Apple iPhone 14 Professional Digicam take a look at

We put the Apple iPhone 14 Professional by our rigorous DXOMARK Digicam take a look at suite to measure its efficiency in photograph, video, and zoom high quality from an end-user perspective. This text breaks down how the gadget fared in quite a lot of exams and a number of other widespread use instances and is meant to spotlight an important outcomes of our testing with an extract of the captured information.

Overview

Key digital camera specs:

• Main: 48MP sensor, 24 mm equal f/1.78 -aperture lens, second technology sensor-shift OIS, Twin Pixel AF
• Extremely-wide: 12MP sensor, 13mm equal f/2.2-aperture lens, Twin Pixel AF
• Tele: 12MP sensor, 77 mm equal f/2.8-aperture lens, OIS
• HDR video recording with Dolby Imaginative and prescient
• A16 Bionic chipset

With a DXOMARK Digicam rating of 146, the Apple iPhone 14 Professional is one of the best iPhone we have now examined to this point and locations itself among the many highest telephones in our rating. This can be very dependable, producing repeatable picture and video ends in all situations, and shines notably in portrait pictures and videography, because of excessive ranges of element and really good pores and skin tone rendering, in addition to glorious autofocus monitoring in video.

Whereas — at the least on paper — the 14 Professional´s digital camera {hardware} may not look fairly as spectacular because the elements of some rivals, such because the Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely or Honor Magic4 Final, it’s honest to say the Apple engineers have managed to squeeze lots of picture high quality and efficiency out of it. That is the primary Apple gadget with a Quad-Bayer picture sensor, and it’s been used not solely to enhance picture high quality on the main digital camera’s nominal focal size, but in addition to supply high-quality seamless zooming as much as a 3x tele issue the place the devoted tele kicks in. The iPhone 14 Professional additionally takes over as one of the best video recording telephone from its iPhone 13 Professional predecessors. Together with the opposite enhancements, this makes it one of many at present highest choices for cell picture makers.

Please notice that all through this text we evaluate the Apple iPhone 14 Professional to each the iPhone 13 Professional and 13 Professional Max, which achieved equivalent ends in final yr’s exams.

Pals & Household

Pals & Household is a brand new use case rating, launched with the most recent model 5 of the DXOMARK Digicam take a look at protocol. It has been designed to symbolize the take a look at gadget’s capacity to seize technically good pictures and movies in the most typical client use instances (household, associates, pets). It’s computed from information recorded throughout these Photograph, Zoom and Video exams that embrace individuals and shifting topics, a complete of 60+ scenes each within the lab and real-life scenes with fashions.

The iPhone 14 Professional achieves a Pals and Household rating of 140, the excessive for this class. It’s a nice gadget for taking photos of actions with family and friends. Zero shutter lag being out there in most situations signifies that the digital camera is able to capturing the decisive second. It’s also superb at minimizing movement blur on shifting topics and affords glorious pores and skin tone rendering in addition to distinction on faces. As well as, the iPhone 14 Professional does an awesome job at monitoring individuals in video mode. It´s additionally one of the best gadget for Bokeh we have now examined to this point, permitting you to shoot portraits of your family members that characteristic a natural-looking background blur, very near what you’d count on from a DSLR and quick lens.

Low Mild

Like Pals and Household, Low mild is a brand new rating launched with the most recent replace of the Digicam take a look at protocol. It’s designed to symbolize a tool’s capacity to seize technically good pictures and movies in essentially the most difficult mild situations. It’s computed from information recorded throughout these Photograph, Zoom and Video exams which might be undertaken at mild ranges under 50 lux.

The iPhone 14 Professional achieves a rating of 113 for the Low Mild use case, however this isn’t the place the brand new iPhone 14 Professional shines essentially the most. Even when the digital camera exposes the scene nicely (evening mode is triggered routinely) shadow clipping can happen, high quality element is misplaced and a few grain could be noticeable.

