Apple’s PICO claims 3× image bitrate savings on iPhone
Apple introduced PICO (Perceptual Image Codec), a new learned image codec optimized for the human visual system, claiming 2.3-3x bitrate savings against traditional codecs like AV1 and VVC, and 20-40% against other learned codecs. PICO also offers high processing speeds, encoding 12MP images in 230ms and decoding in 150ms on an iPhone 17 Pro Max, and emphasizes cross-platform robustness.
Key Takeaways
- PICO is Apple’s first learned image codec optimized directly for the human visual system.
- Apple reports 2.3-3× bitrate savings versus AV1, AV2, VVC, ECM and JPEG-AI.
- PICO claims 20-40% bitrate savings over the best learned codec alternatives.
- On an iPhone 17 Pro Max, PICO encodes 12MP images in 230ms and decodes them in 150ms.
- Apple says PICO includes cross-platform robustness guarantees.
Why It Matters
PICO targets a longstanding tradeoff in image compression: better perceptual quality without paying a heavy runtime penalty. Apple’s results suggest learned codecs can compete on both bitrate and speed, with 12MP encode and decode times of 230ms and 150ms on an iPhone 17 Pro Max. The broader signal is that Apple is benchmarking against both traditional codecs such as AV1 and VVC and learned alternatives, while also emphasizing cross-platform guarantees. The next concrete marker to watch is whether Apple publishes the underlying model details and benchmark methodology behind those subjective study and speed claims.
Read full article at apple.github.io
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