iPhone 15 Pro Max Periscope Lens w/ 10x Optical Zoom (LEAKED)
Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max will get a few, choice updates. Chief among them will be the inclusion of a new periscope abilities inside its telephoto lens…
The iPhone 15 rumours are coming in quick and fast at the moment. In this last few months we’ve heard talk about USB-C coming to iPhone and the idea that Apple will soon be forced, again, by EU regulation, to allow access to alternative app stores inside iOS.
Big changes, sweeping changes in fact. Expect Apple to battle the latter in court – there’s no way it will allow third-party app stores on its platform. Hell will almost certainly freeze over before that happens. Could you imagine Google Play and Samsung’s Apps Store running on iPhone? Neither can I…
Moving back to alleged iPhone 15 specs and hardware updates, news from TrendForce claims that, once again, there’ll be four models released in 2023 – the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max – with the iPhone 15 Ultra apparently missing in action.
iPhone 15 Pro Max Periscope Camera Rumored
Per the report, it is now believed that Apple is focussing on bulking out the iPhone 15 Pro’s camera abilities. One newly leaked feature that will almost certainly remain exclusive to its Pro and Pro Max models in 2023 is its rumoured periscope lens which will presumably live inside the phones’ telephoto lens.
According to the leaked material, the new periscope abilities of Apple’s telephoto lens will allow for 10x optical zoom – potentially even more. Currently, the iPhone 14 Pro Max tops out at 3x optical zoom, so if this rumour does turn out to be true, it’ll represent quite an update.
Key Takeaways
Here’s a brief overview of everything discussed in this article:
- Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature an updated telephoto lens that will use Apple’s as-yet-unannounced periscope technology.
- A periscope lens allows for lossless zooming abilities above 5x without making the camera module any thicker or larger.
- With its new periscope lens, Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro models will be able to acheive 10x optical zoom, potentially even higher.
- The iPhone 15 Pro Max and Pro will run Apple’s latest A17 CPU, while the base models will use 2022’s A16. The Pro and Pro Max models will also benefit from more RAM, up from 6GB to 8GB apparently.
What is a Periscope Lens?
A periscope lens takes light in and, rather than letting it hit the sensor directly, it instead reflects (or mirrors) it 90 degrees through a specific lens array, which allows for magnification, and then passes it onto the sensor. This process allows phones to achieve lossless zoom (over 5x) which isn’t possible with normal lenses.
The benefit of a periscope lens is that it can achieve lossless zoom without using a thicker or larger camera module – or, an external lens, as is the case on DLSR cameras.
With phones, thinness is important. Increases in thickness and weight are the enemy of sleek and engaging design, so the use of periscope lenses on phones is the perfect workaround, as all the mechanics that make it possible are built directly inside the lens inside the smartphone.
Also rumoured is the advent of 8K video recording on Apple’s Pro and Pro Max models. Again, this is just a rumour at present but given Apple’s love of courting content creators, and its bid to replace DSLR cameras, adding in the ability to shoot video content in 8K does make sense – Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra can already do it, for instance.
More RAM, New Chipsets & USB-C
On top of the camera-related leaks, the report claims that Apple will once again bump up the amount of RAM used inside its iPhone 15 models. The Pro and Pro Max variants will run 8GB of RAM, whereas the standard models will stick with 6GB of RAM.
Again, only the Pro and Pro Max iPhone will get Apple’s new A-series chipset, the A17, with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 using Apple’s current chipset, the A16.
With modems, it is no secret that Apple has been working on its own custom modem for iPhone. But the report says that it isn’t happy with its performance right now, so Apple will once again use Qualcomm modems inside its iPhone 15 range.
As for when we’ll see Apple’s in-house modem, nobody knows. It could launch inside the iPhone 16 or it could be delayed until the iPhone 17. Apple is a massive stickler for details; it never releases anything until it is 100% ready. This is why iPhone users had to wait so long for 5G iPhones.
Need to know more about the iPhone 15? Check out our detailed breakdown of all the latest iPhone 15 rumours for a wider overview of what’s happening with Apple’s 2023 iPhones.
