The iPhone 16 Pro could get a periscope zoom lens next year, but it is expected to be restricted to the iPhone 15 Pro Max (Ultra) model this year.
The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Ultra (Pro Max) could both get a periscope zoom lens next year. The iPhone 15 is still several months away from launch, but rumors about the iPhone 16 have already started circulating in the online media. One of the reports suggests that the iPhone 16 Pro could come with under-display Face ID technology, thereby reducing the front notch to just a small punch-hole to house the selfie-camera.
According to South Korean tech blog The Elec, Apple could infuse the iPhone 16 Pro with a periscope zoom camera after using the technology exclusively in the iPhone 15 Ultra this year. The report further claims that LG Innotek and Jahwa Electronics will supply the miniaturized periscope lenses for this year’s iPhones. While the former will reportedly supply 70 percent of the total orders, the latter will supply 30 percent. Jahwa has reportedly also been working with Samsung on ball guide-type actuators and is believed to be supplying them for the upcoming Galaxy S23 series.
iPhone 16 Pro With Periscope Zoom
Coming back to the periscope zoom lenses in iPhones, if the latest report is accurate, it would mean that two iPhone 16 models will get the new technology. In comparison, only one model in this year’s iPhone 15 lineup is expected to have it. Apple was earlier rumored to introduce the periscope zoom technology this year, with tipsters Ming-Chi Kuo and Jeff Pu both reporting that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the only model in this year’s lineup to feature the new system.
For those wondering about periscope zoom, it is used to improve zoom capabilities without increasing the size and heft of the camera system. It does so by enabling light entering the telephoto lens to be reflected by an angled mirror towards the camera’s image sensor. It helps a ‘folded‘ telephoto setup that allows the cameras to zoom in without blurriness. The feature is already available in a number of flagship Android phones, including the Galaxy S22 Ultra, which features a 10x periscope zoom telephoto camera.
It is worth noting here that the top model in the iPhone 15 lineup is expected to be named ‘Ultra‘ instead of ‘Pro Max‘ to bring a naming parity between the iPhone lineup and the Apple Watch lineup. Details about the iPhone 15 Ultra are scarce, but like all iPhone models next year, it is expected to sport a USB-C port instead of Lightning. In fact, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra are rumored to ship with ultra-fast Thunderbolt 4 ports, while the base iPhone 15 models will reportedly have standard USB-C ports.
Source: The Elec
