Apple’s historic all-iPhone 17 Pro MLS broadcast draws criticism

Android camera phones (especially those from Chinese brands) have dominated smartphone photography. However, the iPhone still remains one of the best options for video recording (arguably, though, as recent Android Ultras do give it tough competition). Apple put its money where its mouth is by placing 15 iPhone 17 Pros to capture the entire MLS match between LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo FC, and user reaction appears to be mixed.

The phones were positioned throughout the venue, but where the iPhone really played to its advantage was for unique close-up angles and in-net goal cameras that were otherwise difficult to achieve with traditional broadcast cameras (which are several times larger than an iPhone). This made the broadcast much more dynamic and personal, bringing viewers closer to the action.

However, the entire exercise also drew fair criticism. While the iPhone 17 Pro Max worked very well as the primary brain for the setup, it was complemented by expensive rigs and professional camera lenses that often cost several times as much as the iPhone.

Even with the professional setup, some users have complained (as spotted by AppleInsider) about softer shots, visible compression, constant refocusing, shaky tracking, and heavier image processing during fast movement across the field. The grass textures, particularly during pans and transitions, looked smeared, and these compression artifacts were easier to spot on large televisions.

This isn’t the first time a company has used a phone to capture a live event (even Apple itself has done it before), but this is the first time that a major professional broadcast was 100% shot exclusively on a smartphone, start to finish, with no traditional broadcast cameras running alongside as backup.

While this event shows Apple’s confidence in the iPhone 17 Pro’s videography prowess and does prove a point, it’s perhaps wiser to step back a little and treat the iPhone (or any smartphone camera for that matter) as a supplemental tool that augments a broadcast with tighter angles, while the traditional broadcast cameras handle the main broadcast.

To Android brands looking at this broadcast, I say, please be smarter about how you copy Apple’s marketing move. No matter how much better your phone is than the iPhone, you just can’t beat physics.