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/CNET

Nail 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.

20190620-161930 — 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/CNET

You 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/CNET

If 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/CNET

And 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/CNET

Middle-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.

img-2269-copy — 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/CNET

Sure, 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.

img-2026-2-copy — 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/CNET

Shooting 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.

prisma-edit-app — Edited in Prisma, the abstract art style means it doesn’t matter if the original image isn’t amazing quality.

Andrew Lanxon/CNET

Or 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.

Technologies

iPhone 17 Colors: A Surprising Hue Could Be Coming for Pro Models

Rumors about the iPhone 17 colors continue to pour in, but the latest leak isn’t one I saw coming.

The rumored iPhone 17 color lineup includes a shocking twist for the iPhone 17 Pro models.

Last week, a Korean blogger named yeux1122 published two images of camera covers that could be the full lineup from iPhone 17 base model and the rumored iPhone 17 Air, and leaker Majin Bu posted that the rumored Sky Blue color would be scrapped for the Pro models. And now, another leaker has posted this week the possible color lineup for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. We’ll get to the surprise in that photo below.

We’ve already heard plenty of rumors that the iPhone 17 base model could come in purple, green and blue. Two to three other familiar colors are now said to be included in the options — totaling five (or maybe six) possibilities for the base model. The rumored iPhone 17 Air could come in four, while the Pro and Pro Max are expected to have five.

The rumored iPhone 17 is likely to drop in September. As the month draws closer, we’re hearing plenty of rumors and leaks, but we’re still playing the guessing game. Here’s what we’re hearing about possible iPhone 17 colors.

The rumored full color lineup

Here’s the full lineup for the rumored iPhone 17 base and Air models, according to Sonny Dickson, a consumer tech reviewer, who shared an image on X on Monday:

iPhone 17 lens protection cover will match the phone color. The orange one for the Pro Max might hint at a new shade, possibly dark gold or copper. pic.twitter.com/BMamZ45now

— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) July 14, 2025

The iPhone 17 base model could come in these colors:

Black
Gray
Silver
Light blue
Light green
Light purple

The iPhone 17 Air could be released in these colors:

Black
Blue gray
Light gold
Silver

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max could come in these colors:

Black
Gray
Silver
Dark blue
Orange

Yeux1122 has a similar lineup in their post, but the base options don’t include gray.

Black and silver aren’t surprising since we’ve seen both neutral colors in earlier iPhone models and generations. However, if you use a colored phone cover instead, like I do, this possibility could be welcome.

The iPhone color I didn’t see coming

Purple, blue and green are all part of the same color palette. The neutral colors don’t quite surprise me since they’re standard for iPhones at this point. But the color orange is shocking. Dickson expects that the color will only be for the Pro and Pro Max models.

Dickson also noted the orange shade may end up being a dark gold or copper.

Sky blue could be old to Apple, but a new iPhone hue

The early rumored color for the iPhone 17 was sky blue.

Well-known leaker Majin Bu posted the rumor of the new color on their blog, calling it «a refined, bright, and modern shade.» But why sky blue?

Perhaps because the latest M4 MacBook Air currently comes in sky blue, an iPhone in the same color could be an aesthetic win for sky blue MacBook owners.

Bu initially wrote that the sky blue color could be for the iPhone 17 Pro, but recently scrapped that rumor to say sky blue would be for the iPhone 17 Air.

It seems like there’s a possibility for different shades of blue, as we see in the lineup above. Rumor has it that there could be a blue option for the iPhone 17 base model and a dark blue for the iPhone 17 Pro. But based on Bu’s post, there’s a possibility of the iPhone 17 Air getting a sky blue hue. We’ll have to wait and see which — if any — blues will be available for iPhone 17.

