Per noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is expected to release its first iPhone with a periscope lens with this year’s iPhone 15 lineup, although the lens itself may be limited to only the highest-end iPhone 15 Pro Max.
A periscope lens is one that relies on a prism to reflect light to multiple internal lenses at 90 degrees to the camera sensor. This would allow the lens to be longer than a traditional telephoto lens, which can offer much better optical zoom capabilities.
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max both feature a telephoto lens that offers 3x optical zoom and 15x digital. Samsung has already made the switch to a periscope lens in its flagship Galaxy S22 Ultra, which offers 10x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom.
It’s thought that the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year could be the first iPhone to offer a periscope lens. Kuo has stated that the implementation of the technology will include a 1/3″ sensor that has a 12-megapixel resolution with f/2.8 aperture, sensor-shift stabilization, and up to 6x optical zoom.
Kuo has noted that he only expects that the highest-end iPhone 16 model in 2024 will offer a periscope lens, which may be offered in the “iPhone 16 Pro Max” or “iPhone 15 Ultra.”
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via 9to5Mac and @mingchikuo