Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max to reportedly feature LG's new periscope zoom lens

Apple could unveil the successors to the current-gen iPhone 14 series later this year. While the iPhone 15 series isn't likely to see the light of the day anytime soon, rumours about the iPhone 16 series have started popping up on the internet.

With the iPhone 14, Apple has widened the gap between the Pro and non-Pro iPhone models. In other words, the Pro model boasts some exclusive features like Dynamic Island and satellite calls support.

Now, it looks like the American tech giant will adopt the same strategy for the iPhone 16 series as well. So, the company will bring a few awe-inspiring features only to the iPhone 16 Pro series models.

Aside from this, the Cupertino-based tech giant will reportedly ditch the Pro Max moniker in favour of an Ultra label next year. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Ultra (Pro Max) could boast top-notch specifications and get some Pro variant-exclusive features.

In line with this, a new report from The Elec suggests the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Ultra will get a periscope zoom lens. Notably, the iPhone 15 Ultra is expected to adopt this technology as well.

According to the report, the Cupertino-based tech firm will team up with Jahwa Electronics and LG Innotek to bring these miniaturised periscope lenses to the next-gen iPhones.

LG Innotek will reportedly supply a whopping 70 percent of the periscope lenses. Jahwa Electronics, on the other hand, will supply only 30 percent of the total orders.

Korean smartphone giant Samsung could also collaborate with Jahwa to bring ball guide-type actuators to the Galaxy S23 series. The latest report also suggests that two iPhone 16 Pro models will house the periscope zoom lenses.

However, Apple is likely to launch only one iPhone 15 model with this new technology later this year. To recap, reliable tipsters Ming-Chi Kuo and Jeff Pu previously claimed that only the iPhone 15 Pro Max model will come with the new system.

To those unaware, periscope zoom comes in handy for improving zoom capabilities without changing the camera system's size and heft. To achieve this, it allows the light entering the telephoto lens to reflect toward the image sensors using an angled mirror.

This helps a folded telephoto setup to deliver a blur-free zoom-in experience. Popular Android phones including the Galaxy S22 Ultra feature a 10x periscope zoom telephoto camera.

Regrettably, details about the upcoming iPhone 15 series are still few and far between. Yet, some reports suggest the next-gen iPhone models will oust the Lightning port in favour of a USB-C port for charging.

In fact, the word on the street is that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Ultra will support ultra-fast Thunderbolt 4 ports. However, the base iPhone 15 models might ship with standard USB-C ports.