The possibility of purple

Bu posted on X and their blog on June 20 that Apple is testing purple and green, but that purple could be another new color for the iPhone 17’s base models.

iPhone 17: Purple and Green Colors in Testing as Potential New Shade for 2025
Full Article:https://t.co/jZJJoUHBsf pic.twitter.com/1in8R6dDa5

— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) June 20, 2025

Bu said that purple could meet Apple’s rumored demand for more personalization while blending into Apple’s ecosystem for its other products.

If green is added to the iPhone 17 lineup, Bu says it could be a «fresh and natural tone, ideal for a minimalist yet striking aesthetic.» Yeux1122 and Dickinson included both purple and green in their rumored lineups this month.

Could an aluminum iPhone design bring more colors?

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have a titanium frame, but analyst Jeff Pu predicted that the iPhone 17 could usher in the return of the aluminum frame for both the Pro and baseline models, as we’ve seen with earlier versions like the iPhone 14 lineup. Considering the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max’s colors are based on titanium, it raises the question: Will an aluminum frame mean new colors?

The one phone in the iPhone 17 lineup that could have a titanium frame is the rumored slimmer iPhone 17 Air, according to Pu. We’ll have to wait and see what Apple decides.

Read more: WWDC Bored Me. I Need Apple’s iPhone 17 Launch to Make a Splash

A look at past iPhone colors

Apple likes to release both new and familiar colors for every new iPhone release.

Usually, we see more color variations for the basic models, and more neutral colors for the Pro and Pro Max iPhone models. For instance:

The iPhone 14 came in six colors: midnight, starlight, red, blue, purple and yellow. However, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models only came in black, silver gold and deep purple. The same is true for the 15 model phones, but Apple offered one fewer color for its base model.

iPhone 15 models were available in pink, yellow, green, blue and black, while Pro and Pro Max models arrived in more neutral tones like white, blue, black and natural titanium.

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max colors didn’t change from the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. However, the other iPhone 16 models were available in ultramarine, teal, pink, white and black.

How many new colors we may see from the rumored iPhone 17 is still unclear, but as of now, a sky blue option could well be in your future.

Technologies

I Never Fly Without This Genius Bluetooth Dongle. Here’s Why

Twelve South’s AirFly Pro has totally transformed how I watch in-flight entertainment. No more awful airline earbuds.

If you fly often, you already know the routine. You settle into your seat, start messing with the in-flight entertainment screen, then remember that your AirPods won’t connect. That means reaching for the airline’s wired headphones that feel flimsy, let in every engine roar and make everything sound muffled. Just the worst.

This is one of the most frustrating parts of flying, especially on long trips when decent audio can make all the difference. Between the engine noise, crying babies and that one guy snoring in 14C, you need a better option. The good news is I’ve found a simple device that fixes the problem completely and makes flying feel a lot more like streaming at home.

The AirFly Pro has become a must-pack item in my travel bag. It’s a simple Bluetooth dongle that lets me connect my wireless earbuds (like my AirPods Pro) directly to the airplane’s entertainment system, no adapters or wired workarounds required. Since I started using it, I’ve stopped dreading in-flight audio and finally get to enjoy movies the way they were meant to be heard. If you fly often, this little gadget could completely change how you travel.

The AirFly Pro lets me enjoy in-flight entertainment

The AirFly Pro from Twelve South is a minimally designed dongle that lets me connect to the 3.5mm headphone jack in my airplane seat to listen to in-flight entertainment on my noise-canceling earbuds. All I have to do is pair the AirFly Pro with whichever Bluetooth headphones I’m using, like my AirPods Pro, plug the AirFly Pro into the display in front of me, and I’m all set. I don’t even need to use my phone to connect the two devices.

