of a lovely church and you manage to chop off the spire, no amount of editing will bring it back.
Don’t just snap away wildly at your photo location. Instead, slow down, walk around and consider the scene in front of you and how you want it to appear in your shot. Taking a landscape shot? Look for leading lines such as pathways or old stone walls that snake their way into the scene. Or perhaps there’s some interesting rocks or flowers that could add some interest in the foreground.


Taken on the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus. I used the curving rock face as foreground interest, shooting through the gap that points toward the reservoir in the distance.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETYou can also turn on a «rule of thirds» grid overlay in the settings to help line up the different elements in your scene in a visually pleasing way — or simply to help keep your horizons straight.
If you’ve got multiple rear cameras that offer a zoomed-in or wide-angle view, experiment with these different options. Maybe zooming in can help eliminate distracting elements, or perhaps that wider view can capture more of the beautiful scene in front of you.


With no wide-angle lens on the iPhone 11 Pro, I used the panorama mode to capture a much wider scene here.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETIf you don’t have a wide-angle view, try using the panorama mode to get a wider shot than the standard camera can achieve — or use clip-on lenses, as I discuss below.
Tell a story
The most impactful, iconic images through the years aren’t simply the ones taken with the best camera, but the ones that tell a particular story or capture a moment in time. And sure, maybe you’re not trying to win a photojournalism prize on your summer vacation, but thinking like a photojournalist can help you take images that you’ll want to look back on in years to come.
Perhaps you’re heading to the beautiful Italian coast this year. Of course, you’ll get a nice snap of the ocean from your hotel terrace, but keep in mind what else has made your trip so memorable; the plates of delicious food, the old, dusty streets, the musician playing in the square or the vibrant colors of the fruits and flower stands at the local market. All these elements will make for great photos that capture the heart of the location and tell a great visual story when you look back through them.


This beautiful, shaggy Highland cow wasn’t the reason I visited Scotland, but this was a great opportunity to capture an image of an iconic animal. And the shot really adds to the story told by the images I took on that trip. Taken on the iPhone 11 Pro.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETAnd it doesn’t have to be something you do only on a big family vacation. A weekend walk downtown to the street-food market will offer up great storytelling opportunities, from the graffiti art you see along the way to the plates of vibrant cuisine you choose on arrival. And none of these things require the latest camera hardware to capture beautifully.
Use the light to your advantage
Though today’s top phones can take great nighttime images, older models likely won’t have night modes. As a result, darkness won’t be your friend when you’re trying to get great images. If you’re heading to a viewpoint overlooking the city, try to get there during the day, perhaps when there’s a lovely blue sky sprinkled with fluffy clouds.


Though the middle of the day isn’t always a great time for landscape photos, you might capture moments of peace like this. Taken on the iPhone X.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETMiddle-of-the-day photography is often avoided by landscape photographers because of its harsh quality, but if you’re exploring city streets, it can offer some great opportunities to look for contrast caused by shadows, which could make for dramatic images.
No multi-camera iPhone? Use clip-on lenses
Older iPhones might lack the multiple lenses found on the most recent models, but you don’t just have to make do. Companies like Moment and Olloclip make lenses that attach to your phone, providing wide-angle, telephoto and even macro views.


Using its standard lens (left) the iPhone X can only fit so much in frame. But with the Moment wide angle adapter (right) we get a much wider view.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETSure, you have to carry an extra little item in your bag or pocket as you explore, but adding a clip-on lens is a great way to get a superwide view for those sweeping cityscapes without having to splash the cash in upgrading your phone.
Shoot in DNG raw, even on old phones
Apple’s ProRaw image format, introduced on the iPhone 12 Pro Max, uses computational imaging techniques like HDR but still provides you with a DNG raw file that’s much easier to edit in apps like Adobe Lightroom. It isn’t a function found on older iPhones, but those of you on older phones can still shoot in regular raw if you’re keen to do your own edits.
