Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max will reportedly be the only iPhone 15 with a periscope lens

The iPhone 14 series is still several weeks away from release, but that hasn’t stopped the rumour mill from churning out new reports surrounding Apple’s inevitable iPhone 15 line.

According to a report from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, only the iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature an optical zoom periscope lens that measures in at 12-megapixels 1/3″ sensor with 6x optical zoom. Apple’s current iPhone 13 Pro features 3x optical zoom and 15x digital zoom.

If accurate, this would be the first time since the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max that Apple has offered features exclusive to the larger version of the smartphone. The iPhone 12 Pro Max featured sensor-shift image stabilization and was the only device in the iPhone 12 line to offer 2.5x optical zoom.

[Analysis] Apple’s camera supply chain will enter a two-year high-speed growth cycle thanks to iPhone 15’s adoption of a high-ASP periscope design / Apple相機供應鏈將因iPhone 15採用高單價潛望鏡設計而進入連續兩年高速成長週期 @mingchikuo https://t.co/CfUiUe7JQH

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) July 14, 2022

Samsung’s S series Ultra smartphone line has featured a periscope lens for several years now, so this would be yet another example of the Cupertino, California-based tech giant playing catch-up with one of its key competitors in the space. Samsung’s S22 Ultra offers 10x optical zoom through its periscope lens.

Kuo says that the standard iPhone 15 Pro will still feature a regular telephoto lens for optical zoom, though the analyst says that the periscope lens will make its way to the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro max.

This year, Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro and 12 pro max are expected to offer a notable camera upgrade, jumping from 12-megapixels to 48-megapixels, alongside a higher-quality front-facing shooter.

Apple’s iPhone 14 line, which is expected to feature the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Max, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max (the mini is dead) will likely be announced in September 2022.

Source: Ming-Chi Kuo (Medium) Via: 9to5Mac