The iPhone 16 Pro Max is tipped to feature a huge upgrade over the forthcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max and … [+]
07/22 Update below. This post was originally published on July 20.
Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max is tipped to feature a massive upgrade that will put it far ahead of this year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max, according to a new report.
Posting on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, the well-known leaker known to the English-speaking world as “Digital Chat Station” details a much-improved camera for Apple’s 2024 flagship smartphone that will give it three big advantages over 2023’s flagship model.
Predicted upgrades include a much larger main camera sensor, improved lens optics and an all-new “super-telephoto” lens, expected to be significantly more powerful than the new periscope zoom lens tipped for the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
More detailed specs for the new camera are as follows:
Long-range zoom is a much-needed upgrade to the iPhone’s camera, which falls behind the best Android flagships in this regard. While the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s predicted periscope lens will go a long way to addressing this issue, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is expected to go even further.
The term “super-telephoto” is open to interpretation, but is typically used to refer to higher magnifications than the 6x periscope zoom expected to arrive in the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro. This leads to speculation that the larger iPhone 16 Pro Max model will retain a significant advantage over both the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the standard iPhone 16 Pro when it comes to long-range zoom.
Using a larger main camera sensor will greatly increase the amount of light the camera can capture in a single shot. This is one of the most important factors determining overall image quality and should help the iPhone to capture clearer shots, especially in low light.
Any likely improvements made to the lens are harder to quantify, but additional elements typically provide reduced distortion and clearer images. Bigger camera sensors also require correspondingly larger lenses, which could be another reason for the switch to a new optical formula.
Should this latest leak be true, we would be looking at an iPhone 16 Pro Max camera that outclasses other iPhones in more ways than previously expected. For now, customers who simply must own Apple’s best camera will be eyeing the iPhone 15 Pro Max, expected to launch this September.
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07/22 Update: Respected Android Leaker RGcloudS has weighed in with additional information concerning new lens designs for both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 ranges, claiming “The upcoming iP15 series will be the first global phone with hybrid lens. beside chinese brands.1G6P • F1.7 aperture, means the same IMX sensor but captures 15-20% more light and better colors leaving samsung as the most outdated camera lens no branded, all plastics”
Here, “1G6P” refers to a camera lens constructed with one glass element and six plastic elements. Glass elements are more expensive to manufacture, but make for a higher-quality lens. The switch would give the iPhone an advantage against existing all-plastic lens formulations.
The leaker goes on to list several impressive lens upgrades for the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but with varying levels of confidence in each, ultimately stating that the final configuration may turn out to be rather less ambitious.
“This is what i know for next iP16U / PM. triple hybrid lens 2G6P { by AAC } Main same aperture & 0.5± thicker bump 2G5P { by Sunny } UW upto F/2 still under review & patent application 1G5P { by Sunny } Periscope up to F/3”
Here, iP16U / PM refers to a future iPhone 16 Ultra / Pro Max release incorporating three hybrid lenses into the rear camera. The main lens features eight elements—two glass and six plastic—and a slightly thicker camera bump. The ultrawide lens is predicted to include two glass and five plastic elements with an aperture of f/2 (up from the f/2.2 aperture of the iPhone 14 Pro Max). The leaker expects the telephoto lens to feature one glass and five plastic elements with an aperture of f/3.
However, some doubt remains over the 2G6P main lens formulation (which the leaker feels may be kept exclusive to Xiaomi products and possibly subject to “mass production issues.”) Furthermore, the 2G5P ultrawide lens is noted to be still in testing and “not guaranteed.” Of the three upgrades mentioned, the 1G5P telephoto lens is rated as having the highest chance of making it into the 2024 flagship iPhone.
The leaker then goes on to note that we may instead end up with a 1G7P wide lens, matching Digital Chat Station’s prediction, along with 7P for the ultrawide and 1G5P for the telephoto.
RGcloudS, however, remains skeptical of Digital Chat Station’s “super telephoto” revelation, claiming that Apple will stick to a more modest 4-9x variable zoom module from LG Innotek. Either way, we could be looking at significantly improved camera quality on the iPhone 16 Pro Max, regardless of how “super” the telephoto lens might turn out to be.
