I realize that might sound a bit loopy.

On paper, isn’t this the same hardware as last year’s iPhone 14 Pro? It gets a new telephoto lens and that’s it, surely?

On paper, sure. But iPhone cameras are all about all the parts integrated into one greater whole.

I’m a big camera nerd. I shoot with @halide, ProRAW, the works. I was snapping 48MP shots for a year.

Most users didn’t. What they’ll see:

- Going from 12 to 24 megapixel for all their shots
- Effectively doubling their zoom range
- Portrait mode is basically always-on

And that’s coming from an iPhone 14 Pro, mind you. Nobody upgrades their phone every year.

You’d get an iPhone that suddenly does all things camera WAY better. Not just on paper — in practice. Zoom out of an airplane window? Here, individual trees.

Where does that leave the pros? Well, we are left to enjoy the long tail.

It’s got a proper camera button now*. It’s nicer to hold. USB-C video output, ProRes Log. And a has a lens that will really make you work hard for a great composition.

* sort of

Apple will have to prove the worth of virtual lenses to me—and I do miss a physical 2× or 3× lens. But you can’t deny that this iPhone upgrade is one focused on depth, instead of spec sheets or gimmicks.

The camera experience for everyone is meaningfully upgraded.

Me? I’m left a bit frustrated: Apple doesn’t let us devs use what makes this phone so great (24MP capture, special binning modes, night mode). I’m really being humbled by the creative challenge of a 120mm lens.

But I’m cheering for how meaningful the progress is this year.