- Periscope lens technology uses a prism to retract light, enabling higher optical zoom
- Apple has been rumored to introduce a periscope lens for several years
- iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max expected to larger displays thanks to thinner bezels
Apple will expand its periscope lens to the 6.1-inch iPhone 16 Pro in 2024 after introducing the technology in just the highest-end iPhone 15 Pro Max model later this year, respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today.
In a Medium post, Kuo stated that both sizes of the Pro iPhone lineup in 2024 will gain a periscope lens as opposed to just the iPhone 15 Pro Max later this year. Recently, Apple has adopted a strategy of offering the same camera technology to both sizes of its Pro iPhone lineup, leaving customers to choose between two sizes rather than a different set of features and camera capabilities.
Apple is seemingly somewhat moving away from that strategy for this year’s iPhone 15 Pro series, giving just the larger 6.7-inch model a periscope lens. Periscope lens technology is already present in most flagship Android smartphones, which use a prism to retract light onto the camera sensor, enabling improved optical zoom.
Kuo today also echoed information shared earlier this month by respected display analyst Ross Young, stating that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro will feature larger displays. According to Young, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will measure 6.3 and 6.9-inches, respectively.
The display size of the iPhone 16 Pro will be slightly larger than the iPhone 14/15 Pro’s 6.1″, allowing the 16 Pro to equip with a periscope camera thanks to larger internal space. It’s expected that iPhone 16 Pro Max and Pro will have periscopes (vs. only Pro Max among the 15 series). Cowell will likely be the CCM supplier for the iPhone 16 periscope in 2024.
Ming-Chi Kuo
As for the this year’s new iPhones, rumors suggest that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature significantly thinner bezels, potentially featuring the thinnest bezels on any smartphone. The iPhone 15 lineup is expected to be announced this fall in September. Apple is expected to expand Dynamic Island, which it first introduced on the iPhone 14 Pro last year, to all models of the 2023 iPhone lineup. The company is also rumored to replace Lightning with USB-C across the entire lineup and expand the 48MP camera sensor to entry-level iPhone 15 models.
