iPhone 15 and all its versions have been on sale since the end of September. We followed the launch of its smartphones at Apple’s keynote. You can already find in our columns the test of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, whose innovations relate to design, the arrival of the action button and the titanium shell, performance thanks to the A17 Pro and, of course, photography. Here we noticed real improvements, especially in portraits and night shots.
The results are still natural, but the smartphone manages to brighten certain areas of certain scenes and the colors are more vibrant. Thanks to this Smart HDR 5One of the biggest news of 2023 at Apple. You will benefit from these improvements when looking at your photos on the iPhone 15 screen. On the other hand, when you share these photos on social networks or on a smartphone of a different brand, you will not notice them much. Why ? Because Smart HDR 5 is not just an algorithm. This is a new image format.
What is the difference between HEIF, HEIC and Smart HDR5 of iPhone 15?
Concretely, the iPhone 15 and its variants produce photos in the format HEICa variation of the standard HEIF. This format, among other things, allows viewing photos in HDR without loss of information, thanks to additional metadata. Apple integrated the HEIC format into its ecosystem in 2017. At the same time, Apple has used HDR-compatible displays in all of its product lines, starting with its high-end models (iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, iPhone Pro). Purpose: To view HDR photos.
Frankly, HDR’s relevance is complete if the entire ecosystem is compatible: hardware, software and operating system. And today many equipment support the HEIF format. Other than that, Apple has never done things like others. In practice, Apple’s Smart HDR 5 is similar to “classic” HDR: photos are taken, analyzed, stored and enriched with the necessary metadata for non-destructive modifications. If you export your photo as JPG on social networks, you will lose some profit. This is classic.
iPhone 15’s Smart HDR 5 is optimized for Apple devices
In fact, Smart HDR 5 goes even further. Because this evolution in the format includes new metadata that further improves the display of photos. This data will tell all stakeholders (hardware, software and operating system) how to apply certain filters to certain parts of the photo.
Colors are more natural. The contrasts are deeper. To benefit from this better experience, you need a smartphone, tablet or computer with an HDR-compatible display. So far, so good. You need an operating system with Smart HDR 5: iOS 17, macOS Sonoma and iPadOS 17. You also need compatible photo management software: Apple Photos Or Adobe Photoshopespecially.
iPhone 15 photos look worse on Android smartphone
So be careful with the app you use to view your photo. If the native iOS reader (Apple Photos) is compatible, this does not apply to: Google Photos, For example. Therefore, if you use this app to watch on your iPhone 15 Pro Max, you will lose image quality. Additionally, if you share the photo on your social networks or via messaging, the contrast and color measurement will be less sharp, whether for your followers, your friends, or you. At least until it supports Smart HDR 5.
In addition, all the advantages of Smart HDR 5 are not visible on displays from other manufacturers. Even if you use Photoshop. Even if your smartphone’s screen is HDR compatible. Why ? Because’Android is not compatible with Smart HDR 5. The same goes for Windows 11. Maybe one day they will too. But to date this is not the case.
With its promise of improved image processing across the entire production chain, Smart HDR 5 (now integrated into the HEIC format) is a new argument from the American company. attract the attention of discerning photographers and keeping them in their ecosystem. It is very likely that the improvements brought by Smart HDR 5 will be integrated into the HEIF standard in the short or medium term. But until then, Apple will have plenty of time to extol the value of its products. Retain or even gain users.
