Recently, @URedditor broke the news that the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max will be exclusively equipped with an upgraded telephoto lens and periscope technology. It means that the telephoto capabilities of other models will be slightly worse.
Last month, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reiterated that the rear periscope lens of the iPhone 15 Pro Max will achieve an optical zoom of up to 5x to 6x, while the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max The maximum zoom factor is only 3 times.
Finally received independent confirmation of this:
Periscope lens will be available exclusively on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
— Unknownz21 🌈 (@URedditor) May 8, 2023
The light received by the image sensor of the periscope lens is bent or “folded”, which can allow greater distance between camera elements in the compact design of smartphones, thereby enhancing optical zoom and improving telephoto shooting ability. Moreover, the form of optical zoom will not be realized by cropping like digital zoom, which can avoid blurring of the picture.
At present, the periscope lens technology is relatively mature and is used by Android brand mobile phones. Phones such as the Google Pixel 7 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra offer 5x to 10x optical zoom.
Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 15 series in September, including the iPhone 15 Pro Max (or iPhone 15 Ultra), iPhone 15 Standard Edition, iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro. But models other than the iPhone 15 Pro Max will not be equipped with periscope lenses.