On May 23, Apple will present a special broadcast of a Major League Soccer (MLS) match shot entirely on iPhone 17 Pro smartphones. It will be the first time a major professional live sporting event is broadcast exclusively on iPhone.
VWFNDR has announced VWFNDR + MBL, a new Android camera app designed to work like a camera, "not as a computational filter." The company says it has built its new app to be a tool for intentional, deliberate mobile photographers.
Insta360 has announced the Mic Pro, the company's new flagship wireless microphone system. The Mic Pro is designed for advanced and professional creators, filmmakers, podcasts, and event professionals who require pro-grade results in a simple, straightforward package.
Sony unveiled the Xperia VIII smartphone this week, boasting photographer-focused upgrades and improvements. American buyers, who are yet again missing out on the latest Xperia, may have felt a little left out. Looking at the phone's new AI Camera Assistant with Xperia Intelligence and its terrible results, perhaps U.S. buyers aren't missing out on much at all.
Instagram has launched a new feature called Instants, a disappearing photo-sharing system designed around fast, unedited sharing with close friends. Available both inside Instagram and through a new standalone Instants app, the feature pushes even further into real-time photography and casual social sharing, with a strong emphasis on authenticity and privacy.
India’s tiger reserves are beginning to ban mobile phones during safaris as wildlife tourism faces growing concerns over overcrowding, unsafe tourist behavior, and the impact of social media-driven content creation on endangered animals and fragile ecosystems.
Sony has officially announced the new Sony Xperia 1 VIII, and while the company’s Xperia lineup has long catered to photographers with manual controls, shutter buttons, and Alpha-inspired features, this latest model may represent the biggest camera-focused shift in years.
Vivo’s “Ultra” phones have always been the company’s best but this one is the first to venture outside the Chinese market. More like a phone in a camera than the other way around, it feels like a camera system built from the sum of its many parts.
Mobile photographers could have been forgiven for thinking that the beloved Google-owned photo editor Snapseed was dead before it received its first major update in years last June, bringing the app to version 3.0. Good news for Snapseed fans, the wait for the next major update was much shorter, and Snapseed 4.0 has arrived on iOS and Android.
The best camera features generally go to top flagships for good reason, but mid-range brands like Tecno always try to punch above their weight. The Tecno Camon 50 Ultra may be a phone you’ve never heard of, yet its camera system is varied enough to stand out.
OpenAI may be making a ChatGPT phone with AI agents replacing apps to complete different tasks, according to a new report.
Reeflex has launched a new ultra-telephoto lens for Apple and Samsung's latest flagship smartphones on Kickstarter, promising mobile photographers significantly more reach and improved image quality versus using their built-in lenses with digital zoom.
DJI has been busy lately, at least everywhere but the United States. DJI today unveiled the Mic Mini 2, a colorful upgrade that promises improved audio performance and usability.
In his review of the new Oppo Find X9 Ultra, famous tech YouTuber and enthusiastic photographer Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) not only evaluates Oppo's latest slab phone, but he also waxes poetic about mobile photography and smartphone cameras in general, arguing that no matter how good phones get, they won't replace dedicated cameras for hardcore photographers. He's right, and it's refreshing to hear someone in the broader tech space say so.
The Oppo Find X9 Ultra will be the company’s first “Ultra” flagship to go beyond China’s borders, making it something of a global debut. Those in the know recognize the symbolism, but the backbone of this introduction begins and ends with the quadruple rear camera array.
Alongside teasing the Insta360 Luna Pro and Luna Ultra at NAB 2026, an upcoming competitor to DJI's popular Osmo Pocket series cameras, Insta360 also previewed a new wireless microphone, the Insta360 Mic Pro.
Legendary street photographer Joel Meyerowitz sees the ubiquity of camera phones as a good thing, telling the AFP that it gives everyone the "means of expression."
The new Huawei Pura 90 series has a never-before-seen feature in a smartphone: "AI pose suggestions," which gives pointers on how to sit for a photo.
ShiftCam has announced V-Series, which it describes as "the next generation of mobile optics." The V-Series comprises four new add-on lenses for smartphones: a fisheye, a wide-angle, a telephoto prime, and a macro.
After Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) took the same photo on each generation of the iPhone, the popular creator followed it up by taking the same photo on each generation of the Samsung Galaxy and Google smartphones.
Last week, Insta360 unveiled the Snap selfie monitor for smartphones, but only in Asia. Today, the company unveiled its latest mobile accessory across global markets.
French photographer Imad Djebarni just developed a new iPhone app designed for film photographers. Pellica's primary purpose is to track which films photographers use, which is not a wholly new concept for an app. However, Pellica aims to do much more than track film.
Reeflex has released Reeflex Pro Camera 3.0, a major update to its iOS photography app that introduces enhanced capture tools, improved performance, and a redesigned interface aimed at providing DSLR-style control on iPhone.
Insta360 Japan announced a new Snap selfie monitor that magnetically attaches to the back of a smartphone and enables mobile users to capture higher quality selfies using the superior rear cameras on their device.
While PetaPixel readers are particularly passionate about serious, dedicated cameras with the latest and greatest features, one of the most popular cameras in the world is the iPhone. Nearly every year, Apple touts improved photo quality on its latest handhelds, often due to a combination of better hardware and more sophisticated software.
Vivo officially launched its latest flagship smartphone, the X300 Ultra in China. Vivo says its new phone features Vivo's best-ever suite of cameras and photography features, and the company promises that the X300 Ultra redefines mobile imaging for still photography and video.
