iPhone 15 Pro Max Again Rumored to Exclusively Feature Periscope Lens With Up to 6x Optical Zoom

As widely rumored, the iPhone 15 Pro Max will exclusively feature an upgraded Telephoto lens with periscope technology, according to Twitter account @URedditor. In a tweet today, the leaker said they finally independently confirmed this information.

iPhone 15 Pro Periscope Mock Feature
Last month, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reiterated that the periscope lens will enable up to 5x-6x optical zoom when shooting photos with the rear camera on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, compared to up to 3x on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. When taking a photo, optical zoom does not have any blurriness when zooming in, like digital zoom does.

With a periscope lens, light absorbed by the image sensor is bent or "folded," allowing for a greater distance between the camera elements within the compact design of a smartphone. This technology allows for increased optical zoom and is already used by some Android brands like Samsung, Google, and Huawei, with phones like the Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra offering between 5x and 10x optical zoom.

Apple will launch the iPhone 15 Pro Max in September. Other upcoming models, including the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, and iPhone 15 Pro, are not expected to feature a periscope lens. For more details, read our periscope lens guide.

@URedditor was the first source to share alleged real-world images of the iPhone 15 Pro, but they do not have a long-term track record with Apple rumors.

Related Roundup: iPhone 15 Pro

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

iOS 18 Available Now With These 8 New Features For Your iPhone

Sunday September 15, 2024 10:09 am PDT by
Following over three months of beta testing, iOS 18 was finally widely released to the public on Monday, September 16. The update is available in the Settings app under General → Software Update on the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have highlighted eight key new features included in iOS 18, and Apple shared a complete list of new features and changes last week. Note that Apple...
iOS 18 Public Beta Thumb 1

Here's When iOS 18 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone

Monday September 16, 2024 3:56 am PDT by
It's that time of year again. Apple is about to release iOS 18, which promises to bring a range of new features and improvements to iPhones worldwide. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and the company is expected to release it sometime today – Monday, September 16. Based on past releases, the update is likely to drop at around 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time/1:00 p.m. Eastern...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Friday September 13, 2024 2:40 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 sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
apple silicon mac lineup wwdc 2022 feature purple

M4 Macs, New iPad Mini, and iPad 11 Expected at Upcoming Apple Event

Sunday September 15, 2024 5:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely hold another event in October this year to announce new Macs and iPads. If so, it would be the fourth time in the last five years that Apple has held an event in October. Last year, Apple held a virtual event on Monday, October 30 to announce new MacBook Pro and iMac models with the M3 series of chips. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated...
16 pro

iPhone 16 Pro Demand Has Been Lower Than Expected, Analyst Says

Sunday September 15, 2024 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said demand for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max has been "lower than expected" since the devices became available to pre-order in the U.S. and dozens of other countries on Friday. Kuo said his data is based on a "supply chain survey" and shipping estimates listed on Apple's online store. Kuo estimated that sales of all four iPhone 16 models reached...
iphone 16 pro apple intelligence

Apple Intelligence Features Expected to Roll Out in This Order Between iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.4

Friday September 13, 2024 1:01 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will be released to the public on Monday, but the first Apple Intelligence features will not be available until iOS 18.1 is released in October. Apple Intelligence features will continue to roll out in iOS 18.2 and beyond, with the expected roadmap outlined below per Apple's website and rumors. Apple Intelligence requires an iPhone 15 Pro model or any iPhone 16 model, and it will...

Top Rated Comments

sajlonix Avatar
18 months ago
I hate these differences between Pro models.. Im paying for Pro features
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
18 months ago
Was hoping it would be a 10x
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SDJim Avatar
18 months ago
I reaaaalllly want more zoom...

BUT

I
? DON'T ? WANT ? A ? PHABLET
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jakewilk Avatar
18 months ago
6x isn’t even worth having when we already have 3x. Just increases the price for a feature that has the same effect as taking a few steps forward. 10x? 20x? Sure, now that sounds like something I could use for far away things
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ion-X Avatar
18 months ago
Optical zoom levels on the 14 Pro Max are disappointing, especially as compared with 10x optical zoom on Samsungs. It’s one of the few complaints I have about the 14 Pro Max optically system, along with the lower-quality 3x zoom lens.

With that being said, the 2x zoom mode is a feat of computational photography!! Good job Craig F., Johny S, et al.!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bLackjackj Avatar
18 months ago
Just rid us of that floating notch Apple! Please!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)