When to Pick PNG Over JPG
PNG is the right pick when you need a lossless copy of the HEIC file. The HEIC original is already lossy, so the PNG is not “lossless versus the camera”; it is “lossless versus the HEIC”. The point is that no further generational loss creeps in when you edit, re-save, or hand the file off to a print workflow.
The cost is size. A typical twelve-megapixel iPhone photo runs about 2 to 3 MB as HEIC and balloons to 15 to 25 MB as PNG. If you are emailing the photo or uploading it to a form with a size limit, JPG is the better choice. If you are editing in Photoshop, doing colour grading, or sending to print, PNG is worth the size.