Both iPhone 16 Pro Models to Feature Tetraprism Zoom Lens

Apple is expected to bring tetraprism camera technology to both iPhone 16 Pro models next year, enabling at least 5x optical zoom and 25x digital zoom on the Telephoto lens.

iPhone 16 Pro Mock Header Updated
According to a new report by The Elec, Apple will add LG Innotek as another supplier of the folded zoom module used in the technology, in an attempt to secure production yields for the increased number of units required.

The iPhone 15 Pro has a 12-megapixel Telephoto camera that offers 3x zoom, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max is using an upgraded Telephoto system that allows for 5x zoom. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a folded glass structure below the lens, which Apple refers to as tetraprism technology. It reflects light four times over, allowing for a longer focal length of 120mm.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has repeatedly said he expects the tetraprism lens with up to 5x optical zoom to expand to both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max next year. It has been rumored that the iPhone 16 Pro will feature a larger 6.3-inch display, compared to the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro. This change would increase the overall size of the device, which would provide additional internal space for a tetraprism lens.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST 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 at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
google pixel 10

Switching Between iPhone and Android Will Get Easier With New Apple and Google Collaboration

Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta. Apple already has a Move to iOS app for transferring data from an Android...

Top Rated Comments

erikkfi Avatar
27 months ago

It has been rumored that the iPhone 16 Pro will feature a larger 6.3-inch display, compared to the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro.
Apple working hard to make sure I never upgrade to a Pro iPhone.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JokoWidodo Avatar
27 months ago

How big is the Pro Max going to be?

If it isn't also getting bigger, the gap between them is pretty small.
6.9"
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ctrlos Avatar
27 months ago
It should have been in this year and given the regular Pro a reason to actually exist. But Apple are Apple and wanted to limit the best tech to the most expensive device for a reason.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ctrlos Avatar
27 months ago

I'm OK with that ?
Nothing wrong with wanting the best!

But next year will be the new tech filtering down and a stat bump for the Max. And then again the following year. The 15 Max will likely last a good 3 years before they put anything new in it again. Going by the 'what does Android have now?' mantra I would put money on a foldable iPhone before 2026.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wizard_of_Woz Avatar
27 months ago
Growing up, I found the people who always had a camera with them (who weren't actual photographers), always asking people to get together to take this photo or that photo to be quite annoying. I feel the same way to this day.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jasonsmith_88 Avatar
27 months ago
I suppose I’m one of the few people who doesn’t want this. I like taking photos in the 2x-3x range. Losing quality at this range for a range i don’t use is painful.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)