HIGHLIGHTS
* iPhone 16 Pro Max will reportedly feature a Super Telephoto Periscope zoom lens.
* The Super Telephoto is zoom lenses with a focal length of over 300mm.
* The iPhone 14 Pro Max features a non-periscope 77mm zoom lens.
Using a series of lenses folded up inside a smartphone, sensors, and prisms that allow light to enter from a camera and then bounce off the prisms to hit the sensors, a periscope camera can deliver better optical zoom on a handset.
Already available on several Android flagships, the first Apple iPhone to carry such a technology should be this year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max if the rumor mill has this called right.
Reportedly, the optical zoom will increase from 3x to as much as 6x on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
According to tipster Digital Chat Station (via AndroidAuthority), when it comes to the iPhone 16 Pro Max due in 2024, get ready for a huge improvement.
His post on Weibo, when translated, says that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will sport a “periscope ultra-telephoto” which probably means something like a “super-periscope telephoto” lens.
The technology would give the iPhone 16 Pro Max camera a huge focal length of as much as 300mm compared to 77mm on current iPhone models.
We are less than two months away from iPhone 15 series launch, and the rumour mill has already started churning about iPhone 16 series.
The latest leak from popular Weibo tipster Digital Chat Station has revealed the camera details of the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
If the leak is to be believed, the iPhone 16 flagship smartphone might come with the most significant camera update yet. According to the leak, the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a Super Telephoto periscope zoom lens.
A 300mm focal length, while just speculation at this point, would top the 230mm focal length of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and the 120mm focal length of the Pixel 7 Pro. But things won’t remain static until the iPhone 16 Pro Max is unveiled in 2024.
In the meantime, we could see certain Android phones, surely the Galaxy S24 Ultra for one, exceed a 300mm focal length with its periscope camera.
Before you start putting off your plans to buy the iPhone 15 Pro Max and wait for 2024’s top-of-the-line iPhone, there is also the possibility leaks are wrong.
So if you want to keep your upgrade plans unchanged for now. Another rumor calls for the display on the iPhone 16 Pro Max to hit 6.9 inches.
iPhone 16 Pro Max Rumored to Feature Super Telephoto Camera
The iPhone 16 Pro Max could be the first to feature a super telephoto periscope camera for dramatically increased optical zoom, according to a new report coming out of Asia.
The information comes from the Weibo account “Digital Chat Station,” which has provided accurate information about Apple’s plans in the past. The label of “super” or “ultra” telephoto is usually afforded to cameras with a focal length over 300mm, drastically magnifying and pulling in distant subjects.
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro models’ telephoto camera has a focal length of equivalent to 77mm, so a focal length in excess of 300mm on the iPhone 16 Pro Max would be a very large increase.
Super telephoto cameras are often used for sports and wild animal photography, but the extremely soft backgrounds they create also make them useful for portrait photography, providing there is enough distance between the subject and the photographer.
The change is seemingly facilitated by Apple’s upgrade to a periscope telephoto camera system, starting with the iPhone 15 Pro Max later this year.
With next year’s iPhone 16 Pro models, Apple is reportedly planning to bring the telephoto camera to both of the “Pro” models, apparently enabled by increasing the smaller model’s size.
As such, giving the iPhone 16 Pro Max a super telephoto periscope would enable Apple to maintain differentiation between the two “Pro” devices next year.
The Weibo user also reiterated their previous claim that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will feature a 12% larger camera sensor that is 1/1.14-inches in size.
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max currently feature a 1/1.28-inch sensor and no sensor size increase is expected for this year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max.
A larger sensor could improve the main iPhone camera’s dynamic range and background blur.
It could also substantially enhance low-light photography capabilities since a bigger surface area can capture more light with the same shutter speed and aperture.
In their latest post on the matter, the Weibo user did not explicitly state which devices the rumor relates to in the iPhone 16 lineup, it is believed to relate specifically to the iPhone 16 Pro Max due to their previous remarks.
The same user shared similar camera information earlier this year, claiming that they had obtained industry insider information.
Leak: iPhone 16 Pro Max with 12x Telephoto Zoom
To add more layers and zoom capabilities to a camera, manufacturers typically extend the length of the lens. But on a smartphone, the lens length is limited by the thickness of the handset.
A periscope lens puts the camera elements between two 45-degree mirrors, so the photographic hardware can run down the inside of the phone rather than protruding even more.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max, due less than two months from now, is rumored to come with a periscope camera. It reportedly will deliver the same 3× zoom as today’s models. However, the periscope lens will slim down the iPhone Pro Max’s significant camera bump.
Next year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max, if the rumor posted today by Digital Chat Station on Weibo is to be believed, will go one step further. It will use a super telephoto periscope lens, a moniker reserved for cameras with a very high focal length of more than 300mm — in other words, a camera that can zoom incredibly far.
Apple calls the 77mm lens in the iPhone 14 Pro a 3× zoom. So it’s not a stretch to say a greater than 300mm lens could enable a 12× zoom.
