Apple's new ad for the iPhone 15 highlights the ability to take Portrait Mode shots with the camera, via a band politely fighting over an album cover photo.
'Album Cover' ad [Apple/YouTube]
For the release of the iPhone 15 generation, Apple updated its camera app to automatically capture depth data whenever the onboard machine learning detects a person or pet is in the frame. In an ad spot titled "Album Cover" and posted to the official YouTube channel late on Friday, Apple uses the feature and a petty squabble to market its smartphone lineup.
The spot starts with two members of a band discussing a photograph taken for an album cover. The black and white shot is shown with the three-member group at different distances from the camera.
The lead singer uses the new automatic Portrait Mode detection feature to tap on her face, putting her in focus while making the other two members blurry. The pair then politely disagree and repeatedly change the focal point to their face at the expense of the other, with the added revelation that the two were a couple and have broken up.
After some exchanges, the third member enters the conversation, tapping the screen to put his distant face in focus while the other two are blurred. The ad then ends with the continued disagreement over the image.
Apple includes the automatic depth capture feature in all of its iPhone 15 models, including Pro and non-Pro variants. For the iPhone 15, Apple also upgraded the rear wide camera to a 48-megapixel sensor with a crop-based zoom function.