A Super Telephoto Lens

The biggest advantage of the iPhone 15 Pro Max over the iPhone 15 Pro is its new tetra prism lens that offers a 5x zoom. That didn’t come to the iPhone 15 Pro, which retained the same 3x zoom as both of the iPhone 14 Pro models that came before.

That’s likely because the tetraprism lens requires more space inside the iPhone, and things were already too tight inside the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro. That model is expected to grow in size this year, clearing the way for it to get the same 5x tetraprism lens. However, the iPhone 16 Pro Max could retain its lead by going to a Super Telephoto Camera.

That would give it a zoom factor of 12x or more, but it’s also a more dubious claim since we haven’t heard much to corroborate it. It’s more likely something Apple is planning for the iPhone 17 Pro Max or beyond, but we still can’t rule it out entirely for this year’s model.