You can’t shoot in DNG raw in the standard camera mode, so you’ll need to use a third-party camera app that offers raw shooting. I usually use Lightroom itself, as its camera shoots in raw and automatically imports the images into your library. But I’ve also had good results with the Moment app.


By shooting in DNG raw, I had even more flexibility in Adobe Lightroom to make this portrait of my sweet bundle of beautiful wonder look even more heartacheingly gorgeous.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETShooting in raw allows you more flexibility to adjust white balance and color tones while generally making it easier to tone down bright highlights or lighten up shadowy areas. Those of you looking to squeeze every ounce of quality from your phone camera should consider using raw — as long as you’re willing to spend the time editing.
Keep in mind, though, that raw files are larger than their JPEG counterparts, so you’ll quickly fill up your phone’s storage if you shoot everything you see in raw.
Get creative with editing apps
Taking your photo is only part of the process, and a keen eye in the editing stage can make all the difference in creating beautiful photographic art. If you want to maintain a more natural looking photograph, look toward apps like Lightroom or Google’s Snapseed. These raw image editors give you control over colors, exposure and contrast and let you fine-tune your images to suit your taste.


Edited in Prisma, the abstract art style means it doesn’t matter if the original image isn’t amazing quality.
Andrew Lanxon/CNETOr you can take your creativity to a whole other level with apps like Prisma, which transforms your shots into often psychedelic-looking scenes, or Bazaart, which lets you easily create wild photo collages that can look really cool. You can check out my roundup of my favorite image editing apps for more inspiration.
The great thing with editing is that there’s no right or wrong way to do things, and you can always go back to your original image if you don’t like the changes you made. But using some of these techniques can turn an otherwise forgettable shot into something that really stands out. My advice is to make a cup of tea, settle into a comfy chair and play around with the sliders in your app of choice and see what you can come up with.
Read more: Best Free and Paid Photo Editing Apps for iPhone and Android
Technologies
AirPods 3 vs. AirPods 4: Should You Upgrade?
Not only do the entry-level version of Apple’s AirPods 4 offer feature and performance upgrades over the AirPods 3, but the step-up AirPods 4 with ANC feature active noise canceling. We compare all three models.
Editor’s note Oct. 18: We updated this article to reflect the release of the AirPods Pro 3.
Apple’s fourth generation of its original true-wireless earbuds follows the same design language as their predecessors but adds a bunch of new features — some borrowed straight from the more expensive AirPods Pro 2, which have now been succeeded by the AirPods Pro 3. The AirPods 4 remain Apple’s only earbuds to launch in two variants: a $129 entry-level model and a $179 AirPods 4 with ANC, both of which are often discounted on Amazon.
I’ve been using the step-up $179 version, and I’m surprised by how good the ANC is for an open-ear design, agreeing with CNET audio expert David Carnoy, who called it «the best noise canceling I’ve experienced with a set of open earbuds» in his full review of the AirPod 4 with Active Noise Canceling. If you’re an AirPods 3 user and wondering how the AirPods 4 stack up against your current model, read on as I explore the key differences between these two earbuds. And for those considering upgrading from the AirPods Pro 2 to the AirPods Pro 3, we have an article that compares those two models and offers some buying advice.
Read more: Best wireless earbuds of 2025
AirPods 4 feature an improved design
The AirPods 4 are slightly smaller than the AirPods 3 but larger than the AirPods 2. Each earbud weighs the same 4.3 grams, so any added or upgraded tech doesn’t translate into extra bulk on your ears. While all ears are shaped differently, Apple hopes the new design is a better fit for a wider range of people.
They fit me better than the AirPods 3, but I couldn’t get them to fit as well as silicone tip earbuds. However, if an open-ear design has worked better for you in the past, these should fit just fine — or even better. I have friends who’ve upgraded to the AirPods 4, and they say the new product fits them better.
