China leak: Significantly improved telephoto lens in the iPhone 17 Pro Max?
8x zoom instead of just 5x, possibly even more: A leaker from China believes that Apple is upping the ante with the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
iPhone camera module, here the 15 Pro.
(Image: Sebastian Trepesch)
One of the most exciting new features of the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max is likely to be the improved camera systems. There has been speculation for some time that Apple will install an 8x version for the first time instead of the current 5x zoom. This should deliver 48 megapixels for the first time instead of the current 12 megapixels. A well-known Chinese leaker with a usually decent rumor record has now provided more details.
8x zoom with 48 megapixels
Instant Digital, which has a good 1.5 million subscribers on its X counterpart Weibo, writes that it has heard that Apple is planning the “most powerful telephoto smartphone to date” for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Instant Digital remained silent about exactly what this means. One possibility is that Apple will allow direct switching between the 5x and 8x zoom without sensor cropping, i.e., purely physical switching. This would require more internal space for the periscope optics, which suggests that only the 17 Pro Max may receive the technology, not the 17 Pro.
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Well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from TF International Securities had previously claimed that Apple will again make camera differences between the Pro and Pro Max models this year, but referred to the resolution of the telephoto lens sensor. Apple had already installed different types of lenses in Pro and Pro Max models in the past. This can also help to diversify the two device variants beyond the screen size. The iPhone 15 Pro came with a 3x zoom, the iPhone 15 Pro Max with a 5x zoom. The available space for the optics may also have played a role here. The resolution of both devices was 12 megapixels.
Converted camera module
It is still unclear why Apple is redesigning the camera module in the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max to such an extent. This time, it stretches across the entire width of the housing. The three sensors are located on the left, with space in the middle as seen from the outside, followed by LIDAR and flash on the right.
The changes are so easy to recognize that one of the new devices was probably leaked in advance in a photo from San Francisco. The larger module gives Apple more room to experiment with new components. The new iPhones are expected to be unveiled in early September, with the 9th of the month currently considered a hot candidate for a keynote.
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