iPhone 16 Pro: 5X Optical Zoom With Tetraprism Telephoto Lens!

After introducing a new tetraprism lens system for the iPhone 15 Pro Max earlier this year, Apple is now set to launch the iPhone 16 Pro and ‌iPhone 16 Pro Max‌ with the company’s tetraprism Telephoto lens, which offers improved zoom capabilities.

In September, Apple released a new tetraprism lens system for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which enables 5x optical zoom for the first time. Camera technology was not added to the ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌, which is the first time Apple has added camera technology to one Pro device and not another.

The limitation was rumored to be due to space constraints, where only the Pro Max could fit into the hardware, but revenue may have also been a factor. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, when lens supplier Largan produced the tetraprism hardware for the iPhone 15 Pro‌ Max in the third quarter of 2023, the production yield was only 40 percent. The yield has now improved to 70% or more.

The company plans to increase the size of the iPhone 16 Pro to 6.3 inches from 6.1 inches, providing more space for the camera hardware. This increase in size, combined with yield improvements, addresses the factors that likely limited the use of the tetraprism lens on the larger Pro Max iPhone.

According to the report, it is still uncertain whether Apple plans to improve the tetraprism lens in 2024. There are rumors that Apple is developing a “super telephoto camera” with an extended focal length.

In related news, Apple is said to be considering standard changes for the iPhone 16 models, potentially returning to the vertical camera layout seen on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini, according to the report.

Apple used the diagonal layout for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14, and “it’s not entirely clear why Apple would return, but one theory is that it could allow the devices to record spatial video to Apple Vision Pro,” MacRumors said.