The AirPods 3 are IPX4-rated for sweat and splash resistance. In comparison, the AirPods 4 are more durable. They are rated for dust resistance alongside sweat and splash resistance, with an IP54 rating.
The two AirPods 4 models have noticeable differences among themselves, too. The $179 variant supports charging with a Qi charging pad and the Apple Watch charging puck. So, if you have an Apple Watch and prefer your AirPods to charge with the same puck, you’ll need to spend $50 more than the base asking price. If you do, you also get a speaker in the case — like the AirPods Pro 2, so you can track them with sound using Find My.
Unlike the AirPods 3, there’s no physical button on the AirPods 4 charging case anymore. If you want to pair them to non-Apple devices, you need to double-tap on the front of the case near the LED to initiate pairing (that’s also the case for the AirPods Pro 3). Similarly, a reset can be initiated by three double-taps.
Upgraded H2 chip offers better sound quality
Apple’s new upgrades are threefold to improve the sound quality on the AirPods 4. First, they feature an upgraded H2 chip with Bluetooth 5.3, compared to the H1 chip with Bluetooth 5.0 found on the AirPods 3. Second, they have a new acoustic architecture and amp. Third, the drivers are positioned at a new angle to point into your ears.
When compared, the AirPods 4 have slightly improved treble and bass over the AirPods 3. They sound a little cleaner, and there’s more depth and fullness across genres. It’s not AirPods Pro 2 quality, but it’s better than before. The sound quality gap between non-Pro and Pro models has shrunk.
There is no ANC on AirPods 3, but the $179 AirPods 4 with ANC adds the active noise cancelation feature to Apple’s most affordable earbuds lineup. They have the same number of microphones as the AirPods Pro 2 to enable ANC and a few other features.
In his AirPods 4 review, David Carnoy was «really impressed with the noise canceling. The reality is that it’s not that great compared with what you get with the AirPods Pro 2 [and now the AirPods Pro 3] … but that it works at all and is reasonably effective is kind of wild.»
On most open earbuds, you can’t really hear a difference between ANC on and off modes. But the new AirPods 4 with ANC can muffle the ambient sound around you to a certain degree. Apple says their noise canceling matches that of the original AirPods Pro and is half as good as the AirPods Pro 2’s noise canceling (that means it’s only 25% as good as the AirPods Pro 3’s noise canceling, which is 2X as good as the AirPods Pro 2’s noise canceling, according to Apple). That said, it’s strong enough to help you hear your music better in noisy environments. It can drown out low frequencies like plane engine noise very well.
Added features and upgraded controls
The AirPods 4 with ANC add a bunch of new features for the same price as what the AirPods 3 once cost. The additional microphones not only enable ANC but also convenience features like Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness.
The latter works like Sony’s Speak-to-Chat feature; it pauses the music and enables transparency mode as soon as it detects that you’re speaking. If you like to sing along to songs, it’s better to keep it turned off. That said, it’s a neat feature that lets you have conversations without physically taking off your earbuds.
Both AirPods 3 and AirPods 4 (including the ANC variant) support personalized spatial audio (with head tracking) for music, quick pairing, auto-switching for Apple devices, and always-on Siri. The AirPods 4 can trigger Siri with both «Siri» and «Hey Siri» wake words, whereas AirPods 3 support only «Hey Siri.»
You can spend $50 less on the AirPods 4 and get several new features over the AirPods 3. Both AirPods 4 models have new force sensors in the stems with pinch controls to control playback. However, there’s no swipe gesture support yet.
Both of them also support Siri Interactions, where you can interact with Siri using gestures. For instance, when you receive a call, Siri will announce the caller’s name and ask if you want to answer the call. You can then nod your head for yes or shake it for no to answer or decline the call, respectively.
All of these features come with one slight compromise — battery life. The AirPods 3 are rated to deliver six hours of continuous listening on one charge, while the new AirPods 4 are rated to last up to five hours per charge. The case still delivers the same 30 hours of additional battery life, despite being smaller than before.
