Connect with us

Technologies

The iPhone 17 Needs Amazing Cameras. Here’s What I Think Apple Should Do

Commentary: Apple’s rivals are catching up when it comes to camera skills. Here’s how the iPhone 17 can pull ahead.

The iPhone 16 Pro already packs one of the best camera setups found on any phone, but the iPhone 17 needs to take things even further when it launches in just a few weeks. Sure, Apple’s phones are capable of taking stunning photos, thanks to its awesome software, ProRaw format and its wealth of video skills, but Apple’s rivals have been doing big things, too. The Galaxy S25 Ultra, the Pixel 9 Pro and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra all pack amazing camera setups that have given the iPhone 16 Pro a run for its money and made it clear that Apple isn’t the only company innovating in the imaging arena.

Read more: Camera Champions Face Off: iPhone 16 Pro vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra

While early reports from industry insiders claim that the phone’s video skills will get a boost, there’s more the iPhone 17 will need to make it an all-around photography powerhouse. As both an experienced phone reviewer and a professional photographer, I have exceptionally high expectations for top-end phone cameras. And, having used the iPhone 16 Pro since its launch, I have some thoughts on what needs to change. 

Here are the main points I want to see improved on the iPhone 17 when it likely launches in September 2025.

An accessible Pro camera mode

At WWDC, Apple showed off the changes to the upcoming iOS 26 which included a radical change to the interface with Liquid Glass. But that simplified style extended to the camera app too, with Apple paring the interface down to the most basic functions of Photo, Video and zoom levels. Presumably, the idea is to make it super easy for even the most beginner of photographers to open the camera and start taking Instagram-worthy snaps. 

And that’s fine, but what about those of us who buy the Pro models in order to take deeper advantage of features like exposure compensation, Photographic Styles and ProRaw formats? It’s not totally clear yet how these features can be accessed within the new camera interface, but they need to not be tucked away. Many photographers — myself very much included — want to use these tools as standard, using our powerful iPhones in much the same way we would a mirrorless camera from Canon or Sony. 

That means relying on advanced settings to take control over the image-taking process to craft shots that go beyond simple snaps. If anything, Apple’s camera app has always been too simple, with even basic functions like white balance being unavailable. To see Apple take things to an even more simplistic level is concerning, and I want to see how the company will continue to make these phones usable for enthusiastic photographers. 

Larger image sensor

Though the 1/1.28-inch sensor found on  the iPhone 16 Pro’s main camera is already a good size — and marginally larger than the S24 Ultra’s 1/1.33-inch sensor — I want to see Apple go bigger. A larger image sensor can capture more light and offer better dynamic range. It’s why pro cameras tend to have at least «full frame» image sensors, while really high-end cameras, like the amazing Hasselblad 907X, have enormous «medium format» sensors for pristine image quality. 

Xiaomi understands this, equipping its 15 Ultra and previous 14 Ultra with 1-inch type sensors. It’s larger than the sensors found on almost any other phone, which allowed the 15 Ultra to take stunning photos all over Europe, while the 14 Pro was heroic in capturing images at Taylor Swift concerts. I’m keen to see Apple at least match Xiaomi’s phone here with a similar 1-inch type sensor. Though if we’re talking pie-in-the-sky wishes, maybe the iPhone 17 could be the first smartphone with a full-frame image sensor. I won’t hold my breath on that one — the phone, and the lenses, would need to be immense to accommodate it, so it’d likely be more efficient just to let you make calls with your mirrorless camera. 

Don’t lean on AI too much

AI has become a bigger part of the camera experience on many Android phones, from the Honor 400 Pro’s tool that brought my dad back to life to the Pixel 9 Pro’s wild generative AI functions. But iPhones have always emphasized the importance of real image quality, producing sharp, detailed images that remain faithful to the scene you actually saw when you pushed the shutter button. 

Apple’s dalliances in AI so far haven’t exactly been groundbreaking and I worry that the company may want to be seen as making a bigger push for deeper, more ‘innovative’ uses for AI. And sure, maybe some of those could be useful in other parts of the phone, but the iPhone 17 cameras first and foremost still need to be able to deliver truly superb-looking images, not simply use AI to compensate for any hardware shortcomings.

Variable aperture

One of the other reasons the Xiaomi 14 Ultra phone rocks so hard for photography is its variable aperture on the main camera. Its widest aperture is f/1.6 — significantly wider than the f/1.78 of the iPhone 16 Pro.That wider aperture lets in a lot of light in dim conditions and more authentically achieves out-of-focus bokeh around a subject. 

But Xiaomi’s 14 Ultra aperture can also close down to f/4, and with that narrower aperture, it’s able to create starbursts around points of light. I love achieving this effect in nighttime imagery with the phone. It makes the resulting images look much more like they’ve been taken with a professional camera and lens, while the same points of light on the iPhone just look like roundish blobs. Disappointingly, Xiaomi actually removed this feature from the new 15 Ultra so whether Apple sees value in implementing this kind of technology remains to be seen. 

