Kuo: iPhone 15 Pro Max 5x Lens Coming to Both iPhone 16 Pro Models

One of the exclusive features found on this year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max is a 5x optical zoom lens. However, that feature will be available on both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max in 2024, says supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo shared this information in a post on Medium today, which focused on iPhone 15 Pro Max production challenges related to the camera.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s tetraprism lens system boasts a “folded” design, allowing it to fit inside the Pro Max, providing up to 5x optical zoom and up to 25x digital zoom.

Apple’s smaller iPhone 15 Pro handset’s camera lens system is still limited to the same 3x optical zoom as last year’s iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max devices.

Even though the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max won’t hit store shelves until later this week, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill, which has moved on to conjecture about the 2024 iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

We’ve previously seen rumors that the iPhone 16 Pro will boast a larger 6.3-inch display, a slight increase over the 6.1-inch screen that’s been used since the iPhone 12 Pro. A larger screen means a larger device, likely providing the space needed for the tetraprism lens used in the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Kuo has previously mentioned that the lens from the iPhone 15 Pro Max lens would also expand to both the iPhone 16 Pro as well as the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Meanwhile, a July report out of Asia claimed the 2024 iPhone 16 Pro Max will be the first iPhone to be equipped with a super telephoto periscope camera for dramatically increased optical zoom.

This earlier claim came via the “Digital Chat Station” Weibo account, which has a fairly good reputation for accurate information about Apple’s future plans for devices and accessories.

Photographers use super telephoto cameras to photograph sporting events and wild animals (although not usually at the same time). Super telephoto cameras deliver extremely soft backgrounds, making them ideal for portrait photography, provided that there is sufficient distance between the subject and the photographer.

Kuo’s Medium post was focused on the iPhone 15 Pro Max production challenges Apple manufacturing partners are facing that are related to the camera.

Kup says the most significant supply bottleneck for the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the tetraprism compact camera module (CCM), which is currently supplied only by LGIT. To improve the yields, Apple has increased the specifications of the tetraprism lens exclusively supplied by Largan in order to address the CCM yield issues caused by assembly tolerances.

Largan has quickly expanded the production lines for the tetraprism lens, thanks to the urgency to meet shipment volume demand, as well as the increase in lens qualification requirements.

The increased production challenges, as well as the need to allocate more resources, have caused the unit price of the tetraprism lens to jump by more than 20%. The higher price should provide a boost for Largan’s income and profit.

Since both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the iPhone 16 Pro are expected to boast tetraprism telephoto cameras, it will make things a bit more difficult next year for Apple’s second-largest lens supplier, Genius. Largan is expected to maintain its primary supplier status for the lens next year.

[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.]