GoKawiilAamir Siddiqui / Android Authority
TL;DR Apple partnered with MLS to broadcast a full match between LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo FC using 15 iPhone 17 Pro Max units.
This marked the first time a major live sports event was shot 100% on smartphones without traditional broadcast backups.
Viewers appreciated the close-up angles but complained about compression artifacts, soft shots, and smeared textures on big screens, proving that phones are best kept as supplemental tools.
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.
In partnership with MLS, Apple used iPhone 17 Pro Max units to capture live footage throughout the match, including team warmups on the pitch, player introductions, in-net goal angles, and the atmosphere inside the stadium.
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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.
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