Kuo: Only Apple iPhone 16 Ultra will get periscope lens

Apple fans have been longing for a periscope or super zoom camera on iPhones for a long time. Although it seems like next year’s iPhone 15 Ultra (or Pro Max) will get the much-awaited upgrade, things are likely to be the same for iPhone 16 series as only the top-of-the-line model will get the feature.

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the supply chain earlier believed that the iPhone 16 Pro models will get a periscope lens. Cut to now, it is believed that the upgrade will fall short of expectations as only the top-tier iPhone 16 Ultra will get the lens onboard. Of course, it sets it apart from the earlier expectation of iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max (or Ultra) housing the periscope sensor.

A periscope lens is basically a specialized camera set that uses optics to achieve 3x to 10x and even 50x zoom based on the implementations. iPhone 15 Ultra is expected to get the periscope lens plus the latest features and hardware configurations. Apple will integrate the periscope lens on iPhone 16 Ultra and not it’s other Pro variant. It is basically what’s the buzz about.

iPhone 16 Pro lineup will have an under-panel camera (UPC) Face ID which won’t be visible with the camera is not in use. Instead, the display function will kick in allowing users to have an immersive viewing experience. With next year’s iPhone 16 series, Apple is likely to move away from Dynamic Island at least on the Pro models. Instead, these two models will have a punch-hole cut-out for the front camera while the UPC will take care of the Face ID and other functions.

Talking about this year’s iPhone 15 series, the Ultra will pick up the periscope lens with Apple’s impeccable software implementation. Here, Apple will integrate ProMotion and Always-On Display functionalities on both Pro variants. There’s a lot of buzz around iPhone 15 Pro models getting faster Wi-Fi 6E support but then again, we can’t be sure given the volatility at which these rumors are mushrooming.