According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, next year’s iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature an improved 48-megapixel tetraprism camera for improved image quality and zoom capabilities.
inside The latest investor announcement was published on MediumKuo said the main feature change will be a 48-megapixel 1/2.6-inch CIS sensor, instead of the 12-megapixel 1/3.1-inch sensor expected to be included in this year’s iPhone 16 Pro models.
Both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are expected to feature a tetraprism telephoto lens in 2024, rather than being limited to the larger Pro Max like the iPhone 15 series (the iPhone 15 Pro has a 12-megapixel telephoto camera that offers 3x zoom, but The iPhone 15 Pro Max uses an advanced zoom system that allows for 5x zoom, which means both iPhone 16 Pro models have at least 5x zoom and 25x digital zoom.
Kuo said he is currently not sure if only the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have the updated tetraprism camera. However, if it is an exclusive model, two iPhone 18 Pro models will receive it in 2026. Kuo added that the updated tetraprism camera requires a completely redesigned prism, which should have a smaller form factor to reduce the height of the camera.
The analyst report confirmed a claim by Haitong International Securities’ Jeff Po last year. The iPhone 17 Pro Max’s 48-megapixel telephoto lens will be optimized for use with Apple Vision Pro, Bo said in December. Current iPhone 15 Pro models can record 3D video with spatial depth for playback in Vision Pro – in landscape mode, the main and ultra-wide lenses work together to capture spatial videos with added depth.
Pu previously said that both iPhone 16 Pro models will have a 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, making the iPhone 17 Pro Max the first iPhone model to feature a rear camera system made entirely of 48-megapixel lenses. To put that into perspective, current iPhone 15 Pro models have a 48-megapixel main lens, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens.
Looking ahead, Kuo says the 2027 iPhones will have a significantly improved quad-prism camera with better optical zoom. This will probably be achieved by increasing the number of prisms to lengthen the light path. In this case no one would talk about “quadrism” lenses anymore. As the number of posts increases, the size of posts may need to be reduced, the complexity of post design may increase, analysts said.
