iPhone 17 Pro Apple really should have upgraded the main camera for the 17 Pro

[bryanrs]

The 14 Pro and 17 Pro main camera has the same sensor... Look, I get it, they can't be upgrading camera hardware every year or 2, especially if it's a good sensor to begin with. And the main camera in the 14 Pro was indeed really good for its time, but to be using that same hardware for the 14 Pro, 15 Pro, 16 Pro and 17 Pro is just bananas. This is not one of those silly "specs for specs sake" things, the main camera is the camera you're going to be using the majority of the time, the main camera deserved the priority for the 17 Pro, not the telephoto. They should have kept using the same telephoto and upgraded the main camera hardware instead.

Apple has been using Sony sensors for years and since 2021 Sony has been talking about their new 2 layer transistor pixel sensor tech, this sensor has been ready for production for a while now, it's already shipped in several competing phones. The 17 Pro main camera should have had this sensor! This sensor might even allow them to do something like a video night mode.

I'm just sad about this and I'm honestly shocked the 17 Pro main camera hasn't been upgraded since the 14 Pro. It's an incredible phone with that one downside.

 

[Knowimagination]

What makes you think this module is the same as the 14 pro?

Edit: I’ve seen conflicting data is why I’m asking

 

[bryanrs]

What makes you think this module is the same as the 14 pro?

Edit: I’ve seen conflicting data is why I’m asking

The specs are the same. Obviously Apple would have mentioned it if they upgraded the camera sensor https://www.dpreview.com/articles/0...ra and a 13mm (equiv.) F2.2 ultra‑wide camera

 

[LonestarOne]

the main camera is the camera you're going to be using the majority of the time, the main camera deserved the priority for the 17 Pro, not the telephoto. They should have kept using the same telephoto and upgraded the main camera hardware instead.

You mean the main camera is the one *you* will using the majority of the time. I find the telephoto camera much more useful. When I use the main camera, it’s often because the telephoto doesn’t have the same sensor quality. Don’t assume your personal preferences represent the entire world.

 

[huanbrother]

What makes you think this module is the same as the 14 pro?

Edit: I’ve seen conflicting data is why I’m asking

It's not the same, the 16Pro/17Pro uses updated ones the IMX903(1/1.28inch).
In size, it's the same as the IMX803 used on the 14 Pro/15 Pro.
In feature, the IMX903 supports 4K@120fps video capture.

And as for the OP.
Why Apple had hold back? That'll give you a reason to get the 18 Pro, if your inner geeky desire scratches you when you fell asleep.

Prediction:

1. A larger sensor!
2. 8K video (main sensor only) for the first time on an iPhone (lol).

and then in the next product cycle with this new alumnium chassis, Apple will slowly update the remaining cameras to finally deliver an all 8K capable machine, and then you'd ask the same question...and the next cycle of the incremental updates would begin shortly...

 

[bryanrs]

It's not the same, the 16Pro/17Pro uses updated ones the IMX903(1/1.28inch).
In size, it's the same as the IMX803 used on the 14 Pro/15 Pro.
In feature, the IMX903 supports 4K@120fps video capture.

And as for the OP.
Why Apple had hold back? That'll give you a reason to get the 18 Pro, if your inner geeky desire scratches you when you fell asleep.

Prediction:

1. A larger sensor!
2. 8K video (main sensor only) for the first time on an iPhone (lol).

and then in the next product cycle with this new alumnium chassis, Apple will slowly update the remaining cameras to finally deliver an all 8K capable machine, and then you'd ask the same question...and the next cycle of the incremental updates would begin shortly...

8K is useless garbage marketing nonsense and shouldn't exist. These smartphone sensors leave a lot to be desired and it's not silly to expect Apple to keep their Pro iPhone more up to date. The Pro iPhones shouldn't have the same main camera sensor for 4 years. Also, apparently the faster readout (which enabled 120 FPS capture) had nothing to do with the sensor itself, it was something else in the stack. The sensor has not changed since the 14 Pro...

 

[MacDevil7334]

The 14 Pro and 17 Pro have the same sensor dimensions. But they don't have the same sensor. The 16 Pro introduced a new sensor with 2x the readout speed. That's not a huge upgrade, but it does make a difference since the phone is using multiple exposures to generate a 24 MP image each time you press the shutter. With the 15 Pro, you could fire off 3-5 rapid fire shots before the phone would fall back to giving you 12 MP images since the sensor simply couldn't provide the data fast enough for the 24 MP process to work. That's not an issue anymore with the 16 Pro. For the 17 Pro, all we know right now is that the sensor is the same size we have had for the past 3 generations. But it may have been improved in other ways.

 

[drugdoubles]

The biggest sensor for phone is 1 inch, what can they provide and sell after they give you that? So they would stay with this size of sensor basically forever until there is true next level sensor technology or size.

 

[Sebosz]

Didn’t they mention improved processing pipeline? I think there still will be quality improvement.

 

[NvidiaIntelPC]

What’s more concerning is that the claimed 8x optical zoom is essentially a lie.

The 17 Pro does not have 8x optical zoom.

It only offers 4x optical zoom, and the image is then digitally cropped to simulate 8x.

That’s actually less optical zoom than the iPhone 16 Pro (5x).

 

[uacd]

What’s more concerning is that the claimed 8x optical zoom is essentially a lie.

The 17 Pro does not have 8x optical zoom.

It only offers 4x optical zoom, and the image is then digitally cropped to simulate 8x.

That’s actually less optical zoom than the iPhone 16 Pro (5x).

I think it might land them in multiple lawsuits, to the point of them having to use “digital zoom” wording in next keynote.

While they are being smart and mostly writing “optical quality” (whatever 💩 that means), they are often making mistakes here-and-there and writing straight “8x optical” or “2x optical”.

