Apple is rumored to release next year's iPhone, presumably the iPhone 15, with much better camera quality.
Currently, the latest iPhones from Apple are the iPhone 13 models. They are the iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
There have been quite a ton of rumors and speculation about the next iPhone and what services and products it will give its users. However, some of this has already been revealed with the latest Apple WWDC held last June.
Apple has not revealed the iPhone 14 just yet. However, there are now rumors about what is to come next in the iPhone lineup for 2023.
A periscope lens that allows for improved optical zoom is the most frequently rumored component of a potential new feature. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the lens will only be available for the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Apple's iPhone 15 Pro Max Rumors
Apple reportedly has plans to bring a periscope lens to the iPhone, but it seems that the feature will be more limited than expected.
According to reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, "Apple's camera supply chain will enter a two-year high-speed growth cycle thanks to iPhone 15's adoption of a high-ASP periscope design."
[Analysis] Apple’s camera supply chain will enter a two-year high-speed growth cycle thanks to iPhone 15’s adoption of a high-ASP periscope design / Apple相機供應鏈將因iPhone 15採用高單價潛望鏡設計而進入連續兩年高速成長週期 @mingchikuo https://t.co/CfUiUe7JQH
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) July 14, 2022
Kuo predicts that in 2023, Apple plans to implement a periscope-like design into the iPhone's telephoto camera.
The periscope lens system is dependent on a prism, which reflects light onto a number of internal lenses that are angled at ninety degrees toward the camera sensor.
This enables the length of the lens to be significantly greater than that of a telephoto lens, which results in an optical zoom that is significantly more powerful.
Kuo also said that the periscope lens on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 will have the same specs: a 1/3-inch sensor with 12 megapixels, an f/2.8 aperture, sensor-shift capability, and a 5-6x optical zoom range.
Additionally, it is also rumored that Apple will implement prisms in its products for the first time in the iPhone. Each periscope camera is made up of two prisms. These prisms reflect light and create a longer light path, which allows for optical zoom.
The company is currently receiving a lot of attention in the periscope supply chain. In 2024, the year-over-year growth in iPhone prism production value will reach between 150 and 200%.
In addition to the lens barrel, the full periscope lens module consists of a high-ASP 1G2P lens, as well as two high-ASP prisms. Materials with a high ASP are essential to increasing the overall production value.
As stated by Kuo, "Apple's lens supplier will provide more complicated assembly services for the first time, so Largan and Genius are expanding their production capacity in Taichung and Xiamen to meet this order."
Apple's iPhone 15 Release
Apple releasing a new feature for the much more expensive iPhone models is not a new thing for the company.
According to 9To5Mac, if this rumor is true, this will not be the first time that Apple has limited access to certain functions in order to justify the higher price of the iPhone Pro Max.
This is because Apple has used this same business model with the iPhone 12 Pro Max. When the iPhone 12 Pro Max was released, it was the only device to have the largest sensor in the widest lens and the only one capable of sensor-shift stabilization.