Take a look at abstract

About DXOMARK Digicam exams: DXOMARK’s Digicam evaluations happen in laboratories and in real-world conditions utilizing all kinds of topics. The scores depend on goal exams for which the outcomes are calculated straight by measurement software program on our laboratory setups, and on perceptual exams during which a classy set of metrics enable a panel of picture specialists to check features of picture high quality that require human judgment. Testing a smartphone entails a staff of engineers and technicians for a few week. Photograph, Zoom, and Video high quality are scored individually after which mixed into an General rating for comparability among the many cameras in numerous gadgets. For extra details about the DXOMARK Digicam protocol, click here. Extra particulars on smartphone digital camera scores can be found here. The next part gathers key components of DXOMARK’s exhaustive exams and analyses. Full efficiency evaluations can be found upon request. Please contact us  on tips on how to obtain a full report.

When it comes to nonetheless picture high quality, the iPhone 14 Professional is kind of near final yr’s 13 Professional Max, particularly in brilliant mild and panorama photographs. Nonetheless, it does include some notable enhancements, notably in more difficult mild situations and high-contrast scenes. For instance, in backlit scenes enhancements are noticeable for all attributes. Within the colour class, pores and skin tones are extra correct in tough situations. When it comes to publicity and distinction, the brand new mannequin is much less affected by a lack of distinction and a rise intimately may be very noticeable on faces in portrait scenes.

The iPhone 14 Professional affords full decision 48MP RAW seize, a characteristic that’s more likely to please fanatic photographers. Nonetheless, we don’t consider this mode as all our testing is finished utilizing the digital camera app’s default mode. All HEIC information captured have been transformed to JPG format for this overview.

Shut-Up

Shut-up is the third new use case rating launched with DXOMARK Digicam model 5. It evaluates the digital camera’s capacity to seize element at topic distances under 10cm and magnifications as shut potential to 1:1.

The iPhone 14 Professional affords glorious close-up capabilities. Element is great, particularly at shut topic distances. Macro mode doesn’t need to be activated. An in depth topic distance is detected routinely, making for a seamless person expertise. For macro mode, the gadget switches to its ultra-wide digital camera which is able to focusing very intently and supplies nice element on the heart of the body.

The 14 Professional delivers good topic publicity in all situations, with improved distinction over the 13 Professional. Dynamic vary alternatively continues to be barely restricted when in comparison with one of the best at school, for instance the Honor Magic4 Final. In low mild, our testers additionally noticed some shadow clipping.

On this tough backlit scene, the iPhone 14 Professional manages correct goal publicity and a reasonably large dynamic vary. Distinction is superb on each faces as nicely. On the 13 Professional Max, we will see some limitations when it comes to noise, element, and colour rendering on the themes. The Honor Magic4 Final affords a large dynamic vary with higher spotlight retention, however sturdy distinction points are noticeable on faces, particularly darkish pores and skin tones.

The enhancements when it comes to distinction are additionally noticeable on this indoor scene.

In low mild, the most recent iPhone captures good exposures however in comparison with one of the best gadgets, dynamic vary is barely extra restricted, in each the spotlight and shadow areas of the body.

White stability is mostly correct. In low mild, an acceptably heat solid is in keeping with person preferences. In comparison with the iPhone 13 Professional Max, colour rendering has been improved, particularly when it comes to pores and skin tones, which are actually extra correct. Portraits are usually very good with a number of the finest pores and skin tones we have now seen.

The superb and improved pores and skin tone rendering can be seen on this pattern.

Shade will not be excellent, although. When indoor lighting is blended with daylight, photographs typically present a yellow or barely inexperienced colour solid – usually inside acceptable limits. On some events, like within the scene under, this could create a nicer colour response than on the rivals.

The autofocus is quick, correct, and repeatable. The zero shutter lag expertise does a superb job in all situations, even difficult scenes, permitting for immediate seize of the decisive second. The telephone’s pretty giant picture sensor signifies that the depth of discipline is fairly shallow for a smartphone. This could make for a pleasant pure bokeh impact in close-up photographs but in addition signifies that in group photographs individuals within the background could be out of focus.

