Apple is anticipated to release the iPhone 16 series in early September, featuring four models: iPhone 16, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max. Numerous leaks and rumors about the series have circulated, with the latest indicating that the iPhone 16 series will continue to lack 8K video recording capability, a feature long available on Android flagship devices.
Storage Limitations for 8K Recording
When Apple incorporated a 48 MP main sensor in the iPhone 14 Pro models, many hoped for 8K video recording support. The 12MP sensor couldn't meet the 8K video recording resolution requirement of 7680 x 4320 pixels, totaling approximately 33.2 million pixels.
However, another issue prevents Apple from enabling 8K recording: storage requirements. Apple's 10-bit ProRes recording demands significant storage space. Increasing the resolution to 8K is impractical, particularly for base models with limited storage capacity.
TrendForce reports suggest Apple might upgrade the base iPhone 16 Pro to 256GB storage, which remains inadequate for 10-bit ProRes recording in 8K. For perspective, a minute of 10-bit ProRes 1080P video on an iPhone consumes about 1.7GB, and 4K mode reaches 6GB.
Enhanced Video Recording Capabilities
Despite the 8K limitation, video recording will see improvements. As reported by 9To5Mac, the iPhone 16 Pro (and likely the iPhone 16 Pro Max) will support 4K 120fps recording, enhancing the previous 4K 60fps recording available on last year’s iPhones.
Adoption of New Image Format
JPEG XL, a next-generation image format, offers superior compression and quality compared to older formats like JPEG. Previous reports indicated Apple has already integrated support for this format in iOS 17 and macOS 14. Although no other smartphone manufacturers have yet adopted JPEG XL directly into their camera systems, the iPhone 16 series is rumored to include this capability.