More Photographic Styles

Though Apple has had various styles and effects integrated into the iPhone’s cameras, the iPhone 16 range took it further, with more control over the effects and more toning options. It’s enough that former CNET Senior Editor Lisa Eadicicco even declared the Photographic Styles her «favorite new feature on Apple’s latest phone.»

I think they’re great, too. Or rather, they’re a great start. The different color tones, like the ones you get with the Amber and Gold styles, add some lovely warmth to scenes, and the Quiet effect adds a vintage filmic fade, but there’s still not a whole lot to choose from and the interface is slow to work through. I’d love to see Apple introduce more Photographic Styles with different color toning options, or even with tones that mimic vintage film stocks from Kodak or Fujifilm. 

And sure, there are plenty of third-party apps like VSCO or Snapseed that let you play around with color filters all you want. But using Apple’s styles means you can take your images with the look already applied, and then change it afterward if you don’t like it — nothing is hard-baked into your image. 

I was recently impressed with Samsung’s new tool for creating custom color filters based off the look of other images. I’d love to see Apple bring that level of image customization to the iPhone.

Better ProRaw integration with Photographic Styles

I do think Apple has slightly missed an opportunity with its Photographic Styles, though, in that you can use them only when taking images in HEIF (high-efficiency image format). Unfortunately, you can’t use them when shooting in ProRaw. I love Apple’s use of ProRaw on previous iPhones, as it takes advantage of all of the iPhone’s computational photography — including things like HDR image blending — but still outputs a DNG raw file for easier editing. 

The DNG file typically also offers more latitude to brighten dark areas or tone down highlights in an image, making it extremely versatile. Previously, Apple’s color presets could be used when shooting in ProRaw, and I loved it. I frequently shot street-style photos using the high contrast black-and-white mode and then edited the raw file further. 

Now using that same black-and-white look means only shooting images in HEIF format, eliminating the benefits of using Apple’s ProRaw. Oddly, while the older-style «Filters» are no longer available in the camera app when taking a raw image, you can still apply those filters to raw photos in the iPhone’s gallery app through the editing menu.

LUTs for ProRes video

And while we’re on the topic of color presets and filters, Apple needs to bring those to video, too. On the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple introduced the ability to shoot video in ProRes, which results in very low-contrast, almost gray-looking footage. The idea is that video editors will take this raw footage and then apply their edits on top, often applying contrast and color presets known as LUTs (look-up tables) that gives footage a particular look — think dark and blue for horror films or warm and light tones for a romantic drama vibe. 

But Apple doesn’t offer any kind of LUT for editing ProRes video on the iPhone, beyond simply ramping up the contrast, which doesn’t really do the job properly. Sure, the point of ProRes is that you would take that footage off the iPhone, put it into software like Davinci Resolve, and then properly color grade the footage so it looks sleek and professional. 

But that still leaves the files on your phone, and I’d love to be able to do more with them. My gallery is littered with ungraded video files that I’ll do very little with because they need color grading externally. I’d love to share them to Instagram, or with my family over WhatsApp, after transforming those files from drab and gray to beautifully colorful.

With the iPhone 17, or even with the iPhone 16 as a software update, I want to see Apple creating a range of its own LUTs that can be directly applied to ProRes video files on the iPhone. While we didn’t see this software functionality discussed as part of the company’s June WWDC keynote, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be launched with the iPhone in September.

If Apple were able to implement all these changes — excluding, perhaps, the full-frame sensor which even I can admit is a touch ambitious — it would have an absolute beast of a camera on its hands. 

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Aug. 13, #324

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Aug. 13, No. 324

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.


Today’s Connections: Sports Edition was really tough for me. Sometimes I wish the New York Times would switch from a Connections: Sports Edition puzzle to a Connections: Movie Edition, or Connections: Music Edition. My sports knowledge is maybe weaker than I thought. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it for free online.  

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Touch ’em all!

Green group hint: You perform these in a gym, perhaps.

Blue group hint: Stars of the court.

Purple group hint: Hoops hopefuls.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Slang for home run.

Green group: «-up» exercises

Blue group: Tennis players to achieve career Grand Slam.

Purple group: Lottery picks in 2025 NBA draft.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is slang for home run. The four answers are big fly, dinger, jack and tater.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is «-up» exercises. The four answers are chin, pull, push and sit.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is tennis players to achieve career Grand Slam. The four answers are Graf, King, Laver and Nadal.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is lottery picks in 2025 NBA draft. The four answers are Edgecombe, Fears, Flagg and Queen.

