In the mobile phone market, the use of a periscope telephoto lens is not new, however, it is new to Apple.
The periscope telephoto lens would be included with the iPhone 15 Pro Max variant, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo confirmed a few hours ago. The iPhone 15 Pro Max can achieve 6X optical zoom in contrast to the 12MP, 3X telephoto lens included with the iPhone 14 Pro at the moment. This is the first device produced by Apple to use a periscope telephoto lens.
The periscope telephoto lens’ design is inspired by the periscope. It uses two mirrors to create the refraction of the light, which is twice reflected via the mirrors before being redirected to the photosensitive component.
In particular, the periscope telephoto alters the path of light as it travels, folding it via the mirror before it enters the camera’s sensor. In this method, the sensor of the mobile phone camera does not have to be at the same level as the lens, which not only allows the mobile phone to satisfy its zoom needs but also keeps the lens from sticking out unduly. The ultra-large Android flagships of today, including the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Xiaomi Mi 12S Ultra, Vivo X90 Pro+, and others, typically come with periscope telephoto lenses.
The periscope telephoto will be the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s unique selling feature for Apple. This is due to the fact that this feature will be absent from the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Plus, and iPhone 15 models. However, other models in the series will still have their unique selling points. The iPhone 15 Pro Max will also have an A17 bionic chip, a titanium middle frame, an updated LiDAR scanner, and other features.