Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 17 Pro Main Camera Sensor 'Smaller' Than iPhone 16 Pro Sensor
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Really ?
Leaker said it’s not getting any bigger and has rounded off the sensor size. In fairness there’s no proof the iPhone sensor size isn’t 1/1.3 now people assume it’s 1/1.28
Actually, the leaker said it isn't getting bigger, but explicitly said it's 1/1.3". So we can't assume anything at this point. It could be the same size, but it could also be getting smaller. There is no indication that 1/1.3" stat represents a rounded number.
MacRumors reported what they read, but what you could say is that what they read isn't crystal clear.
If it was getting smaller he would’ve said smaller. The leaker isn’t English so that’s why it came off as it has. The iPhone main sensor also isn’t 1/1.28 not sure where that rumour came from. It’s always been 1/1.3
1/1.28" has been widely reported.
For example: https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_16_pro_max-review-2750p5.php
Wide (main): 48MP (1/1.28", 1.22µm-2.44µm), f/1.8, 24mm, dual-pixel PDAF, sensor-shift IS; 4K@120
Ultrawide: 48MP (1/2.55", 0.7µm-1.4µm), f/2.2, 13mm, PDAF; 4K@60fps
Telephoto 5x: 12MP (1/3.06", 1.12µm), f/2.8, 120mm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift IS; 4K@60fps
Front camera: 12MP (1/3.6", 1.0µm), f/1.9, 23mm, PDAF; 4K@60fps
They just report what rumours say but there’s no proof to say the sensor size was that big. It’s certainly not shown to be in the case in day to day photos. 1/1.3 was the sensor size for past few years
Apple never disclose details, so we really don’t know if it is 1/1.28 or 1/1.3. It is an “educated guess”
Interesting insights from your side. Thx.
In the "real" camera-world, two sensor sizes are the most relevant these days, I'd say: APS-C and full-frame. APS-C is smaller, but some people tend to prefer it in order to reach very long focal lengths (at a reasonable cost) due to the 1.5 crop factor (some are 1.6 and so on...). As you already began to point out: There's more than the sensor that's relevant.
I'm pretty certain this around 3% difference doesn't make a difference in the real world and there's also optics involved (the lens) and lots of software these days. And as you said: If it's a different sensor (which I still doubt for the main 24mm lens), it could have better quality even though it would be a tiny bit smaller.
So my short reply to your question is: That's definitely possible.
Franky the 16 was no real innovation when we talk about cameras, its the same as the 15. Now they just do some tweaking for the 17. Sounds like zero innovation for photographers
How many women do you know called TIM genius?
I thought or more to the point hoped that the 17 Pro would get the IMX903, but maybe Tim thinks they can milk the IMX803 for a fourth year. Maybe we’ll be surprised in a good way that it’s not the same old IMX803?
Just speculations. I won't be in the hunt to upgrade since I got the 16 Pro Max and M3 Pro MacBook Pro. I'm okay with it. I got bigger goals for 2025 and upgrading to Apple's latest and greatest isn't it.
Correct, but don’t forget we are speaking about phones. Sensors are much smaller than APS-C (7/8 times smaller) on a smartphone.
Not to speak about the lenses… not even remotely comparable to “real” lenses from a camera.
So the rules are basically the same, but the differences are huge.
It is not reasonable to expect differences year over year. It is just an evolution, dictated by marketing reasons, mainly. It makes sense to upgrade your iPhone every 2/3 years to find some significant differences.
Going from 15 to 16 the ultrawide camera changed, anyway.
It's the same trick of 8GB a$$le RAM are the same of 16GB non-a$$le RAM...
where exactly did i forget that we are speaking about phones? didn't forget anything - just used it as an example. from my post you should be able to see that i know what size a phone sensor is compared to APS-C, don't you think?
Reminds me of the term "nominal" when applied to dimensions for things like nuts and bolts, plumbing parts, lumber, etc.
Yup. I tried and got the same results as you. I tried a variation too, asking ChatGPT to create an image showing a person with both hands raised, and an arrow pointing to their left hand. It repeatedly failed in a variety of ways, usually showing two arrows (not one) pointing left and right, but at least it labeled the direction of each arrow correctly, but then it drew this:
Someone pointed out in another thread that, if the iPhone 17 does get a horizontal, in-a-row camera layout across the top of the back of the case, shooting spatial video will be done only when the iPhone is held in portrait orientation, but while shooting, the iPhone's display will show a small landscape mode image squeezed into the smaller width of the display. Which would suck. But if Apple does this, it seems likely that when shooting non-spatial video, you'll still be able to hold the iPhone in landscape mode, and it will show a normal full landscape "viewfinder" image.
I think the only thing a camera layout like this will "solve" is that it'll also make it possible to shoot spatial videos in portrait mode. But that would be a dumb "solution" if it comes at the expense of a true landscape mode view while shooting spatial video.
Last edited: