According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, next year’s iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature an improved 48-megapixel Tetraprism camera for better photo quality and zoom functionality.
In his latest investor note published to Medium, Kuo said the key spec change will be a 1/2.6″ 48MP CIS sensor versus the 1/3.1″ 12MP sensor expected to be used in this year’s iPhone 16 Pro models.
Both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are expected to get Tetraprism telephoto lenses in 2024, instead of the technology being limited to the larger Pro Max like the iPhone 15 series. (The iPhone 15 Pro has a 12-megapixel telephoto lens that offers 3x zoom, (but the iPhone 15 Pro Max uses an improved telephoto lens that allows for 5x zoom.) This means that both iPhone 16 Pro models will have at least 5x optical zoom and at least 25x digital zoom.
Kuo said he is currently unsure if only the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the improved Tetraprism camera. But if it’s exclusive to this model, then both iPhone 18 Pro models will get it in 2026. The upgraded Tetraprism camera requires completely newly designed prisms that have to be shorter in shape to reduce the height of the camera, Kuo added.
The analyst report confirms a claim made last year by Jeff Pu of Haitong International Securities. Pu said in December that the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s improved 48MP telephoto lens will be optimized for use with Apple Vision Pro. Current iPhone 15 Pro models can record 3D-depth 3D surround video for playback on Vision Pro – when held in landscape orientation, the main and ultra-wide lenses combine to record 3D depth-enhanced 3D video.
Pu previously said that both iPhone 16 Pro models will feature a 48MP ultra-wide lens, which would make the iPhone 17 Pro Max the first iPhone model to feature a rear camera system made up entirely of 48MP lenses. To put that into perspective, the current iPhone 15 Pro models have a 48MP main, a 12MP ultra-wide and a 12MP telephoto lens.
Popular stories
10 reasons to wait for next year’s iPhone 17
Apple’s iPhone development schedule runs several years into the future, and the company is constantly working with suppliers on several consecutive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we sometimes see alleged feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 lineup is no different, and we already have some idea of ​​what to expect from Apple’s smartphone lineup for 2025. If you’re planning to skip…
Everything new in iOS 18 Beta 3
With the third beta versions of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 released by Apple today, there are further improvements to a number of features such as dark mode icons, the Photos app, emojis in Messages and more, while it appears that Apple is preparing to launch Apple Intelligence. Apple will continue to update iOS 18‌ over the next few months, improving the beta version before its release….
iPhone 17 “Slim”: Everything we know so far
In 2025, Apple is expected to phase out the “Plus” iPhone in its iPhone 17 lineup to make way for the “Slim” iPhone — though that might not actually be called that when it debuts next fall. Although the launch of the iPhone 16 series is still over two months away, when you consider that we learned about larger displays on the iPhone 16 Pro models as early as May 2023, rumors…
Apple Leak confirms four iPhone 16 models with the same A18 chip
Code discovered in Apple’s backend by Nicolás Alvarez and shared with MacRumors confirms Apple’s plans to release four iPhone 16 models this year and suggests that all devices will have the same A-series chip. There are mentions of new model numbers unrelated to existing iPhones that they have the numbering scheme that Apple uses for its flagships. Code…
Best Buy is offering up to $500 off the M3 MacBook Pro in a new sale
Best Buy is offering a great selection of late 2023 Apple 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro deals this weekend, with up to $500 off select models. These offers are available to all shoppers and do not require a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership. Note: MacRumors is a Best Buy affiliate. When you click on a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment that helps…
The iPhone 16 models are rumored to have design changes related to Face ID
iPhone 16 models arriving later this year could have some “Face ID-related design changes,” supply chain publication DigiTimes reported this week. The original source of this information is the British newspaper The Telegraph, which reported six weeks ago that the supplier of Face ID components Coherent is considering the sale or redesign of its manufacturing plant in Newton Aycliffe, a small town in…