AirPods 3 vs. AirPods 4: It’s time to upgrade
If you’re in the market for a new pair of open earbuds, the AirPods 4 are an excellent choice — even if you have the last-gen AirPods 3. You get better sound quality with the H2 chip, a smaller case, more features like Siri Interactions and dust resistance, all for $50 less than the AirPods 3’s $179 launch price. However, they leave off wireless charging and only top up via the USB-C port.
The $179 AirPods 4 with ANC currently offer the best noise cancellation in a pair of open earbuds. Plus, you get additional features like Qi wireless charging (you can also charge them on an Apple Watch charging puck), a speaker inside the case for Find My, Conversation Awareness, Adaptive Audio and more. Both AirPods 4 models are a good upgrade over the AirPods 3, despite the slightly lower battery life.
Read more: Best AirPods deals right now
AirPods 3 vs. AirPods 4 spec comparison
AirPods 3 | AirPods 4 | AirPods 4 with ANC | |
Weight (each earbud) | 0.15 ounce (4.28 grams) | 0.15 ounce (4.3 grams) | 0.15 ounce (4.3 grams) |
Weight (case) | 1.34 ounces (37.91 grams) | 1.14 ounces (32.3 grams) | 1.22 ounces (34.7 grams) |
Water resistant | IPX4 | IP54 | IP54 |
Sensors | Skin-detect sensor, Motion-detecting accelerometer Speech-detecting accelerometer, Force sensor |
Optical in-ear sensor, Motion-detecting accelerometer, Speech-detecting accelerometer, Force sensor |
Optical in-ear sensor, Motion-detecting accelerometer, Speech-detecting accelerometer, Force sensor |
Microphones | Dual beamforming microphones, inward-facing microphone | Dual beamforming microphones, inward-facing microphone | Dual beamforming microphones, inward-facing microphone |
Chip | H1 | H2 | H2 |
Conectivity | Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.3 |
Active Noise Cancelation, Transparency mode |
No | No | Yes |
Conversation Awareness, Adaptive Audio |
No | No | Yes |
Voice Isolation, Personalized volume |
No | Yes | Yes |
Battery life | Up to 6 hours +30 hours with case |
Up to 5 hours +30 hours with case |
Up to 5 hours +30 hours with case |
Wire in box | Yes | No | No |
Launch Price | $179 | $129 | $179 |
AirPods 3 vs. AirPods 4: FAQs
Which AirPods are better, 3 or 4?
The AirPods 4 are better in terms of both sound quality and features. You get an upgraded H2 chip for cleaner sound, upgraded force touch controls, a new model with the best ANC on open earbuds, and features like Conversation Awareness, Adaptive Audio, etc. The AirPods 4 are objectively better than the AirPods 3.
Are the new AirPods 4 worth it?
If you’re looking for open earbuds, both the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC are easily among the top open earbuds. At their list prices, they’re a little pricey, but they go on sale fairly regularly on Amazon, where you can save $10 to $20 on them, sometimes a little more.
Which version of AirPods is best?
The AirPods Pro 3 are Apple’s current flagship model and are the best AirPods overall. They offer excellent sound quality and top-notch ANC performance for under $250. That said, if you don’t like having silicone ear tips jammed in yours, the AirPods 4 with ANC are your best bet right now. You can find more options in our Best AirPods for 2025 guide.
Technologies
Best iPhone Air Deals: The Ultra-Thin iPhone Air Can Be Had for Free Right Now
Technologies
Amazon’s Ring Cameras Push Deeper Into Police and Government Surveillance
Ring has partnered with Flock Safety, making it easier for law enforcement to reach out to Ring doorbell and security camera owners to request footage.

Less than two years after removing a feature that made it easier for law enforcement agencies to request footage from owners of Ring doorbells and other security products, Amazon has partnered with two companies that will help facilitate the same kinds of requests.