Btw DPReview has already called them out for that

 

[drugdoubles]

I think it might land them in multiple lawsuits, to the point of them having to use “digital zoom” wording in next keynote.

While they are being smart and mostly writing “optical quality” (whatever 💩 that means), they are often making mistakes here-and-there and writing straight “8x optical” or “2x optical”.

Btw DPReview has already called them out for that

Did they use the term “optical” 8x zoom? They are always very tricky.

 

[okkibs]

That’s actually less optical zoom than the iPhone 16 Pro (5x).

No. Both the 16 Pro's 5x as well as the new 8x shoot full 12MP.

 

[drugdoubles]

No. Both the 16 Pro's 5x as well as the new 8x shoot full 12MP.

The 17 pro series are just optical 4x

 

[uacd]

The 14 Pro and 17 Pro main camera has the same sensor... Look, I get it, they can't be upgrading camera hardware every year or 2, especially if it's a good sensor to begin with. And the main camera in the 14 Pro was indeed really good for its time, but to be using that same hardware for the 14 Pro, 15 Pro, 16 Pro and 17 Pro is just bananas.

Until they can milk their users with computations and fakeography (like any other company nowadays), people gonna be happy.

But people must have probably lost a portion of their eyesight to PWM OLED screens until Apple figured out they can add an accessibility switch. How can’t people see all that smoothing and computations actually aren’t doing any favor to image quality, sharpness and color reproduction.

I mean, screenshots from their live event tell the story better than we can ever argue on photography forums.

As Apple themself noted, their event was completely shot on iPhone and edited on Mac.

This is likely how “well” Ultrawide performs on 17 Pro:

I’ve seen GoPros shoot better than this… not even mentioning devices from DJI or Insta360.

And this is main camera. Good for 2025? AWFUL! I wouldn’t have called it good even in 2015.

And an icing on the cake. Look at those palm trees🤣

Whoever got this “brilliant marketing idea” to shoot what is supposed to be happening live in the morning in California at dusk/nighttime must be fired from Apple immediately. In a week YouTube is gonna be flooded with videos of poor camera performance.

8K is useless garbage marketing nonsense and shouldn't exist.

Gotta disagree. Same was said about 4k 10 years ago. I myself jumped off 1080p bandwagon only recently.

8k would sound and feel like revolution. As well as more resolution would offer ability to increase sharpness by doing same old pixel binning into 4k. So mad Apple didn’t deliver it this year.

Didn’t they mention improved processing pipeline? I think there still will be quality improvement.

They did but shots would be barely distinguishable from 15 Pro or 16 Pro. Maybe will be slightly less natural than on 14 Pro, but otherwise same thing.

Did they use the term “optical” 8x zoom? They are always very tricky.

Yes, in some parts of their event and I guess I’ve seen it on their website too

 

[Moreplease]

The Pro iPhones shouldn't have the same main camera sensor for 4 years.

They don’t. The 16 Pro and presumably 17 Pro have a sensor with faster readout than almost every other phone including the Chinese phones that often have high performance in one particular axis or another but miss this most important factor.

Readout speed is everything in a phone. It affects the autofocus speed and accuracy, the subject recognition algorithms, the live-view readout, the quality of stills and video image quality by affecting rolling-shutter artefacts and line-skipping, the outright resolution of slow-motion video, and especially the capability of the phone to take multiple exposures in quick succession and combine them with computational photography techniques – which is the basis on which phones can compete with dedicated cameras with much larger sensors.

Readout speed is arguably the most important sensor parameter of all, and the 16 and 17 Pros have a beast of a sensor in that regard.

Also, apparently the faster readout (which enabled 120 FPS capture) had nothing to do with the sensor itself, it was something else in the stack. The sensor has not changed since the 14 Pro...

Wrong. There is no faking readout speed. This is a fundamental hard limit on sensor performance against which every iPhone has butted its head.

Sure, a faster readout needs faster supporting hardware to deal with the vast data throughput – but Apple has always made sure to provide that. The bottleneck is always the image-sensor readout speed.

The 14 Pro and 17 Pro have the same sensor dimensions. But they don't have the same sensor. The 16 Pro introduced a new sensor with 2x the readout speed. That's not a huge upgrade

Right about the sensor changing but wrong about its importance. Doubling readout speed is a “huge upgrade”. Readout speed is why professional full-frame cameras are now moving to unbelievably expensive ‘stacked’ CMOS sensors, and those cameras don’t leverage the high readout speed anywhere near as well as an iPhone Pro does.

 

[Koni17]

It's not the same, the 16Pro/17Pro uses updated ones the IMX903(1/1.28inch).
In size, it's the same as the IMX803 used on the 14 Pro/15 Pro.
In feature, the IMX903 supports 4K@120fps video capture.

And as for the OP.
Why Apple had hold back? That'll give you a reason to get the 18 Pro, if your inner geeky desire scratches you when you fell asleep.

Prediction:

1. A larger sensor!
2. 8K video (main sensor only) for the first time on an iPhone (lol).

and then in the next product cycle with this new alumnium chassis, Apple will slowly update the remaining cameras to finally deliver an all 8K capable machine, and then you'd ask the same question...and the next cycle of the incremental updates would begin shortly...

Sorry I think I found out the answer to my own question, the IMX903 is the same sensor size as the IMX803, just some updated specs.

 

[NvidiaIntelPC]

No. Both the 16 Pro's 5x as well as the new 8x shoot full 12MP.

What do you mean by no? 😁 It doesn’t have 8x optical zoom, fact. The image is taken with 4x optical zoom and then zoomed in and cropped using software—that’s digital zoom. The resolution that comes out is irrelevant.

 

[fatTribble]

I use the telephoto camera often especially for video. I’m very excited about the sensor upgrade and 48 megapixels.