This hidden setting turned my iPhone 16 Professional into knowledgeable picture studio

Certain, I’d’ve been emotionally hooked up to my iPhone 12 Pro (although it was hanging on by a thread), however I used to be by no means so completely happy to see the digicam go. Once I first obtained it again in 2020, like all new telephones, I felt like I had the most recent, baddest digicam 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 digicam high quality had develop into borderline embarrassing.

I am not kidding — my pals would seize my telephone to take an image and instantly ask what was mistaken with it. However then different instances, so long as the lighting was completely excellent, it could gaslight me into considering it was one of the best digicam round once more. I used to be performed questioning whether or not or not a photograph would prove a number of weeks in the past once I lastly upgraded to an iPhone 16 Pro.

Now that I have been capturing my photographs with the for the final two weeks, here is what I discovered stark (and never so insane) concerning the soar up 4 generations.

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The starkest distinction

Lighting did not should be on its greatest conduct

First, let’s speak specs. The iPhone 12 Professional has a 12-megapixel digicam whereas the 16 Professional has a 48-megapixel digicam — that is actually 4 instances the megapixels 4 generations later. I’ve already seen the distinction once I’m zooming in or cropping my photographs from my new digicam, and it brings me nice pleasure as a social media supervisor who’s at all times chopping, 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 digicam. The 12 Professional has ƒ/1.6 aperture on its predominant digicam whereas the 16 Professional has ƒ/1.78. On the floor, aperture going up is not at all times one of the best factor — it does let in additional mild. Nonetheless, that was the principle challenge I used to be operating into with my dusty 12 Professional — all the pieces was simply manner 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 digicam high quality in comparison with the dinosaur I used to be taking footage on the 5 years prior. However after tooling round for a short while, I spotted 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 really simply fine-tuning tweaks to optimize an already good digicam. I wasn’t as overwhelmed with image high quality as I assumed I might be.

Granted, my Snapchats have been noticeably larger high quality — I even had a pal ask me what I had performed otherwise within the final week. I am not saying I seemed higher. Quite the opposite, you would 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 utterly freak out in any sort of lighting — and I could not even take into consideration taking a selfie outdoors for the sake of sunshine stripes that utterly dominated any facial options, not to mention posting any footage I took to my Instagram.

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Spare {hardware}, good sir?

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

New pictures options

Hi there Photographic Types

Bear 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 Cellular skilled on the ripe age of 17, and I most popular to edit my footage 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 once I would ask a stranger to take an image on my telephone out in public solely to undergo my digicam 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 once I obtained dwelling so they would not assume I used to be ungrateful.

However a brand new characteristic 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 elements of your photographs. Folks usually use it to personalize how they need their pores and skin tones to seem 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, you need to select 4 of your favourite footage — 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 completely different Types. You’ll be able to 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 shade. Like all Apple options, it was extremely intuitive — so long as you have used any sort of fundamental picture editor ever in your life.

You’ll be able to return and edit this setting any time, however from there on out, the images you are taking will robotically 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 footage are simply ever-so-slightly hotter in the best way I might often edit them anyway.

Digicam 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 digicam. 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 should acknowledge it, because it’s the most recent piece of {hardware} on the iPhone because the Motion Button, and I’m neck-deep into the pictures division right here. In looking for 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 Digicam Management: clicking it as I choose up my locked iPhone to right away open the digicam app with out having to unlock or get up the display screen within the first place.

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

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

And there you will have it — now you’ll be able to deal with your iPhone just like the point-and-shoot Apple needs you to. Tremendous-computer capabilities tagged on, after all.