Weibo account Fixed Focus Digital has just revealed that the iPhone 17 Pro will be worth looking forward to, as 8K video recording will be "within users' reach". And it seems that this rumor is not unfounded.

Apple tested 8K recording on iPhone 16 Pro?

Last September, a report said that Apple was testing 8K video recording on the iPhone 16 Pro, but the feature was not enabled. The reason is likely due to hardware limitations in the current triple-lens camera system.

iPhone 17 Pro camera.jpg
An iPhone 17 Pro concept. Photo: Macrumors

The iPhone 16 Pro has a 48MP Fusion camera and a 48MP Ultra Wide camera, while the Telephoto camera is only 12MP. Since an 8K frame requires about 33MP, the two 48MP cameras can shoot 8K, but the Telephoto camera cannot.

The report also said that if the iPhone 17 Pro is equipped with a 48MP Telephoto camera as predicted, 8K video recording will officially appear on this device.

Multiple sources have confirmed that the iPhone 17 Pro will be upgraded with 3 48MP cameras, including a Telephoto lens. If this is true, this will be the first time that all rear cameras on an iPhone can record 8K video.

Several rival smartphones now offer 8K video recording, such as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Google Pixel 9 Pro (via AI upscaling). While 8K isn’t yet mainstream in the content creation community, it still has benefits worth considering.

For example, shooting 8K video with the Ultra Wide camera will allow for a 50% crop while still retaining 4K quality. This is very useful for professional video makers.

Notably, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman revealed in February that Apple plans to emphasize upgraded video recording capabilities on the iPhone 17 Pro when it launches the device later this year, though he did not reveal any specific new features.

"In previous years, Apple has focused primarily on the iPhone's photography capabilities. But this year, they will put more emphasis on video recording. The goal of the 2025 iPhone line is to attract the vlogger and video creator community, making them switch from dedicated cameras to iPhone. Expect Apple to promote its most powerful video recording feature ever when it launches the new iPhone in September," Gurman shared.

8K video recording is likely to be one of the big highlights when Apple introduces the iPhone 17 Pro.

Video capabilities that Apple has added to the iPhone over the years include Action mode for image stabilization, Cinematic mode for professional bokeh effects, and Dolby Vision 4K 120fps video recording for cinematic quality.

New camera design on iPhone 17 Pro

Multiple sources confirm that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have a completely redesigned rear camera system.

According to leaked news, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will have a horizontal camera bar design, similar to the Google Pixel line. This camera bar can stretch horizontally on the back, with 3 lenses arranged in a triangle on the left, while the flash, microphone and LiDAR sensor are on the right.

It’s still unclear why Apple chose this design and what the extra space will be used for, but the design has appeared in a number of recent images and 3D printed models, suggesting it could be a reality.

Additionally, all four iPhone 17 models are expected to upgrade the front camera to 24MP, helping to improve selfie and video calling quality.

The new iPhone series will be launched next September. The 2025 iPhone models are expected to include: iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and the super-thin iPhone 17 Air, with many new upgrades, especially the Pro models.

Watch the iPhone 17 Pro concept video with a completely new rear camera cluster design. (Source: Asher Dipprey)

(According to Macrumors, Appleinsider)

15 'hot' Apple products are about to launch, iPhone 17 promises to explode Apple has introduced 5 new products this year, but there are still many surprises for users from now until the end of the year, especially the iPhone 17 line.