Halide’s New Feature Allows Non-Pro iPhones to Take Virtual Telephoto Shots

iPhone 14 Pro models feature a telephoto camera lens with 3x optical zoom, allowing users to take close-up photos of far-away objects without compromising quality. Such telephoto features are limited to Apple’s Pro models, but thanks the latest update to popular third-party camera app Halide, users with non-Pro iPhones can now also get in on the action.

Halide 2.11 comes with a new feature called Neural Telephoto. It adds virtual lenses to the app’s interface that enhance details in shots by applying the same machine-learning that powers Halide’s macro mode.

Neural Telephoto enhances shots with its machine-learning system, providing better results at 2x virtual zoom.

Neural Telephoto shots are zoomed and enhanced using machine learning in HEIC and JPEG, but the feature also captures unedited, non-zoomed full RAW files. By default, Halide shoots in RAW and JPEG mode, which provides users with an unaltered RAW file along with a zoomed and enhanced JPEG file.

The feature is available now as a free update for all existing users. For new users, the Halide app is priced at $2.99 per month or $11.99 per year, or $49.99 as a one-time purchase.