Apple is finalizing iOS 27 for release to the masses (after tomorrow’s iPhone 18 event), and some clever people have peeked into the code to see what’s new.
Specifically, the iOS 27 camera app code, and there are some major pro features en route. Starting with exposure scopes, bringing tools like a histogram and waveform to judge exposure. Both have a more sophisticated RGB (red, green, blue) version for finer control. So far the camera app has had an exposure value slider, which was anything but pro.
Next up is manual focus and focus peaking, which will enable much finer adjustments. This is something the majority of Android smartphones have had for years, tucked into a special Pro mode inside their camera app.
Manual focusing and peaking
The iOS 27 camera app is also getting exposure clipping. It’s also self-explanatory – it tells you whether the brightest parts of the image are recoverable or if they’ll get blown (aka turn completely white). It would be interesting to see how accurate this reading is, as computational and multiframe processing has basically eliminated the need for the clipping tool.
Highlight clipping
Also new is captures, giving you the option to take multiple images when the timer runs out – you can specify a number of captures and the timer’s duration – 3s, 5s, or 10s.
Finally, aperture-dependent optical processing, which applies lens correction data, based on the aperture value, which could hint at the rumored variable aperture lens on the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
We’ll surely find out tomorrow, but it’s shaping up to be a giant leap from the mostly let-the-phone-take-control, point-and-shoot style of operation the iPhone camera app has had until now.