There’s a really good app that lets you use the iPhone 13 Pro’s enviable macro mode on older iPhones

While the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max are the first iPhones to have an official macro mode, the developers behind the popular Halide iOS and iPadOS camera apps have recently released an update that brings macro photography to a much more comprehensive range of iPhones. Opportunity.

One of the buzzwords for this year’s iPhone 13 Pro is an advanced macro, i.e., extreme close-up photography, thanks to the device’s extensive camera. The test photos speak for themselves, but the question is whether one would invest in this rather expensive device just for that function. Well, you don’t have to because an app update can bring the desirable shooting mode of the iPhone 13 Pro to older iPhones.

It’s about Halide, which is one of the best camera apps. By updating the app (Halide 2.5), users will be given a new macro feature, primarily to make the iPhone 13’s macro mode even better (for example, it can be manually turned on and off, which is not available in the default app).

However, this is not the only good upgrade, as older iPhones can also get the macro mode this way. Artificial intelligence-based detail enrichment uses Apple’s NeuralEngine to add extra detail to close-up shots. The app automatically determines which cameras on your phone can focus closest to you and then offers “less than a millimeter” of focus control. Then use the Neural Macro function to enlarge the image.

The result is an image that offers a close-up view and detail of a macro lens without losing image fidelity thanks to the neural network. This mode allows you to access 4K resolution jpeg files. The new macro mode add-on works on iPhones, including Apple’s Neural Engine, i.e., iPhone 8 and later. Don’t expect miracles, yet an iPhone 8 isn’t an iPhone 13 Pro Max – older hardware has physical limitations. Of course, it’s still a much better solution than holding the phone a few inches away from the object you want to capture.

The Halide app can be downloaded for free for a seven-day trial and then purchased in several designs: for $3 a month, $12 a year, or a one-time $50 perpetual use.