Apple's RAW 9 Processing: First Major Update Since 2017

At WWDC 2026, Apple introduced version 9 of its Core Image RAW processing APIs, the first significant upgrade since RAW 8 was released in 2017. David Hayward, an engineer from Apple Core Image, highlighted that the new RAW 9 engine enhances image quality with improvements in sharpness, color accuracy, and noise reduction. A notable feature is the new CoreML model that performs demosaic and denoise processes simultaneously, utilizing Neural Cores found in Apple's A- and M-series chips, replacing the older sequential method that risked quality degradation. This update will be accessible on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, VisionOS 27, and macOS 27. Apple now supports 784 camera models and is actively broadening its compatibility. Developer Albert, known for ApolloOne and Camera RawX, praised RAW 9 in the macOS 27 beta as the 'new noise reduction king,' comparing it to DxO DeepPrime 3. The RAW APIs are utilized by various applications, including Photos, Pixelmator Pro, and third-party tools like Nitro.