Will the iPhone 16 Pro Max Revolutionary Zoom Capabilities Be Worth the Wait?
We are still a few months away from the iPhone 15 series, which is expected to be unveiled in September next year. All the leaks indicate that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature a periscope sensor capable of supporting approximately 6X optical zoom, a significant upgrade compared to the current 3x optical zoom on the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max might come with revolutionary optical zoom capabilities!
However, rumors about the iPhone 16 Pro Max have started surfacing in the past few weeks, with the latest suggesting that the phone will include an even longer periscope camera for super zooming.
The source of this new rumor is Digital Chat Station on the Chinese platform Weibo, a leaker with a proven track record of unreleased smartphone rumors.
Nevertheless, since we are still over a year away from the iPhone 16 Pro Max, it's best to approach these types of rumors with some caution. Also, note that Apple might change its plans at any moment before the manufacturing process begins.
As you know, both the current iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max feature a telephoto camera with a 77mm focal length, supporting only 3x optical zoom.
However, the iPhone 15 Pro Max will come with a periscope lens capable of 6x optical zoom. Nevertheless, the iPhone 15 Pro model won't get this upgrade. Perhaps the new periscope lens will justify Apple's decision to raise the price of the Pro Max model this year.
The leaker mentioned in their post that the phone will feature an "ultra zoom" lens. Naturally, the term "ultra zoom" implies periscope lenses with a focal length of 300mm or more.
If this means anything, it means something of utmost significance - that we are about to witness a whopping 12x improvement in the zoom rate. Phones like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra support 10x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom.
We've been able to spot multiple recent rumors highlighting the inclusion of a periscope lens in the iPhone 16 Pro model. However, this implies that it will be a full year behind in gaining the same feature that its more expensive counterpart, the Pro Max, will possess.
Furthermore, there are some sources confirming the inclusion of a larger primary camera sensor on the iPhone 15 Pro phones, measuring 1.14μm/1 instead of 1.21μm/1. This is a great feature as it's supposed to enable the sensor to capture more light and enhance low-light photography.