iPhone 16

While a periscope lens is going to be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, a report indicates all iPhone 16 Pro models will feature it in 2024.

Apple plans to apply folded zoom for the first time this year to the top model of the iPhone 15 series, the Pro Max. With that, the iPhone 16 Pro models could feature a hole-punch cutout instead of this pill-shape design. [iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra](https://bgr.com/tech/iphone-15-everything-we-know-so-far/) this year is a new periscope lens.

These ball-guided actuators are better suited to folded zoom modules than the spring actuators currently used in Apple's telephoto modules. However, Japan's ...

These ball-guided actuators are better suited to folded zoom modules than the spring actuators currently used in Apple’s telephoto modules. Now there is a new report from South Korea’s The Elec suggesting that the new zoom lens will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. LG Innotek and Jahwa Electronics are expected to account for 70% and 30% of actuators, respectively.

This is a problem when you want to have a high optical zoom within a very slim device like an iPhone. Apple partly gets around this with the infamous camera ...

Some reports suggested it was [coming to both Pro models](https://9to5mac.com/2022/01/20/iphone-15-pro-again-rumored-to-feature-a-periscope-lens-with-5x-zoom/), while later ones – including Kuo – said that it will be [limited to the iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra](https://9to5mac.com/2022/07/13/2023-iphone-15-pro-max-periscope-lens/). (Even more than this would be technically possible, but there are trade-offs between reach and distortion, and Apple is likely to opt for quality over quantity.) This is expected to offer somewhere in the range of 5x to 10x optical zoom, compared to the maximum 3x zoom of the [iPhone 14](https://9to5mac.com/guides/iphone-14/) Pro and Pro Max. Subsequent reports suggested that [2023 would be the year](https://9to5mac.com/2022/01/20/iphone-15-pro-again-rumored-to-feature-a-periscope-lens-with-5x-zoom/), though it was initially unclear which model(s) would get it. The problem with zoom lenses is that the front and rear elements need to be a certain distance apart. This is a problem when you want to have a high optical zoom within a very slim device like an iPhone.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the sole Apple smartphone of 2023 to get a periscope camera lens and benefit from greatly enhanced optical zoom, with...

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said the iPhone 15 Pro Max could potentially be [renamed the iPhone 15 Ultra](https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/25/iphone-15-ultra-replacing-pro-max-model/), like the Apple Watch Ultra. [widely expected to shift to USB-C](https://www.macrumors.com/2022/05/11/iphone-15-ditch-lightning-for-usb-c/) and expand the Dynamic Island to all of this year's iPhones. Apple's decision to make hardware features exclusive to this year's 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max model is likely to cause frustration among would-be upgraders who seek the best features in the smaller 6.1-inch Pro model. The Korean report claims Apple will then make the periscope lens system a feature of both iPhone 16 Pro models in 2024. Apple will rely on Korean companies LG Innotek and Jahwa Electronics to supply the actuators, replacing existing iPhone camera module actuator makers Japan Alps and Mitsumi. In a periscope system, light entering the telephoto lens is reflected by an angled mirror towards the camera's image sensor.

Apple will reportedly bring a periscope lens to the iPhone 16 Pro in 2024 after debuting in the iPhone 15 Ultra later this year.

If you’re a small phone fan who’s worried that this could be a size-related constraint, the latest report should be of some comfort. Rather, it will be exclusive to the super-sized (and super-priced) iPhone 15 Pro Max – or, if another rumour pans out, the newly renamed We could be looking at a 5x to 10x zoom rather than the 3x zoom of the iPhone 14 Pro.

On December 22, 2022, Patently Apple posted a report titled "LG Innotek, Apple's Largest Optics Partner, will unveil their Breakthrough Ultra-Compact ...

LG Innotek and Jahwa Electronics are expected to account for 70% and 30%, respectively, of OIS actuators for the iPhone 15 series folded zoom that Apple will release in the second half of the year. It is known that the actuator is a key part in folded zoom, and that the ball guide type actuator is highly profitable. [December 22](https://www.patentlyapple.com/2022/12/lg-innotek-apples-largest-optics-partner-will-unveil-their-breakthrough-ultra-compact-optical-zoom-camera-module-at-ces-in.html#:~:text=It%20was%20LG%20Innotek%20that,unveiled%20their%20new%20folded%20zoom.), 2022, Patently Apple posted a report titled "LG Innotek, Apple's Largest Optics Partner, will unveil their Breakthrough Ultra-Compact Optical Zoom camera module at CES in January."

This camera will be exclusive to the Pro Max this generation, the smaller Pro is expected to get a periscope next year.