One of many functions of this scene is to check the autofocus and shutter lag. The shutter button is pressed at precisely the second the topic passes by the door body. The place of the topic within the captured picture illustrates the shutter lag. 

This double portrait illustrates the variations between the comparability gadgets when it comes to depth of discipline.

With the brand new mannequin, Apple has made vital enhancements when it comes to element. That is seen in lab measurements in addition to in portrait photographs just like the one under. This is without doubt one of the key strengths of the iPhone 14 Professional.

Enhancements over final yr’s mannequin are additionally noticeable in low mild, however the Honor Magic4 Final stays forward of the iPhone when it comes to element in these situations.  

For the most recent model of our Digicam take a look at protocol, we have now developed a brand new metric to guage movement blur. This metric reveals the take a look at gadgets’ capacity to seize shifting topics with good element and evaluates how they handle movement blur. The measurement quantifies the notion of blur from a shifting topic within the scene (the decrease the higher). It has a big impression on the brand new Pals and Household rating.

The movement blur measurements are confirmed by real-life scenes. The iPhone 14 Professional does nicely at capturing shifting topics from brilliant mild all the way down to low mild situations.

In brilliant mild, particularly in backlit scenes, the iPhone 14 Professional does nicely at controlling topic noise. In indoor scenes, such because the one under, noise is commonly noticeable in areas of plain colour, typically extra so than on the iPhone 13 Professional Max. Because of the elevated element, the feel/noise trade-off has total improved on the brand new mannequin however there aren’t any enhancements when it comes to noise rating. It seems the bigger floor space of the brand new picture sensor is principally used to provide extra element whereas conserving noise at the same stage as earlier than.

Below indoor situations and in low mild or evening photographs, noise is commonly seen on shifting components within the scene.

Regardless of total glorious picture high quality our testers nonetheless noticed some minor processing artifacts, together with ringing, ghosting and colour quantization.

Bokeh photographs present a excessive stage of element on faces, and the iPhone 14 Professional now comes with foreground blur for a extra life like total impact, one thing that earlier iPhone generations had been missing. In comparison with the 13 Professional Max, segmentation artifacts are much less seen as nicely.

The iPhone 14 Professional achieves a brand new prime rating for Preview, with a preview picture that’s even nearer to the ultimate seize than earlier than. That is very true for the bokeh impact in portrait mode. As well as, the change between digital camera modules when pinch-zooming or utilizing the on-screen buttons is easy.

The iPhone 14 Professional comes with a devoted 3x tele digital camera — identical as final yr — however as well as, it’s making use of the Quad-Bayer sensor in the primary digital camera for zooming. At a 1x zoom issue the digital camera works in customary pixel binning mode. When you begin zooming in, it switches to full-resolution mode, which permits for high-quality digital zooming and cropping till the tele digital camera takes over, offering a seamless zoom expertise alongside the tele zoom vary. The iPhone additionally does nicely for video zoom and comes with an improved ultra-wide digital camera with a bigger picture sensor.

Video Zoom

With the most recent model 5 of our Digicam take a look at protocol, we launched zoom testing for video. A number of picture high quality attributes are measured for video zoom, and we embrace a element preservation metric for a number of video zoom distances in our take a look at outcomes.

This graph exhibits the extent of element in brilliant mild when utilizing zoom-in video mode. The extent of element is measured at a number of focal lengths, together with these that may straight be chosen by way of a UI button. The brand new iPhone affords persistently good element from ultra-wide (15mm/0.5x) to medium vary (3x) the place the digital camera switches from the primary to the devoted tele module.

When taking pictures with the 14 Professional’s ultra-wide digital camera, the extent of captured element is fairly excessive on the widest focal size setting. Nonetheless, when zooming to simply earlier than the change to the primary digital camera, the iPhone 14 Professional exhibits a stronger lack of element than the opposite best-in-class gadgets such because the Honor Magic4 Final.  The Magic4 Final is able to sustaining superb element on the heart of the body in any respect ultra-wide focal size settings from 16-21mm.

