Liam and Noel Gallagher have confirmed that Oasis will reunite for five UK shows in 2025 – the iconic Britpop band’s only European gigs next year. The announcement follows years of speculation since the band split in 2008, with tickets expected to sell out quickly when they go on sale next Saturday (August 31).
The reunited duo will be playing the UK's biggest stadiums, but with limited ticket supply, many fans will be left waiting for videos and photos of their luckier friends. According to the BBCAn announcement on Oasis' social media accounts confirmed the shows will not be televised, raising the stakes for those looking to get the perfect snap or clip.
It made me wonder if I'm ready to be the designated concert photographer for my friends and family, and with Apple's 'It's Glowtime' Event News of a new iPhone (likely the iPhone 16) is expected to be released on September 9, so I'm seriously considering upgrading from my well-worn Huawei Mate 20 Pro, which was first released in 2018.
Expanding the specifications
I want to see the iPhone 16 improve its digital zoom and start to catch up to its Android competitors. Apple has built a reputation for excellent cameras, and the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max all scored highly in our reviews. For me, zoom range is really the final piece of the puzzle.
We expect the iPhone 16 Pro to inherit the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 5x optical zoom, which will translate to a maximum digital zoom of 25x on both models. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus don’t have a telephoto lens, but they do support 2x optical zoom by cropping the main sensor. Since the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus likely won’t have a telephoto lens, digital zoom will likely remain limited to 10x.
In both cases, this is less than the 30x digital zoom on my six-year-old Huawei. iPhones offer a decent level of zoom, especially the Pros, but they don’t quite measure up to the impressive zooms offered by Android phones. Samsung is a known leader in this department, and its 100x Space Zoom is backed up by a 50MP periscope lens on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Honor Magic 6 Pro matches the 100x zoom but ups the resolution to 180MP, while Google’s new Pixel 9 Pro XL matches my old Huawei at a respectable 30x.
However, Chinese manufacturer Vivo seems to want to take the top spot in terms of zoom capability. According to Times of IndiaThe rumored Vivo X100 Pro Plus could offer up to 200x digital zoom with a 10x telephoto lens. With zoom like that, you could see the individual strings on Noel's guitar from the other side of the world, as long as the image holds up.
Currently, the longest optical telephoto lenses on smartphones are the 10x zoom lenses used by Samsung and Huawei. Once the optical zoom limit is exceeded, the phone's software has to enlarge the image to compensate for the lost quality. This is called interpolation and can result in blurry or unclear images at very high zoom levels.
Manufacturers are keen to improve the zoom capabilities of phone cameras through clever software and AI. I'm intrigued by the Pixel 9 Pro's Video Boost feature, which uses AI to enhance and stabilise videos at the high end of its 30x zoom range. Samsung's Space Zoom, meanwhile, uses AI to create multi-image composites at extreme distances.
Other parts of a phone’s camera system are also crucial to supporting long-range digital zoom. Apple’s high-resolution sensors, reliable stabilization, and responsive camera app tick all the boxes, and with excellent low-light performance, I’d feel confident using an iPhone to photograph indoor concerts. I’d love to make use of these great features at greater distances, especially if I’m going to watch Oasis from high up in the stands.
Why hasn't Apple caught up?
Some might say that Apple is hoping to pull an AI ace out of its sleeve to offer more digital zoom. Apple has not yet revealed whether Apple Intelligence (its version of on-device AI) will have any applications for the camera beyond image editing. Given that the iPhone 16 family is expected to heavily implement Apple Intelligence, we might hear more about this at the September 9 event.
It's typical of Apple not to go overboard, though. In general, the company prefers to offer a comparatively limited camera that produces consistently excellent results rather than one that's ambitious but unpredictable. It's also pretty adamant about keeping its product lines separate, so don't expect a Pro camera system on the base iPhone anytime soon (see also the news that The iPad will finally have a calculator).
Anyway, as far as digital zoom goes, I think it's time for Apple to step up a gear a bit. I won't be upset (sorry) if Apple decides not to update its digital zoom, but I may end up choosing another phone for my concert-going needs.
