The iPhone 16 Pro will support the JPEG-XL file format, according to information discovered in the iOS 18 Release Candidate code. Unlike the traditional JPEG format, JPEG-XL offers better compression, allowing for smaller file sizes while maintaining higher image quality. It is a competitor to the WebP format invented by Google.
Exclusive to iPhone 16 Pro / Pro Max
Apple didn’t mention this new feature during today’s event, but JPEG-XL support was announced before the iPhone 16 launched. It appears that only the Pro models will get JPEG-XL image capture. JPEG-XL.
Compared to the HEIC format, which Apple introduced a few years ago, JPEG-XL has a major advantage: it allows for both lossy and lossless compression. HEIC, while offering better quality than standard JPEG, is still a lossy format, which can result in some slight image degradation. Professional photographers will likely prefer JPEG-XL for its ability to avoid any loss of quality. Additionally, HEIC has never been widely adopted, which has limited its usefulness.
HEIC will still be available alongside JPEG, JPEG-XL, and others. JPEG-XL could become a preferred choice for those seeking a compromise between file size and image quality, with options for lossless compression in professional applications. However, there is a need for tools that are compatible with this format, which is still too rare.
One more reason to upgrade to the iPhone 16 Pro…