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Tetraprism Telephoto Lens to be Available on Both iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max

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Recently, MacRumors has received information indicating that Apple intends to implement the tetraprism telephoto lens on both iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max in 2024.

iPhone-16-Pro-Mock-Header-Updated.jpg


Our findings align with claims made by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo back in September, which were recently reiterated. The Elec also published a report earlier this month which makes the same claim about tetraprism availability, albeit with more details.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max features a tetraprism telephoto camera. The folded glass structure within it uses a tetraprism design which repeatedly reflects light, allowing for up to 5x optical zoom, up from 3x on the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

This year, the iPhone 15 Pro was released without the new-and-improved tetraprism telephoto camera, likely due to spatial constraints. The components necessary for the tetraprism camera occupy significantly more space than the telephoto camera currently found on the iPhone 15 Pro, and consequently would not fit in the smaller 6.1” device.

With the iPhone 16 Pro, Apple intends to increase the overall size of the devices, with the displays of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max measuring roughly 6.3" and 6.9", respectively. The increased device sizes would provide ample room for the new tetraprism telephoto camera, and internal documentation seen by MacRumors corroborates this change.

Internal documentation detailing the camera module design for the iPhone 16 Pro reveals that the module bears significant resemblance to the module used in the iPhone 15 Pro Max. At a glance, the area containing the tetraprism components can be easily identified.

It is important to consider that the information provided here constitutes pre-production information and may not reflect the hardware found on final mass production units. The iPhone 16 Pro is still many months away and changes are always possible.

For more details on what to expect, check out our rumor roundup page for the iPhone 16 Pro.

Article Link: Tetraprism Telephoto Lens to be Available on Both iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/12/20/tetraprism-lens-iphone-16-pro/
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I’m glad that Apple might be making the new tetraprism telephoto lens available on both the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max instead of what Apple did this year in only making the better camera available on the iPhone 15 Pro Max

I much prefer the smaller sized screen over the max version so I’m glad that there’s a possibility that the only differentiating factor in the iPhone 16 Pro model phones will be the screen size and not the camera features
 
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Reactions: cloudpusher, SeeHole, chickenpiccata and 10 others
It seems that it’s going to be a couple of generations with the tetraprism, until periscope comes out, followed by a thinner phone with possibly better battery technology
 
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Justin Cymbal said:
I’m glad that Apple might be making the new tetraprism telephoto lens available on both the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max instead of what Apple did this year in only making the better camera available on the iPhone 15 Pro Max

I much prefer the smaller sized screen over the max version so I’m glad that there’s a possibility that the only differentiating factor in the iPhone 16 Pro model phones will be the screen size and not the camera features
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The 16 Pro Max is rumored to get a better wide-angle camera and a super telephoto periscope camera. I would expect Apple to continue keeping some camera features exclusive to the Pro Max.
 
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Reactions: Makayla, JamesMcFlyJR, dominiongamma and 1 other person
An even larger iPhone. Good, still won’t make it useable for playing games of any sort unless you have 20/20 eyesight.
Camera? While the real world impact remains to be seen, I am not keeping my hope up on these lenses offering better image quality than this years iPhone, especially if 90% of the final photo is the result of heavy post-processing.
 
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I wish they would also upgrade the sensor to 48mp on the telephoto at the same time. The rumor is for that to happen to the ultra wide, but I use the telephoto more often.

Either way, I’ll be glad to move back down to the smaller of the two Pro phones. I hate when they segment camera features between the two, as I prefer the smaller size.

Also, good on MacRumors for sourcing rumors. For much of the existence of this site, they were reporting on rumors from elsewhere. Having more firsthand reporting is great to see around here!
 
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Shirasaki said:
I am not keeping my hope up on these lenses offering better image quality than this years iPhone, especially if 90% of the final photo is the result of heavy post-processing.
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I would say 90% of what makes a compelling photograph comes from the photographer and his/her ability to see, compose, evaluate the quality of light, recognize gesture, the potential of releasing narrative in a viewer's mind, and on and on.
 
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Reactions: zecanard, wickedrm, pianophile and 7 others
Shirasaki said:
An even larger iPhone. Good, still won’t make it useable for playing games of any sort unless you have 20/20 eyesight.
Camera? While the real world impact remains to be seen, I am not keeping my hope up on these lenses offering better image quality than this years iPhone, especially if 90% of the final photo is the result of heavy post-processing.
Click to expand...

The physical size does not change, the bezels will just get smaller.
 
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citysnaps said:
I would say 90% of what makes a compelling photograph comes from the photographer and his/her ability to see, compose, evaluate the quality of light, recognize gesture, the potential of releasing narrative in a viewer's mind, and on and on.
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Love the insight Ansel Adam’s. Too bad it’s not even remotely related to what he was talking about. Is there a place we can see your work that will release a narrative in our minds? I’m intrigued.
 
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physical size is changing that is how they are adding the tetraprism to the standard 16 Pro next year as it wouldn't fit in the 15 Pro.
 
TheRoxyTheatre said:
Love the insight Ansel Adam’s. Too bad it’s not even remotely related to what he was talking about. Is there a place we can see your work that will release a narrative in our minds? I’m intrigued.
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Why the snark? Does that help you to feel better? And my reply was 100% spot-on.

Do you know what releasing a narrative in a viewer's mind means?

Sounds like you're in the camp that it's the camera that produces compelling photographs.
 
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Kylo83 said:
I wonder what’s actually gonna be new for the 16 pro max seems like another small update
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We still have a few more months for the details on the 16 Pro/Pro Max to trickle out. It’s getting a little bigger which might also mean it’s visually different from the current 15 Pro/Pro Max.
 
citysnaps said:
Why the snark? Does that help you to feel better? And my reply was 100% spot-on.

Do you know what releasing a narrative in a viewer's mind means?

Sounds like you're in the camp that it's the camera that produces compelling photographs.
Click to expand...

Nah, it’s just funny to see you ripping off Ansel Adam’s quotes/phrases as your own on this forum. Fake it until you make it CitySnaps.
 
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