iPhone 18 Pro gives you three ways to save a still photo: a standard capture, a super-high-resolution photo at 24MP or 48MP, or Apple ProRAW. Apple’s tech specs list all three. For most people 24MP is the everyday choice, 48MP pays off when you plan to crop or print, and ProRAW is for anyone who edits in a dedicated app and wants the most latitude.
The decision matters more this year because all three rear cameras are 48MP Fusion sensors, and because the main camera’s variable aperture gives you far more control over what the sensor sees in the first place.
| Item | What Apple says |
|---|---|
| Main camera | 48MP Fusion Main, 24 mm, f/1.48 to f/4.0, 2.44 µm quad-pixel (Apple’s tech specs and overview) |
| Ultra Wide | 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 13 mm, f/2.2, 120-degree field of view |
| Telephoto | 48MP Fusion Telephoto, 100 mm (4x), f/2.8; 8x at 200 mm is a 12MP optical-quality crop |
| 2x | 48 mm, 12MP optical-quality crop of the main sensor |
| Resolutions | Super-high-resolution photos at 24MP and 48MP |
| Raw format | Apple ProRAW (Apple’s tech specs) |
| Authenticity | Apple Reference Image signs photo data at capture |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB |
The three resolution choices Apple lists
Apple’s tech specs describe super-high-resolution photos at 24MP and 48MP, which means the camera does not have to use the sensor’s full pixel count every time. The overview page also describes the main sensor as quad-pixel with a 2.44 µm effective pixel, so a lower-resolution capture combines pixels for light gathering rather than throwing detail away.
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The 2x and 8x positions are different. Apple lists 2x at 48 mm and 8x at 200 mm as 12MP optical-quality crops, so those shots come out at 12MP regardless of the resolution you set for the main camera.
What ProRAW adds, and what it costs you
ProRAW is listed on the iPhone 18 Pro tech specs as a supported photo format. It keeps more of the sensor data than a processed photo so that exposure, white balance and color can be adjusted more freely afterwards.
The cost is file size and time. Apple has not published file sizes for iPhone 18 Pro, so we cannot say how much space a 48MP ProRAW file takes, but it will be larger than a processed 24MP capture. That is one reason the higher storage tiers exist: Apple sells iPhone 18 Pro at 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB.
Apple Reference Image works alongside any format. Apple’s overview says secure, pixel-level signing of photo data happens at the time of capture, and the press release describes a signed original that can be shown next to an edited version to prove the photo came from a real capture.
24MP vs 48MP vs ProRAW
| 24MP | 48MP | ProRAW | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listed by Apple as | Super-high-resolution photo | Super-high-resolution photo | Apple ProRAW format |
| Detail | Half the sensor’s pixel count | Full 48MP from the Main, Ultra Wide or 4x Telephoto | Depends on the resolution chosen; Apple has not specified |
| Best for | Everyday shots, sharing | Cropping, printing, landscapes | Editing in a dedicated app |
| 2x and 8x | 12MP optical-quality crops | 12MP optical-quality crops | Apple has not said |
| File size | Apple has not published | Apple has not published, larger than 24MP | Largest of the three |
| Photographic Styles | Editable later if High Efficiency is on (Apple Support) | Same | Apple has not said |
Which to shoot, situation by situation
- Daily photos, social sharing: 24MP. Apple lists it as a super-high-resolution option, and it is plenty for a phone screen.
- Landscapes, architecture, anything you might crop or print: 48MP on the main, Ultra Wide or 4x Telephoto, which are all 48MP sensors.
- Low light: Apple says the f/1.48 aperture gives around 50 percent better low-light performance, and Night mode runs automatically. Apple has not said whether 48MP capture is available in Night mode.
- 2x or 8x framing: the resolution setting does not change the 12MP result Apple lists for those crops, so shoot the 1x or 4x lens at 48MP and crop yourself if you need more pixels.
- Serious editing: ProRAW, ideally with the manual aperture and shutter speed in Pro controls, since both are about keeping control of the capture.
- Proving a photo is real: any format, because Apple Reference Image signs data at capture.
Where the settings live
Apple Support places image format options under Settings > Camera > Formats. That is where High Efficiency sits, and Apple Support says High Efficiency must be on if you want to edit Photographic Styles later in Photos. Apple has not yet published an iOS 27 step list for the ProRAW and resolution toggles, so the exact labels may differ once iOS 27 ships on September 14.
If a 48MP or ProRAW option is missing from the viewfinder, check Formats first, then check that you are on the 1x, 0.5x or 4x camera rather than a 2x or 8x crop.
What Apple has not said
- File sizes for 24MP, 48MP or ProRAW photos on iPhone 18 Pro.
- Whether ProRAW can be combined with 48MP on every rear camera.
- Whether 48MP capture works in Night mode or Portrait mode.
- The iOS 27 settings path for choosing 24MP or 48MP.
iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders open on Saturday, September 12 at 5 a.m. PT, with availability on Friday, September 18. Apple’s Store page lists the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro at $1,199 and the 2TB model at $2,399, so anyone planning on ProRAW should read our full iPhone 18 Pro guide before choosing a tier.
