iPhone 15 Pro Max renders based on multiple leaks
05/16 Update below. This post was originally published on May 13
Legally, Apple’s most contentious iPhone 15 upgrade is likely to be its locked-down implementation of USB-C. But for iPhone fans, a new leak has all but confirmed the biggest shock on their release will be the cameras.
Respected leaker Unknownz21 states they have: “Finally received independent confirmation of this: Periscope lens will be available exclusively on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.”
This rumor has been circulated for months, but few took it seriously, given it would frustrate iPhone buyers to see the feature set of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max split for the first time (05/16 correction: Apple used different cameras in the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max, but their image quality was virtually identical. This will not be the case if the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a periscope lens). Aside from battery life, the Pro and Pro Max have always been on par, with the purchase decision typically made based on size preference.
That now looks set to change with the iPhone 15 lineup, and fans of smaller phones will either be forced to miss out on the very best features or buy a smartphone far bigger than they would like.
New leaked CADs show the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max camera bumps, volume buttons and new Action … [+]
On the plus side (pun unintended), a periscope camera has been an increasingly obvious omission from the iPhone lineup, and the Pro Max will address this. Rivals, most notably the Galaxy S23 Ultra, have gone big on a combination of periscope lenses and digital zoom, with Samsung’s flagship able to produce up to 100x of zoom with increasingly solid results.
In Apple’s defense, rivals are typically limiting their periscope lenses to their biggest phones. Why? Most likely, it is a space issue, and while Apple has consistently overcome space limitations with the iPhone Pro in terms of thermal performance and battery life, it may simply be that the iPhone 15 Pro cannot physically squeeze in the new periscope lens. Consequently, 2023 looks set to be the year that iPhone buyers will have to go big if they want all the best features.
Moreover, sales of the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 13 Mini showed that support for the smaller smartphones was vociferous but not on the scale many assumed, so it may not be Apple’s hardest sell. Especially for those also tempted by the Pros’ super slim bezels, next-gen A17 chip and shift to USB-C.
That said, with iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max prices both expected to rise, expect howls of derision from commentators if the Pro Max does indeed break feature parity after so many years and ‘iPhone 15 Pro-ish’ memes to explode.
15/05 Update: more iPhone 15 camera news has leaked. In a new research note seen by MacRumors, well-known Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu states that iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models will be equipped with a new 48-megapixel rear camera. But it isn’t all good news.
Pu says that Apple is facing yield issues that “could result in iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus production delays.” That said, both devices are still expected to launch in September, alongside the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Interestingly, Pu states that the lens of the 48-megapixel camera will use a new three-stacked sensor to capture more light, a critical element for improving image quality. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max launched with a 48-megapixel primary camera last year, but it is unclear how many components the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus share, given the yield issues.
One of the main benefits of last year’s 48MP camera is that it introduced support for ProRAW photos, Apple’s take on RAW files, which retain more image detail (at much larger file sizes) and use less image processing, something which provides greater flexibility during editing. Whether ProRAW will come to standard iPhone 15 models remains to be seen, given Apple’s reluctance to pass down other Pro-branded features like ProMotion.
05/16 Update: further details on Apple’s iPhone camera strategy have leaked, and anyone who isn’t a fan of the Pro Max size may want to skip the iPhone 15 lineup and wait for the iPhone 16.
In a new blog post, respected analyst and industry insider Ming-Chi Kuo reveals that the periscope lens Apple will limit to the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year will come to the iPhone 16 Pro next year.
The reason for this? As leaked last week, Apple is increasing screen sizes for both 2024 iPhone Pro models. The iPhone 16 Pro will have a 6.3-inch display (up from 6.1-inches), and the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a 6.9-inch display (up from 6.7-inches), aligning it with the largest smartphones in the industry. Kuo says this extra size will enable Apple to crowbar a periscope lens into the iPhone 16 Pro.
This makes a lot of sense. I speculated in this article that physical size might be the reason Apple was unable to bring a periscope lens to the iPhone 15 Pro, and it seems the handset was indeed slightly too small to make this work. Whether Apple will use the larger size of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max to also fit a larger battery remains to be seen, but that would be logical, given their larger displays will consume more power.
For fans of smaller phones, these size increases are unlikely to be welcome, but 6.1-inches was starting to feel restrictive. Notably, Google’s Pixel 7 lineup starts at 6.3-inches, and while Samsung retains a 6.1-inch entry-level Galaxy S23, its feature set to drastically cut down compared to larger models.
Kuo also reveals that he expects Apple supplier Cowell to be the “main beneficiary” of iPhone periscope lenses due to Shap’s “potential exit from the iPhone CCM supply chain.” Existing CCM suppliers include LG Innotek and Foxconn, as well as Cowell.
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