Continue Reading

Technologies

Made by Google 2025: We Found All the Biggest Pixel 10 Leaks and Rumors

Google’s Pixel 10 may be getting a lot of new features thanks to a new processor, camera systems and magnets.

The new Pixel 10 line will debut on Aug. 20 at the Made by Google event, and it almost feels like the phones have been revealed in detail thanks to a multitude of rumors and presumed leaks.

Google itself isn’t hiding that the Pixel 10 is coming, posting multiple looks of the phone when promoting the upcoming announcement, but the company is still keeping detailed specs and features of the Pixel 10 line to itself. If we follow the series of rumors, though, several recent details suggest a lot of new life to the phone line. While we do expect the Pixel line to continue the overall lineup of the Pixel 9 — including a base Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL and Pixel 10 Pro Fold — rumors are pointing to significant changes to what’s inside these phones to make them more feature-packed than ever.

We’ve rounded up the biggest rumors we’ve found so far about the Pixel 10 line here, and will continue updating as we hear more ahead of the Aug. 20 event.

Pixel 10, 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL’s release date, pricing and cameras

Starting with the three non-folding phones in the Pixel 10 line that are getting revealed on Aug. 20, we expect the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL to look similar to the Pixel 9 line on the outside. This includes the same rounded camera bar on the back. The entry-level Pixel 10 will get a brand new third rear camera. While we can see the third camera in the photos Google posted of the Pixel 10, according to a chart posted by known leaker Evan Blass, this will be a 10.8-megapixel telephoto camera that will join a 48-megapixel wide-angle camera and a 13-megapixel ultrawide. This will help the Pixel 10 compare better with the base Galaxy S25, which also has a telephoto camera.

The 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL will continue to be differentiated from the standard Pixel 10 with a higher-specced camera system, which includes a 50-megapixel wide-angle, 48-megapixel ultrawide and a 48-megapixel telephoto, according to the same chart posted by Blass.

The colors for the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro phones also appear to have leaked, with Android Headlines reporting that the base Pixel 10 will come in Obsidian, Indigo, Frost and Lemonade editions. These names would roughly correspond to a black, blueish purple, light blue and yellow colors, respectively. The Pro models will also come in four colors, with Android Headlines reporting models named Obsidian, Porcelain, Moonstone and Jade. Those should roughly match up to black, white, gray and a light green. More photos of these phones were posted by Blass, purporting to be the Pixel 10 lineup from the front, back and side profiles

Despite the concerns with tariffs, the Pixel 10 line is rumored to keep the same starting prices as the Pixel 9 line. 

Pixel 10 line rumored prices

Phone Storage US Price
Pixel 10 128GB $799
Pixel 10 256GB $899
Pixel 10 Pro 128GB $999
Pixel 10 Pro 256GB $1,099
Pixel 10 Pro 512GB $1,219
Pixel 10 Pro 1TB $1,449
Pixel 10 Pro XL 256GB $1,199
Pixel 10 Pro XL 512GB $1,319
Pixel 10 Pro XL 1TB $1,549

Pixel 10 could support Qi2 magnetic charging

The Pixel 10 series could support magnetic accessories, making it one of the few Android phones that would work with many of the MagSafe accessories that were first built to work with Apple’s iPhone. That’s because the Pixel 10 is rumored to fully support Qi2 wireless charging, which supports magnetic alignment and has magnets built into the phone without needing a case. 

An image posted by Blass appears to show a Pixel 10 with a circular wireless charger attached to the back, likely using magnets similar to how MagSafe works with the iPhone. If this is the case, it’s a huge step for the Qi2 wireless standard, as the only other Android phone so far that supports magnetic accessories is the HMD Skyline.

This would allow the Pixel 10 series to natively work with magnetic phone chargers, wallets, mounts and other accessories. Google might also create its own branding for this feature, as an Android Authority report claims that official Pixel 10 accessories that magnetically attach would be called PixelSnap.

If this comes true, it would also make it easier to swap accessories between the iPhone and the Pixel. In addition to the iPhone’s support for charging over USB-C, this would mean that MagSafe accessories first purchased to use with an iPhone should work just as well when swapping over to a Pixel 10 phone.

Google’s Tensor G5 chip

Following last year’s Tensor G4 chip in the Pixel 9 lineup, we presume that the Pixel 10 phones will be powered by a (supposedly named) Tensor G5 chip. We’ve heard a few Tensor G5 rumors, including that it will be made on an industry-standard 3nm process by chip fabricator TSMC, according to an Android Authority March report.

