iPhone 16 Pro Expected to Feature Apple’s ‘Tetraprism’ Zoom Lens from iPhone 15 Pro Max: Ming-Chi Kuo

iPhone 16 Pro could be equipped with an important camera upgrade that was only reserved for Apple’s top-of-the-line model this year, according to TF Securities International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. While Apple equipped the iPhone 15 Pro Max with an improved periscope telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom support, the smaller Pro model features a standard zoom lens with 3x optical zoom that is similar to its predecessor. The analyst previously claimed that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is facing production challenges amid ‘robust demand’.

Kuo predicts in a new Medium blog post that the purported iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are expected to be equipped with Apple’s new “tetraprism” telephoto zoom lens, unlike the iPhone 15 lineup, which only offers one model — the iPhone 15 Pro Max — with the upgraded telephoto lens that offers up to 5x optical zoom and a focal length of 120mm. 

During the company’s ‘Wonderlust’ launch event on September 12, Apple stated that the 120mm tetraprism lens design would reflect light rays four times inside a glass structure created inside the body of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Apple managed to create the longer focal length by bringing enough separation between the camera’s sensor and the lens and allowing the light to travel for longer before it is captured.

However, it is worth noting that Apple is also reportedly planning to replace its “Pro Max” model with a new “Ultra” model, which suggests that the improved telephoto camera could be a hardware feature limited to the top-of-the-line model in order to differentiate between the Pro and Pro Max/ Ultra model. This year, Apple increased the price of the iPhone 15 Pro Max by $100 (roughly Rs. 8,300) compared to its predecessor.   

Given Apple’s efforts at maintaining secrecy surrounding the development of its products, it could be a while before we learn more about the details of the camera specifications of the iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple only confirms specifications of its upcoming products at its launch events and the successors to the iPhone 15 series aren’t expected to arrive for another year.

Kuo recently stated that the iPhone 15 Pro Max was facing production challenges amid “robust demand” for Apple’s most expensive smartphone. In his latest Medium post, Kuo states that the “most significant supply bottleneck” for the flagship phone is the tetraprism compact camera module (CCM). According to Kuo, the company raised its specifications to address CCM yield issues. iPhone 15 Pro Max deliveries in the US and other regions have been pushed to November, thanks to increased demand for Apple’s high-end smartphone.