Apple Again Rumored to Bring 5x Telephoto Camera to iPhone 16 Pro

[MacRumors]

Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 Pro will gain the tetraprism periscope camera with 5x optical zoom that debuted last year on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, DigiTimes reports.

Taiwanese lens manufacturers Largan Precision and Genius Electronic Optical (GSEO) are said to be the primary suppliers for the iPhone 16 Pro's tetraprism camera components. Sources close to the supply chain have indicated that both Largan and GSEO are now ramping up production in preparation for the release of the iPhone 16 lineup.

Largan, which supplied the periscope lenses for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, is expected to secure a substantial portion of the orders once again. Largan's chairman, Adam Lin, recently indicated that the optical components sector is expected to see peak sales from September to November, aligning with the anticipated release period for the iPhone 16 Pro models.

GSEO, a new entrant in the supply chain for this component, is reportedly undergoing quality testing with promising results. According to DigiTimes, GSEO's periscope lenses are currently undergoing validation, with production expected to begin in mid-July if they pass the necessary tests.

The tetraprism periscope lens introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers up to 5x optical zoom and 25x digital zoom – a major improvement over previous models, which were limited to 3x optical zoom at most. In addition to the advancements in optical zoom with the telephoto camera, the periscope lens is also expected to improve overall image stabilization and low-light performance.

Article Link: Apple Again Rumored to Bring 5x Telephoto Camera to iPhone 16 Pro

 

[everybodylovesramen]

i’m not chasing this zoom again - overspent for a 15 pro max & i’ll be trading in for whatever is the smallest model in the 16 lineup non pro. the whole phone lineup is borked. need to make ONE phone lineup then its all profit you dummies.

 

[The Game 161]

i’m not chasing this zoom again - overspent for a 15 pro max & i’ll be trading in for whatever is the smallest model in the 16 lineup non pro. the whole phone lineup is borked. need to make ONE phone lineup then its all profit you dummies.

So because you want a smaller model everybody else needs to? Nope that’s not how the world and business works

 

[GuruZac]

I've definitely enjoyed the extra zoom on my 15 Pro Max, but I think we're at a place where upgrading for camera features isn't worth it, at least for me. But, I also buy Pro iPhones for the other features like materials, display with ProMotion, etc. Camera features are just a bonus.

 

[zee11]

“iPhone 16 gets feature iPhone 15 had.”

 

[Promostyle]

The 5x zoom on my 15pm isn’t any better quality than pinching to zoom 5x. It’s just as blurry and lacks detail. Zoom to nowhere

 

[Chiromac81]

Duh.

Is this really news??

 

[coffeemilktea]

5x optical zoom? I'm going to be zooming in on every cat in my neighborhood; even their whiskers and chin hairs will get captured in glorious 48 megapixel high-definition. 😻

 

[bryn0076]

The 5x zoom on my 15pm isn’t any better quality than pinching to zoom 5x. It’s just as blurry and lacks detail. Zoom to nowhere

No, it is better. But it’s still not great.
One can verify this on a 15 pro max by starting to film a movie at 1x and pinch to zoom to 5x. This digital zoom is significantly inferior quality to a movie that engages the 5x optical zoom from the get go. It’s not even close… but x5 optical zoom for stills still looks bad.

 

[PetterA]

“iPhone 16 gets feature iPhone 15 had.”

Only the bigger Pro had this feature. The news is, that now the smaller one would get it too.

 

[tonyisit]

So sick of the slow, , slow , slow updates to their telephoto lense, 2x was introduced with the iphone 7.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Every iPhone rumor now just seems to be another round of "meh...who cares..."

This product line is so boring now

I can't believe this is all Apple is ever willing to do anymore ... just tiny little spec bumps to a camera or a super minor dimension change, etc

 

[Premium1]

i’m not chasing this zoom again - overspent for a 15 pro max & i’ll be trading in for whatever is the smallest model in the 16 lineup non pro. the whole phone lineup is borked. need to make ONE phone lineup then its all profit you dummies.

Agree. Not sure why apple thinks they need 4 models. Should have the two "pro models" and then have a cheaper non pro model with a slightly smaller screen than the regular pro.

 

[Premium1]

Maybe by 2050 Apple will catch up to samsung and others in the zoom department.

 

[DrWojtek]

4x is the sweet spot. 5x is too much. And anything beyond 5 is ridiculous

 

[mac38728]

The 5x zoom on my 15pm isn’t any better quality than pinching to zoom 5x. It’s just as blurry and lacks detail. Zoom to nowhere

zoom in 4.9x and then go to 5x. You’ll see a major difference.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Every iPhone rumor now just seems to be another round of "meh...who cares..."

This product line is so boring now

I can't believe this is all Apple is ever willing to do anymore ... just tiny little spec bumps to a camera or a super minor dimension change, etc

Smartphones are a mature category now. All the innovation is happening elsewhere; foldables, AR headsets, etc.

 

[CharlesShaw]

5x optical zoom? I'm going to be zooming in on every cat in my neighborhood; even their whiskers and chin hairs will get captured in glorious 48 megapixel high-definition. 😻

You've made me realize me that, having donated the dust-collecting dslr and zoom lens, I no longer own anything that could zoom in on the neighborhood. iPhone Pro is not for me, so maybe some compact binoculars are in order.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I just want a prime lens.... never cared for smartphone zoom lens compared to my dslr.

 

[winxmac]

2016 - iPhone 7 Plus [2x zoom]
2020 - iPhone 12 Pro Max [2.5x zoom]
2021 - iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max [3x zoom]
2023 - iPhone 15 Pro Max [5x zoom]

Why can't Apple go the Samsung [Galaxy Ultra] route? A dedicated lens for each: 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3x, 5x, 10x

 

[Adoniram]

I’m surprised how many people don’t realize the value of higher optical zoom. This makes a huge difference in outdoor photography, especially when you’re hiking/skiing/etc. in vast, wide open spaces, but you want to frame an image just so. Getting the maximum number of pixels in your shot is critical.

 

[Smittywerben]

Smartphones are a mature category now. All the innovation is happening elsewhere; foldables, AR headsets, etc.

Other smartphones maybe, iPhones are certainly not mature yet, specially in zoom, 15PM gets demolished by phones that have 100x zoom, base model doesn't even have telephoto lens which is something regular for other phones in that price range, and it's 60hz. 15Pro has same or worse battery life than iPhone 13 base, not sure what about these phones are "mature".

 

[Tagbert]

“iPhone 16 gets feature iPhone 15 had.”

Correction: “smaller iphone 16 pro gets camera feature that larger iPhone 15 pro had.”

 

[Tagbert]

Other smartphones maybe, iPhones are certainly not mature yet, specially in zoom, 15PM gets demolished by phones that have 100x zoom, base model doesn't even have telephoto lens which is something regular for other phones in that price range, and it's 60hz. 15Pro has same or worse battery life than iPhone 13 base, not sure what about these phones are "mature".

Which phones have 100x optical zoom?

If you are talking about interpolated digital zoom then what is the point? And do you carry a tripos tripod around with that phone?

 

[alternamelka]

not to turn the iPhone into phone with 12 cameras but a 48mp x3 and a x10 would be perfect i feel. The 5x doesn’t get close enough to far away subjects and also its too far for close portraits