iPhone 17 May Finally Bring Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s Flagship Camera Feature

Apple ’s upcoming iPhone 17 series is expected to bring radical changes to the company’s best-selling product. Several previous rumours have suggested a redesign, performance boosts, and better photography capabilities on the next iPhone lineups. A report now claims the cameras on the iPhone 17 series will borrow Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s flagship camera feature to record videos at 8K resolution.

A Chinese tipster with a good track record of Apple-related leaks took to Weibo — a Chinese alternative to Facebook — to suggest the iPhone 17 series will bring 8K video recording, which Samsung has offered on its flagship smartphones for a while. According to the tipster, Apple planned 8K video recording capabilities for the iPhone 16 series, but the telephoto sensor on the Pro models emerged as the bottleneck.

Why is the telephoto sensor to blame?

Video recording at 8K resolution requires a camera sensor with at least 35 megapixels. Both the iPhone 16 lineup and the Pro models have just one 48MP sensor, while other cameras use 12MP sensors. According to Apple, 8K recording would not have worked through sensors other than the primary sensor, resulting in a jarring experience for iPhone users.

How can the iPhone 17’s cameras help?

Multiple reports have suggested the iPhone 17 will swap the 12MP ultrawide unit with a more capable 48MP sensor across models. The Pro models are also expected to bring higher-resolution telephoto sensors, thus making 8K recording uniform across all sensors. The iPhone 17 series is rumoured to have four models, including a new iPhone 17 Air that will replace the Plus model. However, this model may use just the main camera unit, so 8K video recording may not be possible.

iPhone 17 series upgrades

Apple’s next flagship series is shaping up to be a significant upgrade to iPhones in years. The company is expected to change the camera and rear design on the iPhone 17 series, standardise the 120Hz ProMotion Display, and include the A19 and A19 Pro chips for better performance.

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