Apple’s WWDC was a setback for me, with no new technology announced and several new features besides a slick iphone 26 program. I’m pinning my hope that the iPhone 17 did get my signal racing, and the best way it can do that is with the lens. The iPhone 16 Pro&nbsp already has one of the best camcorder setups available on any phone, making it capable of taking spectacular images in any situation. It is a powerful video shooter thanks to its ProRes movie, Log recording, and the eye-catching 4K slower motion mode. It also put up a strong battle against the other&nbsp, best lens apps around, including the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the Pixel 9 Pro and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. &nbsp,

Read more: Camera Champions Face Off: Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. phone 16 Pro

Despite that, it’s still not the best lens. The phone 17 will need more than just video, according to early reports from industry insiders, to become an all-round photo powerhouse. As a professional photographer and experienced mobile examiner, I have incredibly high expectations for high-end phone cameras. And, having used the phone 16 Pro since its launch, I have some ideas on what needs to change. &nbsp,

When the phone 17 is likely to debut in September 2025, here are the main things I want to view improved.

An available Pro lens style

Apple unveiled the changes to the future iOS 26 at WWDC, which included a significant overhaul to the Liquid Glass user interface. However, Apple simplified the program to the most fundamental functions, such as Photo, Video, and Zoom, and also included that reduced style. Apparently, the idea is to make it very simple for even the most beginner of photography to start the camera and begin taking Instagram-worthy snaps. &nbsp,

And that’s great, but what about those of us who buy the Pro designs in order to get deeper benefits of features like contact payment, Picture Styles and ProRaw formats? Although it’s not entirely clear how to use these features in the new lens program, they should not be hidden somewhere. Some photographers, including myself, want to use these tools as normal, using our effective iPhones in much the same method we may a Canon or Sony mobile camera. &nbsp,

To create images that transcend plain snaps, photographers must rely on sophisticated settings to control the image-taking process. Apple’s camera game has always been overly plain, with even the most basic features missing. To discover Apple get things to an even more straightforward level is unsatisfactory, and I want to see how the company may continue to make these phones suitable for passionate photographers. &nbsp,

device with larger graphic device

Though the 1/1.28-inch sensor found on&nbsp, the iPhone 16 Pro’s key camera is now a great size– and significantly larger than the S24 Ultra’s 1/1.33-inch sensor– I want to view Apple go bigger. A larger image sensor has a wider dynamic range and can capture more light. Why do professional cameras typically have at least “full frame” image sensors, while really high-end cameras, like the amazing&nbsp, Hasselblad 907X, have enormous “medium format” sensors for flawless image quality. &nbsp,

Xiaomi makes its 15 Ultra and 14 Ultra models with 1-inch-style sensors because they are aware of this. It’s larger than the sensors found on almost any other phone, which allowed the 15 Ultra to take stunning photos all over Europe, while the 14 Pro was heroic in capturing a Taylor Swift concerts. I want to see Apple at least compete with Xiaomi’s phone with a 1-inch sensor. Even so, the iPhone 17 might be the first smartphone to have a full-frame image sensor if we’re talking pie-in-the-sky wishes. I won’t hold my breath on that one– the phone, and the lenses, would need to be immense to accommodate it, so it’d likely be more efficient just to let you make calls with your mirrorless camera. &nbsp,

aperture variable

Speaking of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, one of the other reasons that phone rocks so hard for photography is its variable aperture on the main camera. Its widest aperture is f/1. 1.6, which is significantly wider than the f/1. 78 of the iPhone 16 Pro. In dim lighting, the wider aperture allows in a lot of light in and produces more authentic bokeh around the subject. &nbsp,

But Xiaomi’s 14 Ultra aperture can also close down to f/4, and with that narrower aperture, it’s able to create starbursts around points of light. I adore using the phone to achieve this effect in nighttime imagery. The resultant images appear much more like they were captured by a professional photographer and lens, while the iPhone’s same points of light simply appear as round blobs. Disappointingly, Xiaomi actually removed this feature from the new 15 Ultra so whether Apple sees value in implementing this kind of technology remains to be seen. &nbsp,

More photographic techniques

Though Apple has had various styles and effects integrated into the iPhone’s cameras, the iPhone 16 range took it further, with more control over the effects and more toning options. Even enough, CNET Senior Editor Lisa Eadicicco even referred to the new Photographic Styles as her “favorite new feature on Apple’s most recent phone.”

They are fantastic, in my opinion. Or rather, they’re a great start. There aren’t many options, and the interface can be a little slow to work through. In addition, the various color tones, like those you get with the Amber and Gold styles, add some lovely warmth to scenes. I’d like to see Apple develop more photographic styles with various color toning options, or even tones that resemble vintage film stocks from Kodak or Fujifilm. &nbsp,

And sure, there are plenty of third-party apps like VSCO or Snapseed that let you play around with color filters all you want. However, using Apple’s styles means you can use your images with the look that has already been applied and then modify them if you don’t like it; nothing has been ingested into your image. &nbsp,

I was recently impressed with Samsung’s new tool for creating custom color filters based off the look of other images. I’d like to see Apple add that much image customization to the iPhone.

Better integration of ProRaw with photographic aesthetics

I do think Apple has slightly missed an opportunity with its Photographic Styles, though, in that you can use them only when taking images in HEIF ( high-efficiency image format ). Unfortunately, you can’t use them when shooting with ProRaw. I enjoy Apple’s use of ProRaw on previous iPhones because it utilizes all of the iPhone’s computational photography, including HDR image blending, but still outputs a DNG raw file for easier editing. &nbsp,

DNG files are typically more versatile because they give you more options for brightening dark areas or tone down highlights in an image. I adored using Apple’s color presets when shooting in ProRaw before. I frequently shot street-style photos using the high contrast black-and-white mode and then edited the raw file further. &nbsp,

The advantages of using Apple’s ProRaw are no longer present, as using that same black-and-white look means only taking images in HEIF format. Strangely, you can still use those filters in the iPhone’s gallery app through the editing menu even though the older-style” Filters” are no longer available in the camera app when taking a raw image.

LUTs for ProRes video

And while we’re talking about color presets and filters, Apple needs to include those in video as well. Apple added the ability to record video in ProRes on the iPhone 15 Pro, which produces footage with very low contrast and almost gray in the end. The idea is that video editors will take this raw footage and then apply their edits on top, often applying contrast and color presets known as LUTs ( look-up tables ) that gives footage a particular look– think dark and blue for horror films or warm and light tones for a romantic drama vibe. &nbsp,

Apple doesn’t, however, offer any LUT for editing ProRes video on the iPhone beyond ramping up the contrast, which is ineffective. Sure, the point of ProRes is that you would take that footage off the iPhone, put it into software like Davinci Resolve, and then properly color grade the footage so it looks sleek and professional. &nbsp,

However, that leaves your phone’s files, and I’d like to be able to use them more. My gallery is littered with ungraded video files that I’ll do very little with because they need color grading externally. After turning those files from dull and gray to beautifully colorful, I’d love to share them with my family over WhatsApp or on Instagram.

I want to see Apple developing a range of its own LUTs that can be directly applied to ProRes video files on the iPhone with the iPhone 17 or even the iPhone 16 as a software update. While we didn’t see this software functionality discussed as part of the company’s June WWDC keynote, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be launched with the iPhone in September.

Apple would have a truly amazing camera if it were able to implement all these changes, with the exception of perhaps the slightly ambitious full-frame sensor. &nbsp,