Malcolm Owen
The iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the only model that has a periscope lens, a leaker has declared, which will drive customers to the most expensive model.
A periscope lens is a system that uses a prism and a series of lenses to increase the optical zoom capabilities of a device without necessarily making a smartphone thicker. While the technology is thought to be on the way in a future iPhone, a leaker claims that it will only be on one model in the iPhone 15 family.
In a Monday tweet, leaker @URedditor says they have "Finally received independent confirmation" that the periscope lens will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The short tweet isn't expanded upon by the leaker, with a follow-up adding "No other details can be released at this time." However, in response to a question from a follower asking if the camera layout will have changed, they replied "Not really."
Rumors about the periscope lens have circulated for a while, with many claims saying it was on the way for the Pro models only. In July 2022, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo offered that it could be expanded to all of the iPhone 16 range.
However, in January 2023, Kuo tweeted that only the "highest-end model" in the iPhone 16 series will have a periscope camera.
Leaker @Uredditor, aka "Unknownz21," does have a fairly short, but accurate, history of leaks. This includes obtaining pre-release iOS 14 code and leaking the "Gobi" AR codes, the latter eventually becoming scannable App Clips.
They have also spread rumors about an iPhone 15 Pro's USB-C port appearing in a photo, and that Wi-Fi 6E support will be limited to the Pro range.
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10 Comments
This rumor has been around for awhile. I'm really sad that Pro models won't have the same features. I always update when the camera upgrade is worth it, but looks like I won't be buying this year (I've only skipped once). I just can't deal with a phone so big I need to buy new pants just to put it in my pocket. My Canon 5D is big enough. 🤣
Which would mean I would skip it, like I did for the 12 pro vs max, I just don't want a bigger phone, and the main upgrades these days are in camera tech.
Probably more supply chain problems. Some other phone manufacturer puts this in their flagship phone and they may need 250,000 or a million. Apple puts it into the iPhone lineup and they now need 200 million parts...
I suspect this is a case of there not being enough room (yet) to squeeze the periscope lens tech into smaller Pro body as opposed to trying to make the Pro Max more desirable. Both models will likely have it next year. That was the story the last time this happened with the 12 Pro/12 Pro Max camera differences. But per the previous posts, I'm also not a fan of the bigger phone, especially in the current flat-sided design. I tried living with the 12 Pro Max for a year and it always felt like a brick slab in my pocket.
That’s an upgrade I won’t be getting - the periscope option was going to be the key reason to return to the iPhone Pro. I love the size of my Mini, but the prospect of the periscope lens would have been compelling. I can only hope this is inaccurate - but it does make sense for the Ultra to get something unique. :(