For the year 2024, the two iPhone 16 Pro variants will feature a tetra prism camera. Although the iPhone 16 series has a similar design to its predecessors, rumors have claimed that it comes with some new software-based features.
Apple, headquartered in Cupertino, is supposedly working on incorporating tetraprism camera technology into its upcoming 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max models. An essential part of the technology, the folding zoom module, is reportedly going to be supplied by LG Innotek in addition to Apple, according to a new claim by The Elec. Aiming to fulfill the growing demand for units, this strategic initiative seeks to assure appropriate production yields.
Among the latest iPhone models, the 15 Pro Max sports an improved telephoto system that allows for 5x magnification, and the 15 Pro features a 12MP telephoto camera with 3x zoom.
Specs Shared By A Twitter Holder:
iPhone 16 Design Speculation:
– Vertically aligned cameras for spatial video support
– LiDAR scanner for more AR/VR capabilities + better photography
– Action button to replace the mute switchWhat do you think? (Concept) pic.twitter.com/UeMkPV0k7z
— Jia (@upintheozone) November 26, 2023
Apple calls the folded glass structure behind the lens tetra prism technology, and it’s present in the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The focal length is increased to 120mm thanks to this design’s four-fold light reflection. Apple interestingly withheld this capability from the regular iPhone 15 models in favor of the iPhone 15 Pro. Even if it’s not necessary, a different MacRumors rumor indicated that in 2024, the Action Button could be included in every iPhone 16 model.
Apple expert Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will have the same tetra prism lens design as the iPhone 15 Pro Max while keeping all other specifications unchanged. A tetra prism lens design, exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max in 2023, allows for a 5x increase in telephoto optical zoom, up from 3x on previous models. For the iPhone 16th generation, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that both Pro models will receive it.
Kuo detailed the supply chain for the camera system of the iPhone 15 Pro Max in a Medium post that went live late on Sunday. He touched on topics including how the telephoto lens’s price increased as a result of Apple’s stricter validation standards and increased demand. Product demand for the iPhone 16 Pro Max has “exceeded expectations” due to its innovative lens arrangement. A 30% increase, from $6.50 to $6.75 per unit, is in store for the component as a result of both increased demand and better specs.
Thanks to “likely maintaining the current high specifications to ensure camera performance and production yields,” as Kuo puts it, the Pro model will also get the lens. In 2024, the analyst projects that shipments of iPhones equipped with the tetraprism camera will reach 70–80 million units, a growth of almost 110%.
With such high demand, it seems that Apple’s tetra prism promotion in 2024 will primarily benefit current lens suppliers Largan, Crystal-Optech, and Lante Optics.
In 2024, it is expected that both Crystal-Optech and Lante Optics will increase their prism production capacity by a minimum of 50%. According to rumors, Lante was able to secure some additional orders in 2023 after Crystal-Optech had trouble keeping up with demand.