There are four versions of the AirFly: the AirFly SE, which sells for $35 on Amazon

and connects to just one set of headphones, the AirFly Pro at $55, the Pro V2 at $60, which is the newest version of the AirFly Pro, and the Pro Deluxe at $70, which comes with an international headphone adapter and a suede travel case.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

I use the AirFly Pro, which has been a game-changer for me on flights. I’ve never had to worry about battery life since the AirFly Pro lasts for more than 25 hours and can fully charge in 3 hours. I can also pair two separate pairs of headphones to a single AirFly Pro, in case I’m with someone else on a flight and want to watch the same movie or show. And if that’s not enough, the AirFly Pro also doubles as an audio transmitter, so I can turn any speaker with a headphone jack, like my old car stereo, into a Bluetooth speaker.

The AirFly Pro makes a great gift for any traveler

The AirFly Pro is the perfect present to give to someone who’s planning to travel this year. Besides my Anker MagSafe battery pack, the AirFly Pro really has become my most treasured travel accessory when I fly, which is why I consider it to be one of those can’t-go-wrong gifts. For more travel gear, here are our favorite tech essentials to travel with and our favorite travel pillows.

Impulse Buys Under $25 on Amazon That Make Surprisingly Great Gifts

+17 More

See all photos

Technologies

The Perseids Meteor Shower Brings Bright Fireballs to the Skies, Starting This Week

At its peak, you may see as many as 100 meteors per hour if you’re in a place where it’s dark enough.

Skygazers have a lot to look forward to over the next month. A couple of dueling meteor showers will grace the skies later in July, and they will be joined by perhaps the most popular meteor shower of the year. Perseids are known for their bright fireballs and plentiful meteors. The show starts on Thursday, July 17, and will run through Aug. 23.

The reason the Perseids meteor shower is so popular is twofold. First, it takes place in the summer, so going outside and watching it is less uncomfortable than other large meteor showers like Quadrantids, which takes place in wintery January.

The other reason is that it’s one of the most active meteor showers of the year. During its peak, the meteor shower is known to spit as many as 100 meteors on average, according to the American Meteor Society. These not only include your typical shooting stars, but also a higher chance for fireballs, which are meteors that explode as they enter orbit. Per NASA, fireballs tend to last longer than standard shooting stars and can come in a variety of different colors.

Perseids come to Earth courtesy of the 109P/Swift-Tuttle comet. Earth’s orbit around the sun brings it through Swift-Tuttle’s tail every year. The comet itself takes 133 years to orbit the sun. Its last perihelion — the point at which it’s the closest to the sun — was in 1992. It won’t be back until the year 2125. Until then, it leaves behind an excellent tail of dust and debris to feed us yearly meteor showers.

How to watch the Perseids meteor shower

The best time to view the Perseids is during its peak, which occurs on the evenings of Aug. 12 and 13. During this time, the shower will produce anywhere from 25 to 100 meteors per hour on average. However, since the shower officially lasts for over a month, you have a chance to see a shooting star on any given evening, provided that you’re far enough away from light pollution.

Thus, if you’re planning on watching this year’s Perseids during their peak, you’ll want to get out of the city and suburbs as far as possible. According to Bill Cooke, lead of NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office, folks in the city might see one or two meteors from the meteor shower per hour, which is pocket change compared to what those outside city limits might see.

Regardless, once you’ve arrived at wherever you want to watch the meteors, you’ll want to direct your attention to the radiant, or the point at which the meteors will appear to originate. Like all meteors, Perseids are named after the constellation from which they appear. In this case, it’s Perseus.

Per Stellarium’s free sky map, Perseus will rise from the northeastern horizon across the continental US on the evenings of Aug. 12 and 13. It’ll then rise into the eastern sky, where it’ll remain until after sunrise. So, in short, point yourself due east and you should be OK. Binoculars may help, but we recommend against telescopes since they’ll restrict your view of the sky to a very small portion, which may hinder your meteor-sighting efforts.

The American Meteor Society also notes that the moon may give viewers some difficulty. Perseids’ peak occurs just three days after August’s full moon, so the moon will still be mostly full. Thus, it is highly probable that light pollution from the moon may reduce the number of visible meteors by a hefty margin, depending on how things go.