When taking pictures at tele zoom settings the brand new flagship iPhone delivers good element at shut and medium vary settings. Nonetheless, element drops considerably off at lengthy vary.

In comparison with the iPhone 13 Professional Max, the 14 Professional tele mode has improved considerably at a zoom setting of round 2x, simply earlier than the tele module prompts. As you may see within the element preservation graph above, the brand new mannequin doesn’t have the identical drop intimately round 2x as its predecessor, and the extent of captured element is fairly constant throughout shut and medium vary. That is true for all mild situations.

In comparison with the Honor Magic4 Final, the extent of element on the heart of the body is mostly decrease, however there is no such thing as a vital drop of sharpness in the direction of the perimeters. The Honor affords noticeably higher element on the heart, however in the direction of the perimeters element is far decrease.

Some enhancements over the 13 Professional Max are additionally noticeable at lengthy vary (>150mm) however, like at shut and medium vary, the Honor Magic4 Final nonetheless affords one of the best element and texture/noise trade-off.

The Apple iPhone 14 Professional achieves a brand new prime rating for video and has improved over the iPhone 13 Professional technology in all video attributes. Video exams had been undertaken at 4K decision and 30 frames per second, with Dolby Imaginative and prescient activated.

The brand new iPhone takes excessive rating for video publicity from its predecessor, providing a large dynamic vary and easy publicity transition in most situations. Like earlier iPhones, the 14 Professional comes with HDR format video that provides excessive distinction capabilities that enable for a extra pure rendering of HDR scenes than most rivals. Wonderful tuning means the iPhone shines when it comes to publicity, together with spotlight and shadow element retention, in addition to distinction throughout the whole tonal vary. 

On this HDR format video, you may see the iPhone’s excessive distinction stage within the sky. On this space, the tonal transitions are extra pure than on the competitors, and element is preserved even in each the brightest and darkest components of the scene. As compared, the Honor suffers from spotlight clipping and tone compression. Please notice: YouTube solely shows the unique HDR rendering if movies are watched on a appropriate HDR display. In any other case, a compressed SDR video is displayed.

Publicity may be very near the iPhone 13 Professional Max. Each obtain good goal publicity, with a large dynamic vary and excessive distinction throughout the whole tonal vary. As compared, the Honor Magic4 Final does worse when it comes to distinction and dynamic vary, with extra spotlight and shadow clipping.

In brilliant mild, white stability is impartial, and transitions in altering mild situations are easy. In comparison with the 13 Professional Max, the brand new mannequin is barely improved.

The iPhone 14 Professional additionally performs very nicely for colour in low mild. Being barely heat, white stability matches person preferences in these lighting situations completely. Pores and skin tones are usually pretty correct, and colour rendering is nice, even in tough mild.

Video autofocus affords glorious monitoring capabilities, following faces within the body very nicely. Focus transitions are easy from the closest focus distance to infinity.

The DMC graph exhibits element measurements for the 14 Professional which might be very near the earlier iPhone technology in brilliant mild and indoors, with a slight enchancment at low mild ranges round 5 lux. Particulars are preserved nicely throughout the whole tonal vary, from shadows to highlights.

Noise administration is without doubt one of the 14 Professional’s greatest strengths. Each temporal and spatial noise are nicely below management in virtually all mild situations. Within the shadows, our testers discover some enchancment over the 13 Professional Max, and total, the 14 Professional’s texture/noise trade-off is great and among the many finest we have now seen.

Digicam movement is handled very nicely, and the 14 Professional comes with among the finest video stabilization programs we have now examined to this point. Each high- and low- frequency movement is compensated for nicely, from “regular” handheld taking pictures to working whereas recording. 

The iPhone suffers largely from customary video artifacts, resembling maze, aliasing or flare.  A 30/60 fps variable frame-rate, which is obtainable on many different top-end smartphone cameras, would have been helpful for a superb noise/element trade-off in low mild and for avoiding judder results when panning the digital camera in brilliant situations.