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What is JPEG XL? The iPhone 16 file format explained
In This Article
If you’re interested in the best ways to save your images, you may have come across the term JPEG XL.
Apple brought JPEG XL to light when it announced that it would be supporting the image format on itsiPhone 16devices.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about this surprisingly compact update to the current JPEG standard.
What is JPEG XL?
JPEG XL is a file format introduced by the JPEG committee in 2022. It is designed to replace the aging JPEG standard that was introduced in 1992.
Despite the common acronym, XL doesn’t mean ‘extra large’ in this instance. Rather, the X is taken from the other JPEG standards created over the years, including JPEG XT, JPEG XR and JPEG XS. The L in the name stands for ‘long-term’ and refers to JPEG XL’s potential to remain a popular format for as long as JPEG has.
Is JPEG XL better than JPEG?
So, how does JPEG XL compare to the existing JPEG format?
JPEG XL files are up to 55% smaller than regular JPEG files. This means they take up less storage on your device, are quicker to transfer and are faster to load when shared online.
JPEG XL images are also visually lossless. This means you won’t lose any detail during the compression process when saving your images as JPEG XL files or converting your older JPEGs into the new format to save space.
The colour accuracy is better, too. JPEG XL supports wide-gamut and HDR, allowing for better replication of colours and higher dynamic range.
According toJPEGXL.info, a website whose contributors include JPEG experts who contributed to the JPEG XL standard, JPEG XL is the best-in-class format for compressing photographic images and even better at compressing and storing non-photographic images, including graphics, illustrations and digital art.
Not only does JPEG XL offer many advantages for the individual using the file format, but it could even have a positive impact on the environment. JPEGXL.info claims that if all current JPEGs were delivered as JPEG XLs with an average 20% decrease in file size, 4.87 GWh could be saved per day. This is “equivalent to powering 487,000 average US homes for an hour and saving 3,500 metric tons of CO2 emissions per day”, according to the website.
JPEG still takes the lead when it comes to support. However, with Apple introducing support across its ecosystem and Samsung announcing support on theGalaxy S24series earlier this year, it seems it might not be long until JPEG XL kickstarts its takeover.
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Hannah joined Trusted Reviews as a staff writer in 2019 after graduating with a degree in English from Royal Holloway, University of London. She’s also worked and studied in the US, holding positions …
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
