Apple intends to implement the tetraprism telephoto lens on both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max in 2024, according to a report from MacRumors.
The publication says it has received information backing up Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo‘s comments back in September, as well as a December report by TheElec which made the same claim about the tetraprism telephoto lens.
Apple debuted its new tetraprism lens system alongside the iPhone 15 Pro Max, enabling 5x optical zoom for the first time. The new lens system was limited to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The tech was not used in the iPhone 15 Pro, likely due to space constraints and possibly a lower-than-expected production yield for the new lens system.
Apple is said to be increasing the overall size of the iPhone 16 device lineup, with the displays of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max measuring roughly 6.3″ and 6.9″, respectively. Those increased sizes would provide additional room inside, providing space for the new tetraprism telephoto camera, and MacRumors says it has seen internal documentation that corroborates this change.
Internal Apple documentation detailing the iPhone 16 Pro camera module design shows that the module significantly resembles the module used in the current iPhone 15 Pro Max.
As you know, reports like this are considered rumors until Apple actually unveils the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max later next year. The information here is pre-production info, and may not reflect the final production version, so stay tuned – same Bat website, same Bat article.