Apple has stuck with 12MP ultrawide cameras for its smartphones since 2019’s iPhone 11. This is set to change next year, according to various rumors, with the latest one providing more details about the module’s specs.
Leaker baby sauce OvO has posted on the Chinese social media website Weibo that the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will be equipped with 48MP ultra-wide cameras. Apple will apparently use the Sony IMX903 sensor, which will replace the IMX633 sensor.
Last year, the iPhone 15 Pro Max replaced the 12MP 3x telephoto camera with a 12MP periscope telephoto module with 5x optical zoom. That sensor is expected to come to the iPhone 16 Pro this year.
It’s expected to be the same as the telephoto camera on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which uses a tetraprism design that bends light multiple times to bring distant objects closer to a phone.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max will retain the same camera, meaning the Pro Max model will continue to support 5x optical zoom and there will be no increase in the optical zoom range.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is already one of the best camera phones out there and with a new 48MP ultrawide camera, its successor will likely continue to hold on to that title.
To position its new handsets as photography-centric phones, Apple is also expected to bring a new Capture button to them.
The Pro phones are also highly likely to get bigger and brighter screens as well as a new A18 Pro chip based on TSMC’s 3nm process. The models may also use new battery technologies for better battery life.
The phones are on track for a September launch, with Apple reportedly planning to kick off display production next month.