This hidden setting turned my iPhone 16 Profession...

Positive, I’d’ve been emotionally connected to my iPhone 12 Pro (despite the fact that it was hanging on by a thread), however I used to be by no means so completely happy to see the digital camera go. Once I first obtained it again in 2020, like all new telephones, I felt like I had the latest, baddest digital camera on the block. I do not know if it was age, being left within the solar too lengthy (a number of instances) or the conspiracy that Apple deliberately degrades older iPhone fashions, however now in 2025, the digital camera high quality had grow to be borderline embarrassing.

I am not kidding — my associates would seize my telephone to take an image and instantly ask what was unsuitable with it. However then different instances, so long as the lighting was completely excellent, it could gaslight me into pondering it was the perfect digital camera round once more. I used to be achieved questioning whether or not or not a photograph would prove a number of weeks in the past after I lastly upgraded to an iPhone 16 Pro.

Now that I have been taking pictures my pictures with the for the final two weeks, this is what I discovered stark (and never so insane) in regards to the bounce up 4 generations.

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I traded in my iPhone 12 Professional and walked right into a tech id disaster.

The starkest distinction

Lighting did not must be on its finest habits

First, let’s discuss specs. The iPhone 12 Professional has a 12-megapixel digital camera whereas the 16 Professional has a 48-megapixel digital camera — that is actually 4 instances the megapixels 4 generations later. I’ve already seen the distinction after I’m zooming in or cropping my photographs from my new digital camera, and it brings me nice pleasure as a social media supervisor who’s at all times slicing, cropping, and pasting all whereas my fingers are crossed on the standard aspect of issues.

Now, let’s transfer to aperture, which is how a lot mild a lens permits right into a digital camera. The 12 Professional has ƒ/1.6 aperture on its principal digital camera whereas the 16 Professional has ƒ/1.78. On the floor, aperture going up is not at all times the perfect factor — it does let in additional mild. Nonetheless, that was the principle difficulty I used to be operating into with my dusty 12 Professional — every thing was simply method too darkish. Mix that barely “worse” aperture on the 16 Professional with 4 instances the megapixels and the opposite improved processing powers it possesses? I will take the 16 Professional successful the specs warfare day by day of the week.

Pay attention, I used to be anticipating to be blown away by the iPhone 16 Professional’s digital camera high quality in comparison with the dinosaur I used to be taking photos on the 5 years prior. However after tooling round for a short time, I noticed that even after 4 generations, Apple did such a great job with the iPhone 12 Professional’s lenses that every one the upgrades that got here after have been actually simply fine-tuning tweaks to optimize an already good digital camera. I wasn’t as overwhelmed with image high quality as I believed I might be.

Granted, my Snapchats have been noticeably larger high quality — I even had a pal ask me what I had achieved otherwise within the final week. I am not saying I seemed higher. Quite the opposite, you can really see each single pore on my face (which I did not love, clearly). However what I did discover proper off the bat was that beneath any lighting, excellent or pitch black, my new iPhone 16 Professional obtained a great shot in it. My iPhone 12 Professional would fully freak out in any type of lighting — and I could not even take into consideration taking a selfie exterior for the sake of sunshine stripes that fully dominated any facial options, not to mention posting any photos I took to my Instagram.

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Spare {hardware}, good sir?

I assume my 12 Professional gave me somewhat photograph PTSD, as a result of I discovered myself hesitating to take photos I knew it could not take even after I already upgraded to the 16 Professional. Nonetheless, I overcame that feature-fear and was delighted to seek out that I had image freedom as soon as extra with the brand new telephone. Lighting certain helps any image, however it did not make or break my image high quality within the slightest.

New pictures options

Good day Photographic Types

Keep in mind how Portrait Mode took the world by storm again in 2016? Properly, I used to be not impressed. I thought of myself a Lightroom Cell skilled on the ripe age of 17, and I most well-liked to edit my photos after I took them — not throughout — thanks very a lot. Over time, increasingly modes got here out, however I wasn’t one to leap on that bandwagon. It was at all times the worst after I would ask a stranger to take an image on my telephone out in public solely to undergo my digital camera later and see that they selected to make use of Portrait Mode. They virtually at all times did it to be thoughtful, so I might scream into the theoretical pillow after I obtained residence so they would not assume I used to be ungrateful.

However a brand new function has lastly had the gall to strike my fancy this time: Photographic Types. Granted, it helps to work at a tech web site — Patrick O’Rourke, Pocket-lint’s Editor-in-Chief, put me onto this explicit setting. Mainly, it makes use of scene understanding to regulate explicit colours in numerous components of your photographs. Individuals typically use it to personalize how they need their pores and skin tones to look all the way down to the pixel. I used to be intrigued by how nuanced it might get.

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Get that “Excessive Effectivity” out of my face.

To start out, it’s a must to select 4 of your favourite photos — the catch is that they needed to be taken on the brand new telephone. After you select them, they will act as mediums to check totally different Types. You may choose between:

• Customary
• Amber
• Gold
• Rose Gold
• Impartial
• Cool Rose

Since I’ve hotter undertones, the latter three made me look completely insane and straight out of a 2014 Tumblr selfie captioned: Listening to Sweater Climate #theneighbourhood. So, I opted for Amber, after which obtained to enjoying round with the depth of the tone and coloration. Like all Apple options, it was extremely intuitive — so long as you have used any type of primary photograph editor ever in your life.

You may return and edit this setting any time, however from there on out, the images you’re taking will mechanically be edited in that type. I prefer it as a result of it is extremely refined — not in your face just like the notorious Portrait Mode. Now, my photos are simply ever-so-slightly hotter in the best way I might often edit them anyway.

Digital camera Management

I actually could not care much less about it

Sure, we all know — there is a enjoyable new button on the iPhone 16 fashions that successfully flip your iPhone right into a digital camera. Nonetheless, I fairly actually have not used it since I arrange the telephone, thought, “Oh yeah, there’s this new factor,” tried it as soon as, and stated out loud, “I’m by no means going to make use of this factor.”

Nonetheless, I do must acknowledge it, because it’s the latest piece of {hardware} on the iPhone because the Motion Button, and I’m neck-deep into the pictures division right here. In trying to find a great use for the brand new button (and to throw Apple a bone right here), I tweaked a fast setting to create an precise use for Digital camera Management: clicking it as I choose up my locked iPhone to right away open the digital camera app with out having to unlock or get up the display within the first place.

The iPhone 16 Professional’s default is to require the display to be on to launch digital camera management. To vary this:

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose Digital camera Management.
3. Scroll to the underside and toggle off “Require Display On.”

And there you’ve got it — now you possibly can deal with your iPhone just like the point-and-shoot Apple needs you to. Tremendous-computer capabilities tagged on, in fact.