Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the only iPhone in 2023 to boast a periscope camera lens and the resulting greatly enhanced optical zoom, says well-connected Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In early 2020, Kuo first mentioned the possibility of a periscope lens as an iPhone 14 Pro feature, but more recently Kuo has changed his tune a bit, saying the lens type will debut in a “Pro” model of the iPhone 15 series, which jibes with a prediction made by analyst Jeff Pu.
Apple will likely continue to offer four models in 2023: The 6.1-inch iPhone 15, the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro, the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Max, and the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Writing in his Medium blog, Kuo says he now believes that the periscope lens will be exclusive to the 6.7-inch Pro Max device, with the 6.1-inch Pro model keeping the telephoto lens for optical zoom.
The main specifications of the periscope for iPhone 15 include 1/3″ 12MP, f/2.8, sensor-shift support, and 5–6x optical zoom.
The periscope system would allow light entering the telephoto lens on the back of the iPhone to be reflected by an angled mirror towards the camera’s image sensor. That would allow Apple to fit a longer telephoto setup inside the iPhone, allowing users to zoom in closer without any blurriness.
If the iPhone does gain a periscope camera system, it will join a growing list of Android smartphones with periscope lenses, including Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra and Huawei’s P40 Pro+.