iPhone 16 series could gain useful video feature from Android

The iPhone 16 series is expected to launch on Monday, and the steady stream of leaks has turned into a river. The latest leak suggests Apple could be taking on a feature that some flagship Android phones have had for a while.

9to5Mac reports that the iPhone 16 Pro series will shoot 4K/120fps video, citing its own sources. This will be an improvement over the 4K/60fps seen in previous models like the iPhone 15 series.

A handful of Android phones offer 4K/120fps video recording, namely Sony’s latest Xperia 1, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 6, and the vivo X100 Ultra. This enables slow-motion recording that’s not as slow as the current 1080p/240fps modes, but is much more detailed. Vivo and Sony phones even offer 4K/120fps recording on their periscope cameras, giving you more flexibility.

It is not known whether the iPhone 16 Pro series will support 4K/120fps video on all rear lenses. However, the portal also reports that users can connect external storage to the new iPhones and record ProRes 4K video at 120fps.

Will 8K video come to iPhones?

9to5Mac also says there is evidence that Apple is testing 8K video recording on the iPhone 16 Pro series. However, the website says it is unclear whether the feature will make it to commercial iPhone 16 devices.

8K video requires a ~33MP or better camera, meaning the feature could theoretically come with the 48MP main camera and the expected 48MP ultra-wide-angle lens. But the iPhone 16 Pro is expected to offer a 12MP foldable camera with zoom, meaning you won’t be able to shoot 8K video at 5x.

8K recording has also been available on Android phones since around 2020, though it still seems like overkill in 2024. Still, the feature is useful if you want to trim your video after the fact. Samsung also offers an 8K Video Snap feature, which lets you grab 33-megapixel stills from 8K clips, similar to burst mode. So there are a few reasons to take advantage of 8K video recording.

In addition, the site 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 from videos, and new photography styles.