iPhone 17 Why can't base 17 model have telephoto camera?

[TurboJobo]

I have never own an pro phone because I like small and light phones. Only reason I went from my 13 mini to the 15 was because of USB C. Now with the 17 Pro this thing feel very heavy. I know it's first world problems but I really like the design and weight of the regular 17 but the camera and battery on the pro is awesome. I wonder if people use more the ultra wide camera more than the telephoto? A regular iphone 17 with the telephoto would have been for me the best thing ever.

 

[Ctrlos]

I have never own an pro phone because I like small and light phones. Only reason I went from my 13 mini to the 15 was because of USB C. Now with the 17 Pro this thing feel very heavy. I know it's first world problems but I really like the design and weight of the regular 17 but the camera and battery on the pro is awesome. I wonder if people use more the ultra wide camera more than the telephoto? A regular iphone 17 with the telephoto would have been for me the best thing ever.

Simple economics. Apple just want us to spend more money!

This year the 8x lens is really the only differentiator for most people. I am of two minds whether to get the 17 or the Pro. For the price difference I could buy a camera with a 200mm lens which on every level will take much better photos.

 

[chrfr]

Simple economics. Apple just want us to spend more money!

This year the 8x lens is really the only differentiator for most people. I am of two minds whether to get the 17 or the Pro. For the price difference I could buy a camera with a 200mm lens which on every level will take much better photos.

There’s no 8x lens, it’s a 4x lens that gets digitally cropped to show an 8x perspective.

 

[Moreplease]

I wonder if people use more the ultra wide camera more than the telephoto?

The tele, of course. Though the ultrawide is pressed into service as a macro lens, which is more useful than its nominal ultrawide purpose.

A regular iphone 17 with the telephoto would have been for me the best thing ever.

Well, sure. And for most people. That’s the problem, from Apple’s perspective.

But we already see that the regular 17 is on fire despite not having a tele lens. Unfortunately this is more proof for Apple that they did the right thing to keep the tele a Pro exclusive, tying it in with minutiae like vapour chambers, USB 3, and more GPUs to justify the huge price premium for the Pro.

In short, it’s all about keeping Apple’s famous margins.

 

[tomtad]

Put titanium sides on the regular 17, a telephoto lens, charge $1000, and call it the iPhone Air.

It would sell even more like hotcakes and increase the average sale price of an iPhone.

 

[JPack]

You can always zoom in digitally, but you can’t always step back to take the photo. This is why UW is more practical than telephoto.