Apple to Reportedly Limit Periscope Camera to iPhone 16 Pro Max

Apple to Reportedly Limit Periscope Camera to iPhone 16 Pro Max

 

According to a recent report, a more advanced periscope camera with improved zoom features will only be available in the 2024 iPhone 16 Pro Max model.

According to prior speculation, Apple would only include the new periscope camera lens in the iPhone 15 Pro Max variants. Thus, the telephoto lens would still be present on the normal iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15, and iPhone 15 Plus.

Since Apple typically debuts new camera enhancements on its most recognizable flagship iPhone, the report wasn't shocking. One feature that Apple later added to the iPhone 13 Pro was sensor-shift optical image stabilization, which was available on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

That custom, though, might soon alter.

Apple may not add the periscope camera lens to any other iPhone 16 models save the largest flagship model, claims Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In other words, only the iPhone 16 Pro Max versions will continue to feature the upgraded telephoto lens.

Instead of the two versions that the market anticipated, just one or the most expensive model of the next iPhone 16 series may contain a periscope camera, according to Kuo. Since there won't be as much demand for lens updates as anticipated, it will be bad for Largan and Genius.

Here’s why that’s a big deal. 

What a Periscope Camera Lens on the iPhone Means

Despite hearing the name "periscope" frequently, you might not be familiar with how it operates.

A periscope's most basic design entails an exterior container with two 45-degree-angled mirrors or prisms at each end. In this method, the image mirrored from the other end will appear when you gaze into one end.

A periscope lens, however, operates on the same principles.

But it only makes use of one mirror, which turns the light 90 degrees. Since the depth of the phone is no longer a factor, it enables the lens length to be significantly longer, improving zooming ability.

This suggests that the iPhone 15 Pro Max could include a 6x optical zoom, which would be a major improvement above the current models' 3x optical zoom.

It's important to note that rivals like Samsung and Huawei currently employ the periscope camera lens. Limiting the technology to a more expensive flagship iPhone would aggravate Apple fans who favor the newest technology.