Rumors, rumors. The iPhone 15 and its possible specs have been echoing for months. While Pro models (and a predictable Ultra) will get all the attention, the base iPhone 15 (non-Pro models) will also come with corresponding changes, according to the latest leaked information.

The latest data on this topic points to a leap in resolution: Goodbye to 12 megapixels. Apple has retained 12 megapixels since the iPhone 6s, although the sensor size has increased. He didn’t break this tradition until the iPhone 14 Pro and now everything indicates that the iPhone 15 will inherit this sensor. it won’t be good If Apple does the most predictable.

48 megapixels have an end and not the most popular

Apple introduced the 12-megapixel with the release of the iPhone 6s in 2015. Seven years later, with the arrival of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Despite the increase in resolution and sensor size, we noticed that in our review: the changes were not that obvious when shooting in automatic mode. The main advantage of having more detail, a better dynamic range and a 2x zoom without loss of quality, thanks in part to the extra information captured by the sensor, because it was not 100% digital, but rather a cutout from the central area of ​​​​the image. sensor.

However, the biggest leap that the 48-megapixel brings to the iPhone 14 Pro is none of these: New possibilities of ProRAW. The iPhone 12 Pro and 13 Pro never shined with the 12-megapixel ProRAW. In order to obtain a higher quality RAW, it was necessary to resort to applications such as Halide.

Undeveloped ProRAW on the left.

ProRAW enhanced to JPEG 24 MP | DNG (Canon EOS 77D), JPEG upscaled to 24 MP.

That changed with the iPhone 14 Pro and the 48-megapixel ProRAW mode. This RAW is currently the most complete at the information level (including the Lighttoom profile) with an impressive amount of detail when exporting as JPEG after editing (especially if we do it at 24 MP).

And so, we come to the key point of this piece: The iPhone 15’s 48-megapixel resolution will be of little use if they don’t have ProRAW. As the name suggests, this is a feature reserved exclusively for Apple’s Pro variants. Given Apple’s history, nothing prevents the company from equipping its base models this way, although it’s unlikely.

Apple has been artificially limiting features on its base models for years. iPhone 14s can handle ProRAW, but they won’t. They can record in ProRes as well, but they don’t, just as last year’s models lacked the hardware to run them. An example of the iPhone 13 Pro, which has the same processor as the iPhone 14, but does not have 4K HDR recording in cinema mode.

48 MP goes beyond ProRAW, yes. iPhone 15 will have a better camera and better zoom but to my surprise, the best function to take advantage of them will remain limited.

Image | xataka

on Xataka | I have a mid-range and a high-end with 200 megapixels. I was shocked by the results.