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The world of smartphone cameras is evolving rapidly, and Apple is fighting at the forefront. Below, we take a look at an exciting new feature that will improve the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max: the Tetraprism Telephoto Lens. We'll dive into the details of this innovation and how it will take photography on your iPhone to the next level.
The rumor mill has been churning for some time now and now we finally have official confirmation: Apple plans to integrate the Tetraprism telephoto lens into its flagship models, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, in 2024. This groundbreaking technology promises to drastically improve zoom capabilities and, consequently, photography on your smartphone.
Tetraprism telephoto camera: What is it?
The tetraprism telephoto lens is not a new idea, as it was already used in the iPhone 15 Pro Max. It uses a folded glass structure to reflect the incoming light multiple times, resulting in amazing optical performance. Compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max with 3x optical zoom, the tetraprism design in the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers an impressive 5x optical zoom.
Lack of space in the iPhone 15 Pro
Why didn't Apple use the tetraprism telephoto lens in the iPhone 15 Pro? The main reason is the limited space in the device. The components for the tetraprism design require significantly more space than the traditional telephoto cameras used in the smaller models like the iPhone 15 Pro.
iPhone 16 Pro: Bigger, better and with tetraprism
With the iPhone 16 Pro, everything changes. Apple plans to increase the size of the devices overall, with the iPhone 16 Pro's display growing to around 6.3 inches and the iPhone 16 Pro Max's to an impressive 6.9 inches. These larger dimensions provide enough space to integrate the Tetraprism telephoto lens, which will redefine the boundaries of smartphone photography.
The camera module of the iPhone 16 Pro
Internal documents accessed by MacRumors access suggest that the iPhone 16 Pro's camera module bears similarities to that of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. In particular, the area that houses the tetraprism components is easy to spot. This is an exciting sign that the technology will play a major role in the iPhone 16 Pro. It's important to note that the information presented here represents pre-production data that may differ from final mass production. The iPhone 16 Pro is not expected for several months and changes may still occur during that time. Nevertheless, the integration of the tetraprism telephoto lens promises an exciting future for photography on your iPhone. We will follow developments with interest and keep you updated. (Photo by hadrian / Bigstockphoto)
