Only iPhone 15 Pro Max / iPhone 15 Ultra camera to have periscope lens: report

The iPhone 15 series is expected to consist of four smartphones – iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max, which will likely be renamed iPhone 15 Ultra.

iPhone 15 Pro Max / iPhone 15 Ultra camera

The analyst stated on Twitter that Apple would release its first periscope camera with the iPhone 15 Pro Max / Ultra, implying that the lens will be a key differentiator between the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max / iPhone 15 Ultra, thereby giving buyers an additional incentive to buy the most expensive model. A periscope lens is said to provide optical zoom capabilities allowing for 5x or even 10x optical zoom. With the new technology, the iPhone 15 Pro Max / Ultra could have up to 6x optical zoom.

A previous report also indicated the same information. However, the tweet from the analyst contradicts recent information from The Elec, which claimed that the periscope camera would be available on both the iPhone 16 Pro Max / Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro.

What’s the big deal about a periscope camera?

The technology refracts light onto the lens sensor for magnification, with the lens mechanics built into the inside of the smartphone rather than the outside, as a traditional zoom lens for a DSLR does. It has progressed to the point where lenses in smartphones are compact enough to fit into a standard lens enclosure and do not take up too much internal space.

However, Apple wont be the first smartphone brand to bring this technology as it has already been seen in smartphones like Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra models, the Google Pixel 7 Pro and 6 Pro, OnePlus 10 Ultra and a few others. OPPO was the first to introduce the periscope lens technology and it was first seen on a mainstream phone on the 2019 Huawei P30 Pro. The company’s new technology, dubbed 5x, manages to cram a telephoto lens inside a smartphone, enabling 5x “lossless” zooming.

iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra specifications (expected)

All iPhone 15 series models may feature the Dynamic Island introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro models. However, the iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra will come with features like an A17 chipset, increased RAM, a titanium frame, solid-state buttons, and much more.

A recent report said that Apple is working on 8K video recording, but it’s unclear if this is just for the iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra or the iPhone 15 Pro. The report also said that Apple might be working on making the iPhone Ultra’s battery last up to 3–4 hours longer. The same report also stated that the tech giant might raise the price of the iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra to $1,199, up from $1,099 for the iPhone 14 Pro Max.