A new mobile app, DualShot Recorder, skyrocketed up the App Store charts this weekend. DualShot Recorder enters the content creation space with a focused promise: eliminate the need to film the same scene twice for different aspect ratios. Designed for iPhone users, the app enables simultaneous recording in both portrait (9:16) and landscape (16:9) formats, producing two synchronized video files from a single tap.
Like its flagships, Vivo focuses on mobile photography with its mid-range V Series, and the V70 aims to carry that torch. While not a dramatic shift, key moves with the user experience make this a likeable device for several reasons.
A new legal battle between the co-founders of Lux Optics, the company behind acclaimed iPhone camera apps Halide and Kino, sheds new light on not only Lux itself but also Apple's interest in the company.
If you ask me, some of the worst smartphone photos are those people take with front-facing cameras. Smaller sensors, smaller lenses, and fewer resources are big reasons why, and as rear cameras continue to evolve (some more than others, anyway), products are released to encourage users to turn their phones around and use the rear lenses instead.
I had no idea what to expect with the Oppo Reno 15 Pro once I unboxed it and started setting it up. Billed as an “all-in-one creative partner,” the general premise is to impress with the images it captures, and using it as much as I have, I’m surprised at what it delivers considering the specs.
Telesin has introduced its Master Grip series, a new lineup of smartphone camera grips designed to transform modern flagship Apple and Samsung phones into more capable handheld photography and video tools.
Should Google have even bothered to make the Pixel 10a? I asked myself this question multiple times while using it because I couldn’t always tell where the distinctions lay with its predecessor.
This week on The PetaPixel Podcast, the team is joined by mobile expert Ted Kritsonis who shares his opinion on why Samsung might be afraid to take risks with its smartphone hardware and, more importantly, why it doesn't seem to matter how far behind Chinese brands its devices are.
Kino, an iPhone video camera app created by Lux, the same people who make the iPhone photo camera app Halide, received a massive update today that adds Apple Log 2 support.
Nothing is known for its mostly transparent, ultra-stylish smartphones. However, the company's latest offering, the Nothing Phone 4a Pro, ditches the translucent case everywhere except the large, flashy camera module.
A wet and rainy San Francisco was the venue for this year’s Galaxy Unpacked launch event and the testing ground for shooting the new Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. The Ultra model is priced at $1,299, which is the same as last year’s model. I’m going into this review with the usual intention of testing this phone more as a camera and seeing how it stacks up as a creative tool.
vivo is taking mobile videography to new lengths in a very literal sense with the X300 Ultra, putting a professional cinema camera into your pocket. This means filmmakers and content creators can now capture professional-grade footage anytime, anywhere, without compromising on quality or creative control.
What happens when you put a small robot into a smartphone and let it control the camera? Honor’s Robot Phone is essentially built on that premise as an Android phone with a built-in gimbal. And the company says it will become a finished product coming to market at some point in 2026, starting in China first.
When it comes to Tecno’s Modular Magnetic Interconnection Technology, the company describes it as a “phone that grows on demand”. A magnetic-based system that allows users to stack components -- including various cameras -- onto the back of the phone makes it highly adaptable. At least in theory.
Legendary cinema company Arri has teamed up with smartphone maker Honor to bring Arri's imaging science and video technology to Honor smartphones, including the upcoming Honor Robot Phone.
After the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro featured updated cameras, the iPhone 18 isn't expected to take a similar leap. But it will reportedly get one interesting new feature: variable aperture.
Vivo has offered a first look at its upcoming flagship X300 Ultra smartphone at MWC Barcelona 2026, and the phone will work with a professional camera rig and Zeiss telephoto zoom lens attachment, spotlighting the serious focus Vivo puts on mobile photography and video with its top-end handhelds.
It seems fitting that on the centenary of the Leica I Model A, the German brand takes its iconic legacy and applies it to the Leica Leitzphone powered by Xiaomi. One hundred years after the first 35mm camera came to market, this device tries to mix modern and retro in ways other handsets don’t.
The Chinese tech industry is a colossus, but there is a distinct lack of access to many of the more interesting options in North America. While Chinese lens designs are fairly common in North America, we are largely ignorant of the mobile phone options, as they are so rarely available.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra smartphone was announced in China late last year, boasting a camera system co-engineered with Leica, very impressive photo specs and features, and class-leading performance. This impressive new phone is now coming to global markets.
Leica has had smartphones before, like the Leitz Phone 1 and Leitz Phone 2, but they were both manufactured by Sharp and exclusive to Japan. Leica has switched things up for its newest Leitzphone, working closely with Chinese company Xiaomi and bringing the Leitzphone global. Well, mostly. Americans will be forced to import the device, as is par for the course with most Chinese phones.
Samsung’s annual winter Unpacked event revealed the latest trio of flagship Galaxy S26 smartphones. The new devices largely preserve the familiar design language of recent years, continuing the company’s emphasis on software-driven upgrades rather than any dramatic makeover.
VSCO has announced a new professional photo delivery app, VSCO Galleries, which is launching next week during WPPI in Las Vegas. The new app has been built from the ground up for photographers who want to deliver photos to clients in a clean, straightforward, and professional way. VSCO Galleries aims to help photographers make a strong first impression when delivering photos to their clients.
Snapseed suddenly updated its app last year after years of silence, and it doesn't seem like the team is done. Today, it pushed an update to the iOS app that adds a camera to the interface; it's the first time Snapseed has ever had a camera. For reference, it launched in 2011 and was acquired by Google back in 2012.
