Iphone 13 Pro Sierra Blue HeroSource: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore

What you need to know

  • Apple is rumored to be working on a new periscope lens configuration for the 2023 iPhone.
  • Periscope lenses allow for increased levels of zoom by changing the way the lens and sensor are positioned.
  • Previous rumors had suggested a periscope lens could come to iPhone 14, but that now seems unlikely.

A second analyst has backed up claims by Ming-Chi Kuo that the 2023 iPhone will sport a periscope lens. While some had initially thought that this year's iPhone 14 could get the new camera system, it now looks increasingly likely that it'll be iPhone 15 instead.

Kuo said last month that the 2023 iPhone would use a periscope lens and now analyst Jeff Pu is saying much the same. According to a MacRumors report citing Pu, we can expect up to a 10x optical zoom based on similar camera configurations used by the likes of Samsung and Huawei. It remains to be seen just how far Apple will push beyond the current best iPhone offering — a paltry 3x on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Periscope cameras work by allowing sensors to be mounted differently from traditional ones, creating a larger distance between lens and sensor which in turn allows for improved zoom capabilities that wouldn't normally be possible without making the iPhone thicker. That seems unlikely to be something Apple would want to do, hence the shift to a periscope system.

Apple was granted a patent for periscope cameras last year while rumors of the removal of future iPhones' camera bump could also require the move to a periscope lens as well.

If all goes according to plan we can expect Apple to announce the iPhone 14 lineup this September, possibly with its own new 48-megapixel camera. Beyond that, September 2023 seems a good bet for the arrival of iPhone 15.