“As shown by the YouTuber, the iPhone 14 Pro always tries to lighten the shadows, especially on people’s faces, making the photo look very artificial.”
In MKBHD’s blind camera test, Google’s Pixel 6A took first place. The iPhone 14 Pro has the better sensor and loses anyway because Smart HDR brightens every backlit face and oversharpens the rest. Halide notes the effect vanishes when you shoot RAW. Apple adds more processing steps every year and markets each one as a camera upgrade.