They are DNG files, but I don't think they're truly raw like one might expect from other cameras[1]. I just downloaded the DNG posted in the article and took a look in Photoshop with all post-processing turned off. Definitely looks a bit processed in some of the background details, but I could be wrong.
Specifically, the out-of-focus shadow details look like a smoothing or denoising algorithm has been applied. Maybe it's just something about the optics Apple is using (e.g. different lenses can have distinct characteristics in bokeh, softening, color, distortion, etc) vs other dedicated cameras, but it's something I see in almost all photos coming from an iPhone.
Specifically, the out-of-focus shadow details look like a smoothing or denoising algorithm has been applied. Maybe it's just something about the optics Apple is using (e.g. different lenses can have distinct characteristics in bokeh, softening, color, distortion, etc) vs other dedicated cameras, but it's something I see in almost all photos coming from an iPhone.
[1] https://kirkville.com/apples-new-proraw-photo-format-is-neit...