Your older iPhone can do something the iPhone 17 Pro can't

When you buy a new phone, you typically expect to get the latest and greatest features. While software updates bring a number of new features to older devices, there are usually a couple of new tricks that are reserved just for the newest handsets.

There is one feature that older iPhones are able to do however, that the new iPhone 17 Pro models can’t and that’s shooting in Portrait and Night modes simultaneously.

What feature is the iPhone 17 Pro missing?

As spotted by TechRadar, users on both Reddit and some official Apple forums have claimed it is not possible to use Night mode when shooting Portrait shots. User catalyticclover on Reddit said, “Portraits at night don’t look nearly as good as they could, and it’s a downgrade compared to the quality that previous models could achieve.”

The claim has also been supported by MacWorld, who says an Apple Support document lists the iPhone 12 Pro through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max as the iPhones that will support using the two camera features in tandem, with the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max excluded from the list.

It’s not currently clear why the latest iPhone models aren’t able to use both Night mode and Portrait mode at the same time, but it’s a shame for those looking to create slightly more artistic shots in the evening. Portrait mode allows for background blur, while Night mode enables long exposure, with the two combined allowing for some great images if you do it right.

All that said, the iPhone 17 Pro models do have camera upgrades compared to the iPhone 16 Pro models with all three lenses offering a 48-megapixel resolution now. There’s also a huge upgrade to the front camera on the iPhone 17 Pro models with the ability to take portrait and landscape selfies without rotating the phone itself, and you can simultaneously record front and rear video too.

All is not lost then, but though there will undoubtedly be a reason for it, dropping the Night mode and Portrait mode functionality off the iPhone 17 Pro's feature list does seem a little strange.