Yesterday, researcher Unknownz21 confirmed Ming-Chi Kuo’s claims that the periscope zoom camera technology will be introduced in both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max next year.
On a related note – the camera arrangement has changed, compared to the 14 Pro / Pro Max.
The Ultra Wide and Telephoto cameras have swapped positions – so the camera between the flash and LiDAR sensor is the one with periscope lens on the 15 Pro Max (regular telephoto on 15 Pro) https://t.co/J0QYdPsNH7
— Unknownz21 🌈 (@URedditor)
In a follow up tweet today, he has noted that Apple will rearrange the layout of the rear triple-lens camera system on the iPhone 15 Pro Max to accommodate the new periscope camera technology.
As shown in the image above (via MacRumors), this year’s flagship iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature swapped lens positions compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Currently, the telephoto lens is closest to the top corner of the device, while the ultra-wide lens sits below between the flash and LiDAR sensor.
But on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the ultra-wide lens will move to the corner position in the array, and the telephoto will take its place between the flash and LiDAR. This will provide more internal space to fit in the periscope system’s complex folded optics.
The periscope lens system uses a primary lens to capture a photo, with an angled mirror or prism reflecting the light 90 degrees towards a second lens that then sends it to the image sensor.
The periscope lens system in the iPhone 15 Pro Max will allow for 5x or 6x optical zoom, compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s 3x optical zoom.
The iPhone 15 Pro is expected to be released in September 2023, but Apple is likely limiting the periscope technology to the iPhone 15 Pro Max due to the internal space needed for advanced hardware.
Meanwhile, the displays on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models are expected to be slightly larger than previous generation models, allowing Apple to bring the periscope lens to both premium devices in 2024.
