The iPhone 16 series could grab a handy video feature from Android
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Apple could reportedly add 4K/120fps video recording to the iPhone 16 Pro series.
- This comes after Sony, Samsung, and vivo all offer 4K/120fps video on their phones.
- Apple has also apparently tested 8K video recording on its devices.
The iPhone 16 series is expected to launch on Monday, and the steady stream of leaks has now turned into a river. The latest leak suggests Apple could grab a feature that some flagship Android phones have had for a while.
9to5Mac reports that the iPhone 16 Pro series will shoot video at 4K/120fps, citing its own sources. This would be an upgrade over 4K/60fps seen on previous models like the iPhone 15 series.
Several Android phones have offered 4K/120fps video recording, namely Sony’s last few Xperia 1 phones, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 6, and the vivo X100 Ultra. This enables slow-motion video that isn’t as slow as current 1080p/240fps modes but is much more detailed. Vivo and Sony’s phones even offer 4K/120fps recording on their periscope cameras for improved flexibility.
There’s no word if the iPhone 16 Pro series will support 4K/120fps video on all rear lenses. Nevertheless, the outlet also reports that users can connect external storage to the new iPhones and record ProRes 4K video at 120fps.
8K video coming to iPhones?
9to5Mac also says there’s evidence Apple has been testing 8K video recording on the iPhone 16 Pro series. However, the website says it’s unclear whether this feature will land in commercial iPhone 16 devices.
8K video requires a ~33MP camera or higher, which means the feature could theoretically arrive on the 48MP main camera and the expected 48MP ultrawide lens. But the iPhone 16 Pro is tipped to offer a 12MP folded zoom camera, which means you wouldn’t be able to record 8K videos at 5x.
8K recording has also been available on Android phones since roughly 2020, although it still seems like overkill in 2024. Nevertheless, the feature is handy if you’d like to crop in on a video after the fact. Samsung also offers an 8K Video Snap feature, allowing you to grab 33MP frames from 8K clips, akin to a burst photo mode. So there are a couple of reasons to use 8K video recording.
Otherwise, the outlet reports that the iPhone 16 series will also offer support for the JPEG-XL format, pausing and resuming video recording in the camera app, wind noise removal in videos, and new photographic styles.
