iPhones have had telephoto lenses for quite some time, starting all the way back with the iPhone 7 Series, when the iPhone 7 Plus introduced a 2x telephoto sensor, particularly to enhance its portrait mode. Since then, most iPhones have featured telephoto lenses, except for the vanilla models, beginning with the iPhone 11 Series.
The iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro, and now the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro—all feature advanced telephoto sensors. However, a common limitation has prevented them from matching competitors like the Samsung Galaxy S Series—a low-resolution sensor. iPhones have generally been equipped with a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor, offering 2x, 3x, and now 5x optical zoom in the iPhone 16 Series.
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Apple Could Finally Opt For Higher Resolution Sensors
Both consumers and critics have both wanted Apple to opt for a higher resolution sensor, especially with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra now offering a 50-megapixel 5x telephoto camera, which allows for advanced zoom imaging. Similarly, the Pixel 9 Pro supports a 48-megapixel telephoto sensor, allowing advanced zoom.
This could change with the iPhone 17 Pro, which is rumoured to finally switch to a 48-megapixel 5x telephoto sensor, potentially bringing a significant boost to Apple’s zoom capabilities.
According to a report by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu claims that both the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will support a 48-megapixel telephoto camera, marking a significant upgrade from the current 12-megapixel 5x sensor in the iPhone 16 Pro models. Additionally, Pu suggests that both models will feature 12GB of RAM, an increase from the 8GB in the current versions.
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What Could This Mean For iPhone’s Zoom Abilities?
Some flagship models, including the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, feature high-resolution sensors, enabling advanced zoom capabilities up to 100x. While you don’t get optical quality at 100x or even 50x, this offers greater flexibility compared to the iPhone 16 Pro, which limits zoom to 25x. If the iPhone 17 Pro does indeed include a 5x 48MP camera, it could provide further reach and potentially higher quality zoom shots at around 10x and beyond.
Apple upgraded the iPhone 16 Pro’s ultrawide sensor to 48MP, which has resulted in higher quality standard and ProRAW shots, packed with detail. This upgrade has also improved Apple’s macro mode. If the telephoto lens receives similar treatment, with a 48MP trio across the wide, telephoto, and ultrawide cameras, it could create an even more well-rounded camera system.
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