When I first got the 15 Pro Max last year, I shared my concerns about the poor quality of ProRAW 48 images taken with the stock app, especially when compared to the 14 Pro Max from 2022. At that time, I genuinely believed it was a temporary bug that Apple would fix in no time. Unfortunately, they did not address this issue. With the release of the 16 Pro Max, I hoped for improvements in image quality, but it appears to have the same overprocessed and overly denoised results as the 15 Pro Max.
This consistency in performance has been disappointing for users seeking better photography capabilities. Fortunately, there are third-party apps that offer higher quality 48MP shots on the iPhone. Options like Halide, Firstlight, and ProCamera provide excellent alternatives. For a clearer comparison, I analyzed 100% crops from images taken with Halide and the stock app, revealing a stark contrast in quality.
If you’re looking to capture high-resolution photos on your iPhone, I highly recommend experimenting with some of these third-party applications. They can deliver results that far exceed what the stock app can achieve. What I really wish for is that Apple would permit third-party apps to shoot regular raw images at 48MP resolution without the need for remosaicking. This would significantly enhance the shooting experience for many photography enthusiasts.
Until such features are available, exploring alternative applications remains the best route for securing high-quality photography on iPhone.
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