Other rumors are less promising, like a July report from WCCFTech suggesting that while the Tensor G5 is a significant upgrade on last year’s Tensor G4, a leaked benchmark test claims it will run slower than the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor that’s used in Samsung’s Galaxy S25 line and the OnePlus 13. That Qualcomm processor might also soon be surpassed by the next Qualcomm silicon coming at Snapdragon Summit in September. That’s not to imply the phone itself will perform slowly, as the same report says it will run faster than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor that powers 

Whether the Tensor G5 lags behind other mobile chips isn’t as worrying as it might seem, since the Tensor chips are built for Google’s Pixel devices — and those don’t seem to be underperforming in daily use. As CNET Editor-at-Large Andy Lanxon said about the Tensor G4 powering the Pixel 9 Pro XL, «On the one hand, it’s disappointing not to see more of a tangible improvement over the predecessor. On the other hand, it doesn’t feel like it’s lacking in power in any major way.»

Pixel 10 Pro Fold

There aren’t many rumors pointing toward another Pixel Fold, but it’s always possible that Google surprises us with a big reveal of another version of its foldable phone line. The most recent, last year’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold, not only switched up its nomenclature to fit into that year’s standard Pixel lineup, but also altered its design from the wider passport-size original Pixel Fold to a taller, narrower format similar to other foldables like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. 

One Pixel 10 Pro Fold rumor from WCCFTech only shared details about the supposed Tensor chip powering it. But a recent rumor from Blass suggests we could expect the usual upgrades: a new Tensor G5 chip, perhaps slight spec upgrades and maybe even similar camera or battery upgrades if they are announced for the Pixel 10 lineup. 

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold would presumably get Android 16 out of the box, but since that software upgrade has already been released early (mere weeks after Google I/O 2025), last year’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold already has that update anyway. 

We’ll keep updating this roundup as we get closer to Google’s Aug. 20 event for the Pixel 10 series. 

Continue Reading

Technologies

Get Prepared to See Six Planets Line Up in the Upcoming Planet Parade

Mark your calendar so you can catch Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus in the sky at the same time.

Fresh off the excitement of the Perseids meteor shower is a chance to see six planets lined up in the sky at once. These events, colloquially known as planet parades, only occur about once or twice a year, with the most recent one in February showing off all seven planets in our solar system at once. The next one will feature six of our closest celestial neighbors, and the event starts on Aug. 20. 

The six planets sharing the sky will be Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. Mars will technically be there at the beginning of the night, but it dips below the horizon right after sunset, so it won’t be visible when all of the others are. Of those, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter will be visible to the naked eye, while the others will require high-powered binoculars or, preferably, a telescope. 

Even though they’re spread out across the eastern and southern skies, the planets pair up with this one, making many of them pretty easy to find if you know what to look for. From east to west, here’s where each one will be. 

  • Mercury — Eastern sky near the Cancer constellation. It’ll pop over the horizon just before sunrise, so you’ll have limited time to view it before the sun comes up and obfuscates it. 
  • Venus — At the lower tip of the Gemini constellation in the eastern sky, a couple of hours before sunrise. 
  • Jupiter — Will be near Venus, also in the Gemini constellation. It rises about an hour before Venus does. 
  • Uranus — Will be near the upper tip of Taurus, rising after midnight. This one will require some magnification. If you see Pleiades, a cluster of stars at the upper tip of Taurus, you’ve gone too far upward.
  • Saturn and Neptune — These two are right next to each other and will be sitting between the Pisces and Cetus constellations in the southern skies. Neptune will be closer to Pisces while Saturn will be closer to Cetus. 

Since it takes a long time for planets to move through the night sky, Aug. 20 is the starting point, and it’ll run through the rest of the month. Once September hits, Mercury will be too close to the sun, which will obscure it. From that point, there will be a five-planet parade for a while until Venus sinks below the horizon in early October. So, in all, you’ll have a chance to see at least five planets for over a month. 

Will the planet parade be visible from my region?

Yes. We double checked Stellarium’s sky map from a variety of locations across the country, and everything above will be applicable everywhere in the continental US. Per Starwalk, the parade will also be visible in other parts of the world after the following dates for about the same amount of time (one to two weeks). 

  • Abu Dhabi — Aug. 9
  • Athens, Beijing, Berlin, Tokyo and London — Aug. 10
  • Mumbai and Hong Kong — Aug. 11
  • Reykjavik, São Paulo and Sydney — Aug. 12

The planets will move based on date, though. The above locations are where they’ll be around Aug. 20, but if you’re looking a week or so later, they’ll be in the same general area, but will shift to a slightly different part of the sky. 

Will I need any special equipment?

Yes. Neptune and Uranus, especially, will require some sort of magnification to see. We recommend a telescope, but high-powered binoculars may work if the sky is dark enough. Saturn is also difficult to see without magnification, so you’ll want it for that too. Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury should be visible on their own with the naked eye. 

We also recommend taking a trip out to the country, as light pollution from suburbs and cities can make it even more difficult to see Neptune and Uranus. The moon will be out as well, which may make Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury harder to see. Other factors like weather may also make it more difficult to see all of them. If you’re lucky, you may see a few shooting stars at the tail end of Perseids as well.

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version