New Rumors Say iPhone 15 to Sport Hybrid Lens With Larger Aperture + More Upgrades for iPhone 16

Twitter user “RGcloudS” today claimed that this year’s iPhone 15 lineup will sport a glass-plastic hybrid lens with an ƒ/1.7 aperture.  RGcloudS also says Apple will make further improvements to the lens in the 2024 iPhone 16 lineup.

The upgrade would make the iPhone 15 series the first smartphone lineup sold in a country other than China to have a hybrid lens design. Currently, devices using the hybrid lens design from phone makers like Xiaomi are sold only in China.

Apple’s iPhone 15 hybrid lens is said to feature a single glass element and six plastic elements. The wide camera currently used in the iPhone 14 lineup uses seven lenses made from plastic.

The main camera to be used in the iPhone 15 lineup is said to feature an ƒ/1.7 aperture, which is only a slight increase over the iPhone 14 Pro models’ ƒ/1.79 aperture. It is also expected that the same 48-megapixel rear camera that debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will be used on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models.

This year’s iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus both feature a ƒ/1.5 aperture. This means that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus could actually receive an aperture downgrade this year.

The larger aperture allows the wide camera to capture as much as 20 percent more light, allowing for improved performance in low-light conditions, along with faster shutter speeds. A larger aperture also creates a shallower depth of field, providing additional blurring of the subject’s background, and making the subject stand out more.

As for the improvements said to be coming to the 2024 iPhone 16 Pro Max, it is said to set to receive an upgrade of its wide camera, receiving an eight-part hybrid lens design, made up of two glass elements and six plastic elements. Five- and six-element hybrid lenses are expected to debut on the iPhone 16 Pro Max ultra-wide and telephoto cameras. The lenses are expected to be manufactured by Sunny Optical Technology.

This rumor comes from the same source that last week said the iPhone 15 lineup may use a new type of stacked battery technology. However, the leaker now says the battery upgrade will be used in the iPhone 16 series instead. 40W wired charging and 20W charging via MagSafe will come along for the ride. RGcloudS says Apple is planning to simultaneously debut larger image sensors and stacked battery technology on the iPhone 16.

In related news, Bloomberg on Monday reported that Apple is “considering” raising the price of this year’s iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models. The report said that although it is expected that we’ll see a decline in smartphone sales this model year, Apple is looking to grab an increase in its overall revenue by hiking the price of the two high-end iPhone 15 models.

We all know the rules when it comes to Apple-related rumors, right? Rumors should be taken with a grain of your favorite salt-free seasoning. We won’t know for sure if these rumors will come to pass until the official debut of the new iPhone 15 lineup later this year, as well as the iPhone 16 lineup in 2024.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]