Apple has unveiled a new technology called the Photonic Engine. The primary purpose of creating this technology is to make photos better. The Photonic Engine works on the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. While using this technology, users don’t need to turn anything on their iPhones. This feature has no setting or Photonic Engine button, as it’s the default setting.
How does Photonic Engine work?
The Photonic Engine is a new computational photography system. This system relies on camera hardware, machine learning, and software. All of these components work together to give you the ability to take photos that look better than ever.
The main goal of the Photonic Engine is to take high-quality photos in low light. The Photonic Engine uses machine learning to process photos pixel by pixel, which optimizes texture, detail, and noise throughout the image.
Apple said at the launch of this system that the Photonic Engine improves photo quality in moderate to low light on all cameras. That is up to 2x on the Ultra Wide camera, 2x on the TrueDepth camera, and an impressive 2.5x on the new primary camera.
In the iPhone 14 Pro, Apple will combine this technology with a 48-megapixel primary camera. As a result, the quality is improved compared to the existing 12-megapixel cameras that Apple has previously offered.
However, the company is only using this expanded sensor to provide more light in most cases. The resulting photos will only be 12 megapixels in standard mode. You can get 48-megapixel pictures in ProRAW mode.
Does the Photonic Engine replace the night mode?
The Photonic Engine wasn’t created to replace night mode. The Photonic Engine exists separately from Night Mode. Many have suggested that this technology is a replacement for night mode. After Apple’s description, it seems that this feature overlaps with the Photonic Engine feature. However, that’s not entirely true.
The primary purpose of night mode is to improve photos in dark surroundings. Whereas the Photonic Engine works to enhance the photo as a whole – but with an emphasis on less brightly lit areas of the picture.
That’s why with the release of the Photonic Engine, night mode will continue to perform its function on iPhones. In the same format as before, users can control it. That is, the on and off button isn’t gone.
