It’s been reported multiple times that Apple will introduce a periscope zoom lens to both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, making it the first time this upgrade won’t be exclusive to the top-end model, like it was with last year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max. However, when it comes to additional improvements to the tetraprism camera, one analyst believes that those specs will remain identical to Apple’s 2023 premium device. This information suggests that we shouldn’t hold our breath for some lens upgrades, but we should still expect other camera changes.
Based on new information, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be limited to 5x optical zoom
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the tetraprism camera’s specs will remain unchanged compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, after reviewing a separate report on his Medium blog post. This suggests that customers won’t see any benefit from an upgrade if they already own last year’s 6.7-inch flagship. One big benefit, however, is that you don’t have to spend a little extra money on buying the iPhone 16 Pro Max just for the periscope zoom lens upgrade, as the iPhone 16 Pro will reportedly share the same hardware.
To help Apple with this optical zoom lens conundrum, it was previously reported that Genius Electronic Optical had been added to the supply chain alongside Largan Precision. Fortunately for Largan, Kuo reports that the addition of another supplier will not affect the shipping price, indicating that the lens manufacturer could have a significant advantage in its overall shipment numbers for Apple, allowing it to maintain its profit margins. Kuo notes that it is extremely rare for a company part of the Cupertino giant’s supply chain to maintain its unit price just one year after mass production, as even TSMC cannot achieve that feat, but it seems that there are exceptions.
If the tetraprism upgrade on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max doesn’t appeal to you, both flagships would reportedly be treated to Sony’s new 48MP camera, the IMX903 with dual-layer transistors. While the design may not have changed significantly compared to its direct predecessors, we expect a plethora of upgrades, which we will continue to update our readers about in the near future, so stay tuned.
News source: Ming-Chi Kuo