iPhone Air has THIS first-ever feature for a single-camera iPhone
What's the story
Apple's latest offering, the iPhone Air, has set a new standard for single-camera smartphones by introducing a fully-featured Portrait Mode. The feature was previously seen on multi-camera models but is now making its debut on a device with just one rear camera. This move highlights Apple's commitment to enhancing user experience and photography capabilities across all its devices.
Feature evolution
Portrait mode's previous limitations
The Portrait Mode was first introduced with the iPhone XR, allowing users to take "dramatic portraits using a single camera lens." However, this feature was limited to people and pets. So, you couldn't take a portrait-style photo of something such as a flower. The same restriction applied to the 2020 and 2022 iPhone SE models as well as the recently launched iPhone 16e.
Enhanced features
iPhone Air's next-generation Portrait mode
The iPhone Air comes with a "next-generation" Portrait Mode, which includes full subject support. This means users can now take portrait photos of anything, not just people and pets. The feature also offers depth control, focus adjustment, automatic depth information capture in regular Photo mode, HDR in portrait photos, as well as sharper detail and more vivid colors for improved low-light performance.
User experience
Making most of your single-camera phone
The new portrait features of the iPhone Air make the compromise of having only one rear camera much more bearable. The ability to automatically capture depth information in regular photos is another handy addition. This way, if you forget to enable portrait mode while taking a photo, you can always go back and turn it on later.