Two weeks after rolling out a new product line for 2025, Ring, owned by Amazon, announced a partnership with Flock Safety, as part of its expansion of the Community Requests feature in the Ring Neighbors app. Atlanta-based Flock is a police technology company that sells surveillance technology, including drones, license-plate reading systems and other tools. The announcement follows a partnership Ring entered into with Axon, previously Taser International, which also builds tools for police and military applications.
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Taken together, the two partnerships point to Amazon’s Ring division not only reintroducing tools for police to request images or video from Ring customers without a warrant but also to a closer alignment with companies that have ties to police departments, ICE, the Secret Service and branches of the military.
Ring described the process for Community Requests in one of its blog posts. It said an agency that is verified with Axon Evidence, which Axon owns, could submit a community request that includes a specific location and timeframe of an incident and details about what’s being investigated.
The request would appear publicly in the Neighbors feed for people in that area, notifying them with the option to provide footage for that incident.
«If you ignore the request, the agency will not know; your anonymity and videos are protected. The choice is entirely yours,» Ring said in the post.
According to the post, video footage submitted goes directly to Axon Evidence, where it is verified for authenticity.
Community Requests are ‘local,’ according to Ring
In an email responding to our questions, a representative for Ring reiterated the process for Community Requests, adding that «only local public safety agencies can initiate Community Requests.»
The localized area submitted is limited to half a square mile, and those agencies don’t have access to information on who will receive a request to share footage or how many Ring users are in a given area, according to Ring. The company says those requesting information must follow community guidelines.
According to Ring’s website, only local and county entities — whether they’re law enforcement, nonprofits, or local government — can set up a Neighbors Verified account. While federal agencies or local branches of federal agencies might be customers of Axon or Flock, they wouldn’t be eligible for a Neighbors Verified account and would not be eligible to file a Community Request, even if it were done on their behalf by a third party such as Axon or Flock, the Ring representative confirmed to CNET.
The partnerships would give those agencies more entry points for creating these requests. Amazon hinted in one of its blog posts that it may add partnerships with other companies. Community Requests can only come from agencies that have been verified by a third party, such as Flock or Axon, and by Ring as well.
Back in 2018, when Flock Safety was a nascent startup, it set up its own cameras in neighborhoods to provide surveillance to fight crime.
Surveillance bystanders
While the footage from Ring devices is only given to local organizations by permission of the footage’s owner, that doesn’t mean other people — such as someone walking their dog or children playing in a neighborhood — are free from potential privacy issues if they’re captured on camera.
«This arrangement creates a tricky problem from a privacy standpoint for consumers because the people who never signed up for surveillance in the first place could be watched, and they never agreed to that,» said Erik Avakian, a technical counselor at Info-Tech Research Group and the former chief information security officer for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Avakian said that making Ring footage availability opt-in still doesn’t address the issue of what happens to footage once it’s in the hands of law enforcement or other groups.
«It could be used for other investigations, shared with others, or perhaps even used to capture biometrics and personal information like facial recognition features,» he said. «The videos might also end up revealing more about neighbors, visitors, or passersby than about the actual incident itself.»
He said one solution would be to blur out any individuals or identifiable artifacts from footage if it’s not part of the investigation. Regardless of whether that’s possible or not, Avakian said that companies such as Ring and those requesting footage should be transparent about how videos or images will be used, how long data will be stored, and if it’s shared with anyone else.
Mesh policing
What Ring and local law enforcement are doing with Community Requests may create some efficiencies for agencies that are stretched thin and don’t have the resources to gather as much evidence as what doorbell and security camera owners may be able to provide.
«Crime isn’t slowing down, but police resources are stretched thinner than ever,» said Ryan Schonfeld, co-founder and CEO of HiveWatch, which uses AI technology to create security ecosystems.
«Technology integration gives a single officer access to necessary data that was previously unavailable, doing the work that would have required an entire team,» Schonfeld said. «If we want crimes solved and public safety maintained, we need to embrace the interoperability that makes it possible with the resources we actually have.»
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