Rumors Persist of 2022 iPhones With Periscope Lens, Could Allow Up to 10x Zoom Without Blurriness

Apple may use components made by Samsung for a "folded" telephoto lens on at least some iPhone models released in 2022, allowing for significantly increased optical zoom, according to unnamed sources cited by Korean website The Elec.

iphone 12 pro triple camera video
The report claims that Samsung's Electro-Mechanics subsidiary would supply components such as actuators and lenses to LG, which in turn would use the components to manufacture the folded camera module to supply to Apple. This move would supposedly prevent Apple from hurting its relationship with LG, and address issues related to patents.

The possibility of a folded or "periscope" lens on 2022 iPhones was first mentioned by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in March, and there have been several rumors since. The technology would allow for significantly increased optical zoom on iPhones, well beyond the current 2x and 2.5x limits on the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, respectively. Huawei's P40 Pro+ smartphone, for example, features a periscope lens with up to 10x optical zoom.

With folded camera optics, light absorbed by the image sensor is bent or "folded," allowing for increased optical zoom and improved image quality while maintaining a compact lens design appropriate for smartphones. Earlier this year, we shared a more detailed overview of what a periscope lens could mean for future iPhones.

Related Roundup: iPhone 14
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
mail categories macos

Apple's Redesigned Mail App is Expanding to the Mac — Here's When

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:02 am PST by
Apple plans to expand the iPhone's redesigned Mail app to the Mac starting with macOS 15.4, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The first macOS 15.4 beta should be made available in the coming weeks, and Apple has previously suggested that the iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4 series of software updates will be released to the public in April. The revamped Mail app debuted on all...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

Nozuka Avatar
54 months ago

Wouldn't be surprised if Apple pulled that off
Sounds like "pulling it off" is mostly buying it from a supplier ;)
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
longofest Avatar
54 months ago
I for one, would like to congratulate the site for not putting that ridiculous image of a literal "periscope" that was on the last article on this article.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
User 6502 Avatar
54 months ago

Wouldn't be surprised if Apple pulled that off
It wouldn’t be surprising at all as it’s been done already by others. Apple can just buy the same components other manufacturers have already used.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
panjandrum Avatar
54 months ago
Pretty amazing stuff. There *still* isn't any true substitute for sensor size (ultimately you have to have the light, so at least in theory, a purpose-built camera will always be potentially better), but it's crazy that the cameras in our phones are now so good that they are suited to task for all but the most demanding of purposes. A good optical zoom will fill in one big remaining gap.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
locrumo Avatar
54 months ago
Ok, Apple please don't forget about the TouchId, thanks and see you in 2022.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Game 161 Avatar
54 months ago
I'm likely missing something here, but I haven't once wished for better zoom from my iPhone.
alot of iPhone users don’t wish for anything until it actually arrives…
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)