The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Ultra''s popular feature might be the addition of a periscope telephoto camera. However, new details have emerged that might differentiate the iPhone''s telephoto camera from what we''ve previously seen on other phones.
Twitter''s Shadow_leak (opens in a new tab) revealed the iPhone 15 Pro periscope lens rumors we''ve already heard by claiming that Apple may incorporate a hybrid lens design instead of using purely plastic components to achieve the alleged 5x or 6x magnification. In this case, a hybrid lens means that some or all of the lens components would have a glass core.
Glass lenses are more durable than plastic, and as a general rule they provide superior quality photos. However, phone manufacturers want to keep the size and price of their smartphone cameras as low as possible, and plastic is the industry standard, although a few companies like China''s Xiaomi have already experimented with glass lenses in some of their phones.
If Apple does indeed decide to use part-glass lenses for the periscope camera, it might boost image quality in comparison to the competition, allowing the iPhone 15 Pro to keep Apple''s ranking in the top of our best camera phones guide, and beating devices like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. If that is, the price of its Pro iPhones increases, or the already big camera bump increase, which might result in the iPhone becoming less practical overall.
More to look forward to on next year''s iPhone than just this alleged new camera and its potential high-quality lens. It may then be equipped with a more powerful and efficient 3nm chipset, and swap its Lightning port for USB-C for faster data transfer. Also, the Ultra model (which may replace the iPhone 15 Pro Max) may earn its name by offering even more power and features than the standard iPhone 15 Pro, like a second front camera and a premium titanium alloy body.
It''s going to be a while until we learn the answers, though. Apple only released the iPhone 14 series last month, and the iPhone 14 order delays are still in place. We expect not to hear anything official about new iPhones until next September, as per Apple''s usual schedule.
Check out our iPhone 14 Plus vs iPhone 14 Pro Max face-off to see which big-screen iPhone is right for you.