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iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Be First Model to Feature Three 48MP Cameras

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Next year's iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature an upgraded 48-megapixel Tetraprism camera for enhanced photo quality and zoom functionality, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

iPhone-15-Pro-Cameras.jpg

In his latest investor note published to Medium, Kuo said the key specification change would be a 1/2.6" 48MP CIS sensor, up from the 1/3.1" 12MP sensor expected to be used in this year's iPhone 16 Pro models.

Both the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max are expected to get Tetraprism telephoto lenses in 2024, instead of the technology being limited to the larger Pro Max, as it is in 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 upgraded telephoto system that allows for 5x zoom.) That means both iPhone 16 Pro models will feature at least 5x optical zoom and at least 25x digital zoom.

Kuo said he is currently uncertain whether only the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the upgraded Tetraprism camera. But if it is exclusive to the model, then both iPhone 18 Pro models will get it in 2026. The upgraded Tetraprism camera requires all-new designed prisms, which must have a shorter form factor to reduce the camera's height, added Kuo.

The analyst's report corroborates a claim made last year by Jeff Pu of Haitong International Securities. Pu in December said the iPhone 17 Pro Max's upgraded 48MP telephoto lens will be optimized for use with Apple Vision Pro. Current iPhone 15 Pro models can record spatial video with 3D depth for playback on the Vision Pro – when held in landscape orientation, the main and ultra wide lenses combine to record spatial video with added depth.
Pu previously said both iPhone 16 Pro models will feature a 48MP ultra wide lens, which would make the iPhone 17 Pro Max the first iPhone model to have a rear camera system entirely made up of 48-megapixel lenses. To put that into perspective, current iPhone 15 Pro models have 48MP main, 12MP ultra wide, and 12MP telephoto lenses.

Looking further ahead, Kuo said 2027 iPhones will have a more substantially improved Tetraprism camera with a better optical zoom. This is likely to be achieved by increasing the number of prisms to lengthen the light path, in which case it would no longer be called a "Tetraprism" lens. As the number of prisms increases, the prism size may need to be reduced, increasing the complexity of the prism design, said the analyst.

Article Link: iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Be First Model to Feature Three 48MP Cameras
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/07/11/iphone-17-pro-max-48mp-telephoto/
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wikiverse

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Sep 13, 2012
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The 48MP sensors will be a big improvement, but honestly the 5x camera on the Max is not as good as the current 3x on the Pro. I was planning to buy the Max until I used it in an apple store. The photos were either grainy or mushy, and the video stabilization would jump around at the slightest movement.

A 3x lens and all 3 cameras with 48MP sensors would be ideal. In real-world use, I've never needed a 5x lens, and honestly with a 48MP sensor on the 3x lens, there would be enough resolution to digitally crop to 5x.

At this point, Apple should just make a camera with a full zoom range, that runs on iOS, for people that are buying a phone just for the camera features.
 

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Darren.h

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Apr 15, 2023
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so we have to wait til the 17 model to get an awesome camera. late 2025.

shell out another $1700 bucks.

I went back to a Kyocera duraxe Epic flip phone. love it. long battery life. user replaceable battery. no government spy ware installed.

make the switch.


 
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Kay_Ess

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Aug 20, 2022
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Sweet! I can wait another year easy and by then I’ll need a replacement for my DSLR too so hopefully at least the ultrawide will have 48MP and the zoom will be sensitive enough to take pictures without graining. Then I wouldn’t need a new DSLR and can keep my current in the studio and can do all web content with the iPhone.
 
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kiranmk2

kiranmk2

macrumors 68000
Oct 4, 2008
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And this is Apple in the 2020s: drip features in over the years and then have them drip slowly down to the lower models to maximise the number of people who buy the most expensive model. People are already extending the length of time they hold on to their phones and this probably isn't helping.
 
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Artsketch

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Oct 22, 2019
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After my mistake of buying a 15 Pro, I switched back to the 14 Pro because it takes more detailed and sharper 48 MP ProRAW pictures with the main camera than the 15 Pro. Unfortunately, the reviews do not compare the 48 MP ProRAW images of the two devices. That's why I'm going to skip the 16 Pro this year. It's unlikely that the main camera on the 16 Pro will get the IMX903 this year, but an upgrade of the other lenses in the 17 Pro to 48 MP would of course be nice.
 
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Artsketch

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Oct 22, 2019
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syklee26 said:
it came to a point where I would just buy a Leica and use it for 5 years rather than upgrade iPhone every year just for camera.... could there be any other hardware upgrades other than camera and A chip?
Click to expand...
It depends on what and where you're photographing. Nevertheless, I prefer my 14 Pro in 48 MP ProRAW to my M10 with 50mm Summicron in museums. The iPhone can handle low light freehand shots better because of its optical
stabilisation and good noise reduction in higher iso.
 
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Fuzzball84

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Apr 19, 2015
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They need at least 16 cameras on the back of the Pro. Then you don’t need to use attachements for different situations. It might look ugly but it would be so functional. Maybe place a few on the front of the iPhone too and reduce the screen size as a compromise.

My iPhone is a camera, not a phone!!
 
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