Photographer and videographer Tyler Stalman joins us on this week's episode of The MacRumors Show to examine whether the iPhone 18 Pro's camera is a compelling reason to upgrade, how its new features affect everyday shooting, and what photographers gain or give up with the iPhone Duo.


The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌'s Main camera combines a new 48-megapixel sensor, a faster variable-aperture lens, and updated image processing. The variable aperture offers settings of ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0. The iPhone 17 Pro has a fixed ƒ/1.78 aperture, so the new lens's widest setting admits about 45% more light on aperture values alone, or just over half an exposure stop. Apple claims around 50% better low-light performance for the complete Main camera system.

At ƒ/2.8 or ƒ/4.0, people standing at different distances in a group shot can remain sharper, provided there is enough light to compensate for the smaller opening. A narrower aperture can also let video use a slower shutter speed in bright conditions, producing more natural motion blur. At ƒ/1.48, the camera has more light for indoor photos and potentially shorter Night mode exposures. The wider opening should also reduce the need for Night mode at all in some situations. The camera defaults to ƒ/1.8, close to the 17 Pro's fixed aperture, but the new sensor and processing still affect photos taken at that setting.

The Pro Controls add manual aperture, shutter speed, and white balance adjustments, plus a live histogram directly in the native Camera app. Users can pin their most-used settings to the top of the viewfinder, which is a major practical improvement for professionals. For example, shutter speed offers control over frozen action or intentional motion blur, while white balance can help stop greenery being made too blue by automatic settings or maintain a consistent look between video clips.

Photographic Styles 3 goes further with the ability to adjust tone and color while preserving skin tones, and new controls add Soft Skin, Glow, and Film textures, with grain that can be paired with any of them. The Film setting aims to reproduce more of an analog photograph's character, including its grain and the glow around bright highlights. The strength of the effects can be adjusted, and the style can be changed after capture. Tyler has tested the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌'s film look against a film SLR loaded with Kodak Portra 400.

Apple Reference Image signs data from the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌'s new Main camera sensor at capture, creating a secure digital negative that can be compared with an editable photo. Meanwhile, iOS 27's Photos tools can change perspective with Reframe, generate scenery beyond a picture's original edges with Extend, or remove larger objects with Clean Up. Reference Image leaves room for creative editing while giving photographers a way to show what the sensor captured, provided they enabled the mode before taking the shot.

Meanwhile, the iPhone Duo's camera system has a 48-megapixel Main camera with a fixed ƒ/1.6 aperture and the same 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera as the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌. Its Main camera shares a 26mm focal length, ƒ/1.6 aperture, and Hybrid Focus Pixels with the iPhone 17e, leading some to question why Apple's most expensive iPhone appears to have camera hardware similar to an entry-level model. That said, the Duo has sensor-shift optical image stabilization, which the 17e lacks, and Apple has not disclosed enough sensor details to establish that the two phones use identical hardware.

Compared with the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, the ‌iPhone Duo‌ also lacks a dedicated Telephoto lens, variable aperture, manual Pro Controls, Reference Image, and professional formats including ProRAW and ProRes. The ‌iPhone Duo‌'s folding design makes a different case for its camera. Smart Take can capture a group photo when everyone is posing, Kid Cue plays animations on the outer display to draw a child's attention, and Duo Preview lets subjects see a live view of a photo being taken of them with the rear camera. The phone can also stand partly open for hands-free shots.

Looking to the future, Apple is rumored to be working on a custom image sensor that could arrive as soon as next year with the 20th-anniversary iPhone.

See more of Tyler's work over on his YouTube channel or on X @stalman. The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.



You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or other podcast apps. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your player.



If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up to hear our ‌iPhone Duo‌ debate and discussion about early impressions of the AirPods 5, and the merits of Apple's latest iPhone and Apple Watch upgrades.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Michael Fisher, Kayci Lacob, Kevin Nether, John Gruber, Mark Gurman, Jon Prosser, Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Sam Kohl, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

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This article, "The MacRumors Show: Tyler Stalman Talks iPhone 18 Pro's Camera" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's next-generation iPad mini will feature the A20 Pro chip, a rearranged front-facing camera, and a new speaker system, leaked code reveals.


The information originates from Apple's own code (spotted by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris) and also shows clear product images of the new ‌iPad mini‌. Although images of the device only show the front, leaving any design changes of the rear or side profile unknown, there are still visible changes.

The new ‌iPad mini‌ features a landscape front-facing camera, making it the final iPad to transition to this positioning. It also has a small groove cut out of the top of the display glass, just like the iPhone, presumably for the speaker. The volume buttons and power button remain on the top of the device.

We are not sharing the exact details of the files, but their presence in Apple's code suggests that the product is likely to launch soon.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that the next-generation ‌iPad mini‌ will feature water resistance and an all new vibration-based speaker, so the icons appear to corroborate that claim.

The new ‌iPad mini‌ is rumored to feature a slightly larger screen, an OLED display, and more. Gurman expects it to launch by the end of October.
This article, "iPad Mini 8 Leaked: A20 Pro Chip, Landscape Camera, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple's new HomePod mini will share the same design as the original model and come in five colors, MacRumors has found.


The information originates from Apple's own code (spotted by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris) and shows clear product images of the new models in all of their colors. The above image contains Apple's own icons, which specifically refer to a "‌HomePod mini‌ 2."

The new ‌HomePod mini‌ will come in green, pink, blue, white, and black. The current model comes in yellow, orange, blue, white, and midnight. The new blue is slightly lighter than the current offering.

We are not sharing the exact details of the files, but their presence in Apple's code suggests that the product is likely to launch soon.

Apple announced the original ‌HomePod mini‌ in October 2020 for $99. Available initially in white and space gray, the 3.3-inch speaker features a fabric-covered spherical design and a backlit touch surface for playback and volume controls. Its S5 chip powers computational audio, while a full-range driver, two passive radiators, and an acoustic waveguide deliver 360-degree sound. It also offers Siri, smart home control, multiroom audio, stereo pairing with a second ‌HomePod mini‌, and Intercom messages between Apple devices. Apple later raised the price to $129.

Apple has been rumored to be working on a new ‌HomePod mini‌ model for several years. A new chip is almost certain to come to the device, along with support for Siri AI. It is expected to launch before the end of 2026.
This article, "Exclusive: First Look at HomePod Mini 2 in Three New Colors" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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