APPLE IPHONE 16 PRO MAX SPECIFICATIONS
Key Specs
| RAM | 6 GB |
| Processor | Apple A16 Bionic |
| Rear Camera | 13 MP + 13 MP + 13 MP |
| Front Camera | 13 MP |
| Battery | 4700 mAh |
| Display | 6.25 inches (15.88 cm) |
General
| Launch Date | October 26, 2023 (Unofficial) |
| Operating System | iOS v16 |
Performance
| Chipset | Apple A16 Bionic |
| CPU | Hexa Core (3.464 GHz, Dual core, Everest + 2.02 GHz, Quad core, Sawtooth) |
| Architecture | 64 bit |
| Fabrication | 4 nm |
| Graphics | Apple GPU (Five-core graphics) |
| RAM | 6 GB |
Display
| Display Type | OLED |
| Screen Size | 6.25 inches (15.88 cm) |
| Resolution | 1189 x 2546 pixels |
| Pixel Density | 450 ppi |
| Bezel-less display | Yes |
| Touch Screen | Yes, Capacitive Touchscreen, Multi-touch |
Camera
| MAIN CAMERA | ||
| Camera Setup | Triple | |
| Resolution | 13 MP, Primary Camera 13 MP 13 MP |
|
| Autofocus | Yes | |
| Flash | Yes, LED Flash | |
| Image Resolution | 4128 x 3096 Pixels | |
| Settings | Exposure compensation, ISO control | |
| Shooting Modes | Continuous Shooting High Dynamic Range mode (HDR) |
|
| Camera Features | Digital Zoom Auto Flash Face detection |
|
| Video Recording | 1920×1080 @ 30 fps | |
| FRONT CAMERA | ||
| Camera Setup | Single | |
| Resolution | 13 MP, Primary Camera | |
| Video Recording | 1920×1080 @ 30 fps | |
Battery
| Capacity | 4700 mAh |
| Type | Li-Polymer |
| Removable | No |
| Quick Charging | Yes, Fast |
| USB Type-C | No |
Storage
| Internal Memory | 128 GB |
| Expandable Memory | No |
Network & Connectivity
| SIM Slot(s) | Dual SIM, GSM+GSM |
| SIM Size | SIM1: Nano, SIM2: eSIM |
| Network Support | 5G Not Supported in India, 4G Supported in India, 3G, 2G |
| VoLTE | Yes |
| SIM 1 |
4G Bands:
TD-LTE 2300(band 40)
FD-LTE 1800(band 3) 3G Bands:
UMTS 1900 / 2100 / 850 / 900 MHz
2G Bands:
GSM 1800 / 1900 / 850 / 900 MHz
GPRS:
Available
EDGE:
Available
|
| SIM 2 |
4G Bands:
TD-LTE 2300(band 40)
FD-LTE 1800(band 3) 3G Bands:
UMTS 1900 / 2100 / 850 / 900 MHz
2G Bands:
GSM 1800 / 1900 / 850 / 900 MHz
GPRS:
Available
EDGE:
Available
|
| Wi-Fi | Yes, Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 b/g/n) |
| Wi-Fi Features | Mobile Hotspot |
| Bluetooth | Yes, v5.3 |
| GPS | Yes with A-GPS, Glonass |
| USB Connectivity | Mass storage device, USB charging |
Multimedia
| Loudspeaker | Yes |
| Audio Jack | Lightning |
Sensors
| Fingerprint Sensor | No |
| Other Sensors | Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Barometer, Compass, Gyroscope |
Faqs
1) What are iPhone 16 Pro Max Might Come with a 300mm Telephoto Lens?
Ans) The iPhone 16 Pro Max is slated to launch in September 2024, so there’s still a while to get there. However, Digital Chat Station has already revealed a key camera detail of the yet-to-be-announced flagship. And with the accurate track record of the tipster, the leak is bound to be accurate.
The famous tipster says the iPhone 16 Pro Max will flaunt a Super Telephoto zoom lens. Past reports have suggested that the upcoming iPhones will have a periscope-style telephoto lens. We can also expect the Super Telephoto camera to be an advanced periscope lens.
Notably, the Super and Ultra prefix in the camera context is used for lenses with a focal length of over 300mm. It is exciting news because the current iPhone 14 Pro Max has a 77mm zoom lens. If the leak is indeed true, the iPhone 16 Pro Max could turn out to be a powerful camera phone for wildlife and astrophotography enthusiasts. Thanks to the advanced portrait imaging tech already available on iPhones, it could also be a powerful portrait camera.
Digital Chat Station has also revealed that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a much bigger camera sensor than the current iPhone 14 Pro Max. The 14 Pro Max is equipped with a 1/1.28-inch sensor size, and in comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro Max will reportedly feature a 1/1.14-inch sensor, which is 12% larger. The iPhone 15 Pro Max might retain the 1/1.28-inch sensor.
Previous leaks have confirmed that the iPhone 15 Pro Max might bring the first periscope-style lens to the iPhone lineup. It’s safe to assume that the iPhone 16 Pro will get iPhone 15 Pro’s periscope lens, and the Pro Max model will feature the Super Telephoto periscope lens. This assumption fits Apple’s latest strategy of distinguishing its Pro and vanilla models.
2) Is IPhone 16 pro max Hardware impressive?
Ans) As smartphone photography goes, iPhones have consistently featured in amongst the best camera phones, despite not offering the same versatility or standout features that many of the camera systems on the best Android phones can muster.
Apple has cultivated a familiarity, consistency and reliability across its devices’ cameras that’s hard to match and, until now, it’s doubled down on these qualities with each generation, while only really pushing the needle forward in the same set of areas each year; low-light performance, HDR performance and video capture.
If the above rumor holds true, however, it would be an example of Apple actively going after one to the key attributes of Samsung’s mobile photography champion – currently, the aforementioned S23 Ultra – in a way that it’s never done before: versatility.
As for the rumored new camera, ‘super telephoto’ is a term used to describe lenses with focal lengths of over 300mm. Such lenses enable photographers to capture close-up images of distant scenes and subjects, such as sporting events and wildlife. Smartphone makers could play fast and loose with this though, so it remains to be seen how Apple will handle it.
The iPhone is already a favorite for mobile photography, but this would represent a potentially game-changing upgrade. For comparison, the iPhone 14 Pro Max goes up to a 48mm focal length equivalent with its 2x optical zoom, according to Apple, though you can go up to 77mm. For context, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 10x optical zoom telephoto camera sports an equivalent focal length of 230mm.