HEIC vs JPEG: Which Format Is Better?

HEIC vs JPEG: Which Format Is Better? You took a photo on your iPhone, tried to email it, and the recipient said they couldn't open it. Or you downloaded vacation photos to your Windows PC and got hit with "File format not supported." Welcome to the HEIC vs JPEG debate. HEIC is Apple's default photo format since iOS 11. JPEG has been the universal image standard since 1992. Both store photographs, but they make very different tradeoffs between file size, quality, and compatibility. Here's exactly how they compare and when to use each one. Quick Comparison Table Feature HEIC JPEG File size 40-50% smaller at equivalent quality Larger files for the same visual quality Color depth 10-bit (over 1 billion colors) 8-bit (16.7 million colors) Transparency Supported Not supported Compression HEVC-based (lossy and lossless) DCT-based (lossy only) Browser support Safari only Every browser ever made OS support macOS, iOS natively; Windows/Android via add-ons Universal -- every OS, every device Ima