Apple’s first periscope lens will arrive later this year with the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Fans of the smaller Pro will have to wait until next year and the iPhone 16 series to get the longer zoom. Apple’s current suppliers – Alps Alpine and Mizumi – deliver spring-type actuators for the iPhone cameras.

The Elec reports that both iPhone 16 Pro versions will have a periscope zoom lens making the release more attractive.

The Elec speculates that Apple’s biggest iPhone for 2024 would be known as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, albeit the name may have been added since it’s unclear if the tech giant will use the term “Ultra” to describe its most expensive iPhone models. Given their experience, the remaining components of the iPhone 15 Ultra’s camera module will be equipped with spring-type actuators from LG Innotek and Jahwa Electronics. According to The Elec, LG Innotek and Jahwa Electronics would provide foldable zoom actuators for the iPhone 15 Ultra.

While the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the sole iPhone model in 2023 to get a "Folded Zoom" periscope camera lens, it will become standard on both Pro models ...

Apple will rely on Korean companies LG Innotek and Jahwa Electronics to supply the actuators, replacing existing iPhone camera module actuator makers Japan Alps and Mitsumi. Japan Alps, which is an existing iPhone camera actuator partner, is expected to have difficulty supplying actuators for Apple’s folded zoom this year. High-definition shooting is possible only when actuators move multiple lenses quickly and accurately.

Both iPhone 16 Pro models are now said to be getting a periscope camera after only the iPhone 15 Pro Max getting one this year.

While the iPhone 15 Pro Max might be the only one to benefit from a periscope lens this year, that doesn't mean that the other models aren't getting anything new. Periscope lenses are used to increase the distance between the main camera lens and the sensor to allow for greater levels of zoom - something that would ordinarily need a thicker phone. The move to put a periscope camera into an iPhone would theoretically allow for improved zoom capabilities without the need to also increase the thickness of the phone itself.

In the limited space of a phone's camera module, a periscope camera uses mirrors to allow for more lens elements, and therefore a longer zoom length. Naturally, ...

If we were a betting publication, we’d wager that both features will be appearing on the iPhone 16 Pro, too. In the limited space of a phone's camera module, a periscope camera uses mirrors to allow for more lens elements, and therefore a longer zoom length. In other words, customers holding out until 2024 for their next iPhone upgrade may not need to spend big on Apple’s top-of-the-range handset to benefit from periscope zoom technology. [Dynamic Island](https://www.techradar.com/features/what-is-the-dynamic-island-on-the-iphone-14-pro-and-what-can-it-do) – the virtual notch replacement that debuted as a Pro-exclusive feature on last year’s iPhone 14 lineup – will [find its way onto every iPhone 15 model in 2023](https://www.techradar.com/news/iphone-15-and-iphone-15-plus-rumored-to-feature-apples-dynamic-island). [iPhone 14 Pro](https://www.techradar.com/reviews/iphone-14-pro-review), for instance, retails for the not-so-small price of $999 / £1,099 / AU$1,749 – but the rumored existence of an iPhone 15 Ultra suggests Apple will also be releasing an iPhone 16 Ultra, which would relegate the iPhone 16 Pro to mid-tier status (as Apple devices go, at least). [The Elec](https://www.thelec.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=19501) (opens in new tab) (H/T [Wccftech](https://wccftech.com/2024-iphone-16-pro-models-feature-periscope-zoom-lens/) (opens in new tab)), Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro models will arrive sporting a periscope zoom lens – a feature widely expected to be exclusive to the [iPhone 15 Ultra](https://www.techradar.com/news/iphone-15-ultra) when the next iPhones arrive in 2023.

iPhone 16 Pro Max rumours are already starting to appear months away from the iPhone 15 series' release.

[Ming-Chi Kuo](https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/07/14/apple-iphone-15-pro-max-reportedly-only-iphone-periscope-lens/). If The Elec’s report is accurate, this will mark the first time Apple has kept at least some features exclusive to its larger 6.7-inch iPhone. [The Elec ](https://www.thelec.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=19501)Via: [MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2023/01/17/periscope-lens-exclusive-iphone-15-pro-max/) [iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max](https://mobilesyrup.com/2020/11/09/iphone-12-pro-review/) were released in 2020. The [iPhone 14 Pro/Max](https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/09/14/iphone-14-pro-max-review/) currently features 3x optical zoom and 15x digital zoom. [The Elec ](https://www.thelec.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=19501)(via [ MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2023/01/17/periscope-lens-exclusive-iphone-15-pro-max/)), Apple’s upcoming “Folded Zoom” periscope telephoto lens will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max in 2022, but in 2023, the feature will make its way to all iPhone 16 devices.