New reports imply that we should expect to see the tetraprism camera lens with its incredible zoom on the iPhone 16 Pro models. It’s exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max right now, so it’s reasonable to expect to see it on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The exciting news is that it will also come to the smaller iPhone 16 Pro.
“Tetraprism” refers to the fact that folded glass reflects light four times, allowing the camera to achieve a longer focal length of 120mm (basically, a stronger zoom).
In September, trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested this lens might appear in both iPhone 16 Pro models because of the sizes.
He explained that the iPhone 15 Pro couldn’t have a tetraprism lens appreciate its Pro Max counterpart because there wasn’t enough space. The iPhone 16 Pro will have a slightly larger display than the iPhone 15 Pro (though still smaller than the iPhone 16 Pro Max), so it could theoretically fit the tetraprism lens.
In November, Kuo restated his belief that the tetraprism lens would be in the iPhone 16 Pro models. It was part of a report on Apple’s supplier, Largan, noting an boost in Apple’s orders for the folded glass used for tetraprism lenses.
The Elec (a South Korean tech news outlet) has reported the same for another Apple supplier: LG Innotek. The report says Apple will boost the models with the tetraprism lens, which is great for LG Innotek but may be complicated for its competitors. It also notes that multiple companies, including LG Innotek, have had trouble with production yields and that Apple will probably need to use more than one supplier in order to avoid iPhone 16 production lags.
Sources: Ming-Chi Kuo, The Elec Via: Apple Insider
