iPhone Air’s single camera packs a first-of-its-kind feature

Sharp-eyed media discovered that the iPhone Air’s single lens has a hidden benefit – it can unlock the full “portrait mode” shooting function, which is a first for the iPhone.

Historically, Apple’s built-in portrait mode on iPhones equipped with a single-lens rear camera can be traced back to the iPhone XR released in 2018. However, at that time, it could only be used to photograph people and pets. If you photograph objects such as flowers or landscapes, you cannot activate portrait mode to highlight the subject through depth of field.

The affordable iPhone SE series released in 2020 and 2022 also has the same limitations and can only take pictures of people and pets. Even the iPhone 16e launched in February this year is the same.

However, according to 9to5Mac, the newly released iPhone Air has unlocked the full portrait mode function on a single lens, which can take the next generation of portrait photos, including shooting any subject, controlling the depth of field, and adjusting the focus.

When taking normal photos, the camera will automatically capture depth of field information. Even if you forget to turn on portrait mode when taking a photo, you can adjust it in the photo afterwards.

It is worth mentioning that the iPhone Air’s portrait photos also incorporate HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology, which can quickly capture multiple photos in succession at different exposures, combining them to present more highlights and shadow details. In addition, the shooting effect in low-light environments has also been improved.

9to5Mac pointed out that some people think that the iPhone Air’s single lens is a compromise, but the ability to use the full portrait mode function may increase the market acceptance of this phone.

Not only that, the iPhone Air is also equipped with a 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display and is only 5.6mm thick, which is 0.2mm thinner than its competitor Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge . It also has all-day battery life and can play up to 27 hours of video.

In addition, the phone is equipped with the largest number of Apple-developed chips, making it the thinnest and most energy-efficient iPhone in history.