Last week, Apple announced the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. On September 15, both smartphones went on pre-order, and they will be available to purchase this Friday. With the release of its new Tetraprism zoom lens this year, the company offers a 5x optical zoom capability. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has the feature, but it’s exclusive to it. We may see the new zoom lens technology on the smaller iPhone Pro next year, according to a new leak.
The Tetraprism zoom lens could be coming to the iPhone 16 Pro, according to a new Medium post from Ming-Chi Kuo. As a result, both iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will come with the same zoom lens system.
During Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro launch keynote, Tetraprism was introduced as a new zoom lens design. This camera emulates the results of a 120mm lens on a full-frame camera. Below the lens, a foldable glass structure reflects the light four times. As a result, the light can travel a longer distance in the same space. The longer focal length is made possible by creating enough separation between the lens and the sensor.
Therefore, the iPhone 15 Pro Max can now zoom up to 5x optically and 25x digitally. This is a nice upgrade from the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max’s 3x optical zoom. The iPhone 15 Pro doesn’t have the new zoom lens design, so it still only has 3x optical zoom.
According to Kuo, this new Tetraprism compact camera module is also causing iPhone 15 Pro Max supply issues. There’s a rumor Apple increased the specs of the new lens system urgently. As a result, Tetraprism’s exclusive supplier Largan is expanding.
If both iPhone 16 Pro models have the Tetraprism lens, it will make it harder for Apple’s second-largest lens supplier, Genius. It’s still expected that Largan will be the exclusive or at least primary lens supplier next year.
