iPhone 15 Pro Expected to Feature Periscope Lens With Up to 10x Optical Zoom

At least one iPhone 15 model launched in 2023 will feature a periscope camera system, allowing for increased optical zoom, according to analyst Jeff Pu.

iPhone 13 Pro Light Blue Side Feature
With a periscope system, light entering the telephoto lens on the back of the iPhone would be reflected by an angled mirror towards the camera's image sensor. The change in direction in which the light travels would allow for Apple to fit a longer telephoto setup inside the iPhone, enabling users to zoom in further without any blurriness.

Rumors about the iPhone getting a periscope lens have been circulating since early 2020, with reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo the first to mention the possibility. Kuo initially said that a periscope lens would be an iPhone 14 Pro feature, but it is now looking like we'll have to wait until the iPhone 15 Pro next year.

samsung periscope lens
There are already some Android smartphones with periscope lenses, including Samsung's Galaxy S21 Ultra and Huawei's P40 Pro+. Both of those devices feature up to 10x optical zoom, and with the addition of a periscope lens, the iPhone 15 Pro could follow suit. In the meantime, iPhone 13 Pro models are limited to 3x optical zoom.

Related Roundup: iPhone 15
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
terminal macos tahoe

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Monday June 16, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...

Top Rated Comments

contacos Avatar
45 months ago
I understand Apple for upgrading their camera systems at a lower pace since this is their main selling point to upgrade nowadays but this is just annoying, especially with competitors already using it a year ago and don’t give me the „apple always waits til something majored*“ BS

*is cheaper to make in high quantities
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Think|Different Avatar
45 months ago
Gonna be a long year…
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
creediddy Avatar
45 months ago
Hole punch screen this year for 2022 with a 10% faster A-series processor. Slightly better camera for 2022. 2023 gets a 10x optical zoom capabilities. LOL! Let alone we got 120Hz for 2021. Apple needs the Apple iFold ASAP!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
45 months ago
wow, can't wait for iPhone 16 ... yes, 16, no typo /s
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
45 months ago
Kuo has been saying this. It looks like iPhone 15 will be a major camera upgrade.

So I'm guessing people will be skipping iPhone 14? I’m not and wouldn’t recommend it. ?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unregistered 4U Avatar
45 months ago

„apple always waits til something majored*
Nah, more like Apple waits until someone says, “Yes, we can have over 100 million of these produced over the year where you plan to release these.” It’s one thing to make a few ten million for Xaiomi, completely different thing to match Apple’s scale.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)