After the culmination of eight betas, the seventeenth iteration of the OS has just reached the Release Candidate stage. This represents the final versions of the software that will be released to the public. Many iPhone 14 Pro/Max users had just welcomed abode the iOS 17 RC build and were welcomed by quite a surprise- their camera has finally been blessed with the HEIF Max format.
HEIF Max is now available to iPhone 14 Pro/Max with iOS 17 RC
Up until now, they had three options- the regular 12-megapixel JPEG or HEIF, 12-megapixel ProRAW, and 48-megapixel ProRAW. So this new addition is definitely a welcome move. But couldn’t the same 48MP be achieved by the ProRAW format? Well, it definitely could, however, those images are unprocessed, meaning they could take up to 75MB of space. On the other hand, the HEIF Max format usually weighs around 5MB.
Moreover, file compression isn’t its only USP, there are quite a few other noteworthy features that HEIF Max beholds in its arsenal. For instance, there is less over-sharpening, the colors are noticeably better, the highlight is much smoother, there are fewer blown-out white sharpen edges, and the images are gathering a lot more light now. One minor drawback is that you cannot use it in combination with Live Photos, but that shouldn’t affect much of the user base.
Do note that you might still come across a few bugs and issues in the RC build of iOS. So if you are willing to be on the safer side of the fence, then just wait for a few more days. The stable release of iOS 17 is slated for September 18, so you may then welcome the HEIF Max onto your iPhone 14 Pro/Max and test out this format, along with a slew of other goodies the OS has to offer!
