Emir Bardakçı
Most of the new camera features said to be arriving with Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are expected to further raise the bar in mobile photography and videography. But not all of those will be all that new in modern smartphones, with Xiaomi having already applied the same features on various flagship cameras, some dating a few generations ago. Here’s a closer look at what Apple is bringing and how Xiaomi has already been ahead of the curve.
4K video recording at 120 fps catching up with Xiaomi: Shooting 4K at 120 fps is one of the most talked-about features for the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro series. This is a high frame rate capability best suited for capturing fast-moving subjects in cinematic clarity with smoother slow-motion footage. By 2024, only one phone from Xiaomi has enabled 4K 120 fps recording, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which at best hasn’t yet made this a standard across the board, not even from Xiaomi, with other models capped at a maximum of 1080p 120 fps.
While definitely something video enthusiasts and creators will appreciate, especially those on Apple devices, flagship phones from Xiaomi have pushed boundaries similar to these over the years, even if the 4K 120 fps capability does remain rather rare.
8K Video Recording: Apple Playing Catch-Up
As for 8K video recording, it would appear that the technological leader, Apple, is actually playing catch-up. The word on the street is that the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max could support 8K recording; a feature that Apple has reportedly tested in development but said to be not confirmed to make it into the final product.
On its part, Xiaomi has enabled support for 8K video recording on all its flagship phones since 2020, meaning Apple is at least four years behind. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra itself boasts of 50MP cameras, which enable 8K video recording on its primary camera-a feature still absent in most high-end smartphones from other brands. Where Apple could differentiate itself, however, is in the number of cameras capable of capturing 8K video.
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are each said to feature a 48MP primary and ultra-wide camera; thus, both should technically support 8K video. That would be one aspect through which Apple might even outdo Xiaomi, whose 8K recording currently only supports primary cameras.
AI-Powered Camera: Photographic Camera – Apple vs. Xiaomi
One of the more exciting rumors involves the implementation of something called Apple Intelligence that is supposedly aimed at taking on Xiaomi’s Mi AI system. Xiaomi has loaded Mi AI into devices with their HyperOS 2.0 operating system, featuring things like multi-frame noise reduction, advanced image processing, scene recognition, among other AI-enabled camera enhancements. But reportedly, the AI features of Apple will be more exclusive, available only in Pro models of the iPhone 16 series and limited to devices that were released in 2023 and 2024.
Compare this with Xiaomi, which has been a bit more liberal with the AI-powered features for it has been issuing Mi AI across a wide array of devices.
Dedicated Camera Button
A Niche yet Noteworthy Feature Other rumored features for the iPhone 16 Pro series are a dedicated camera button for quick and intuitive photo and video capture. While Xiaomi has not yet implemented this feature into their flagships, the addition of a hardware button committed only to the camera could be just that subtle difference to take Apple’s gadget even further, at least for those who enjoy mobile photography more often.
Innovation of Apple and Legacy of Xiaomi While Apple is going to unveil several exciting camera features in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, many of these capabilities, such as 8K recording and AI photography, have been available for quite some time on devices bearing the Xiaomi brand. Given the determination of Xiaomi to continue innovating in camera technologies, especially for its high-end line of products, it has been able to impress many aspects of mobile videography and AI integration wbay ahead of competitors like Apple.
But with Apple Intelligence and the possibility of new advancement in multi-camera 8K recording, Apple may finally be catching up-providing iPhone users with new tools to finally give a run for Xiaomi’s camera-centric features. For now, however, Xiaomi remains a strong player in the smartphone camera market-a standard-setter for high-performance mobile videography years before any of the real competition.
Is this a joke? iPhones have best as video for years. Maybe, Xiaomi fans need to be honest, about their own devices, before mention others’. Every phone, made by them, has had great camera hardware, ruined by awful software processing and, without exception, overexposure in shots with people, due to China’s obsession with skin lightening. Actually, if see side-by-side reviews with the Vivo X100 Ultra and Oppo Find X7 Ultra, it’s very clear that it’s a Xiaomi only problem…