iPhone 17 Pro: New 48MP Telephoto Lens May Change How Zoom Works

Apple is reportedly planning a major upgrade to the Telephoto camera in the iPhone 17 Pro, and while it may seem like a step back on paper, the change could actually improve real-world usability, if one leaker's claims are anything to go by.

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective
According to Majin Bu, the iPhone 17 Pro will feature a new Telephoto lens with a 48MP sensor, up from the current 12MP sensor found in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. This rumor isn't new – in fact it's been repeatedly claimed by several other sources. However, Bu goes further by claiming that the new lens will offer 3.5x optical zoom (85mm equivalent) instead of the 5x zoom (120mm equivalent) currently available.

This focal length is generally better suited for portraits and everyday photography, since it allows users to frame shots without having to move as far away from the subject. However, the big shift allegedly comes from the new 48MP sensor, in that the extra resolution allows for digital cropping to simulate longer focal lengths, offering less quality loss than normal digital zoom.

This is similar to what Apple already does with the main Fusion camera on the iPhone 16, where the 48MP sensor enables a 2x digital crop – marketed as "Telephoto" – that still produces a 12MP image with minimal quality loss.

Bu points out that one of the practical benefits of a 3.5x telephoto lens would be greater versatility, especially for portrait photography. A 3.5x lens would make it easier to compose portraits at more comfortable distances, particularly in indoors or other tight environments.

The alleged change would see Apple relying more on high-resolution sensors and computational processing to replace some of the limitations of traditional optics. If the report is accurate, the iPhone 17 Pro could deliver more flexible zoom options while making portrait photography more user-friendly, without sacrificing image quality.

Given that the iPhone 16 Pro models already have 48MP Fusion and Ultra Wide cameras, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max could be the first iPhone models to boast a rear triple-camera array made up entirely of 48-megapixel lenses. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 17 lineup in September.

Related Roundup: iPhone 17 Pro

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Top Rated Comments

jecowa Avatar
18 hours ago at 05:28 am
More megapixels doesn’t replace optical zooming. Maybe a 3.5x would be useful more often than a 5x, but it seems like a shame to lose the 5x.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maxolson Avatar
18 hours ago at 05:25 am
While it might seem like a downgrade, I think a lot of photographers would actually prefer a 3.5x which would equate to an 85mm- a classic portrait length. Double that with the fusion thing and you get 170mm - that much longer reach for certain images. I think this is a good compromise.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
skier8689 Avatar
18 hours ago at 05:36 am
Can we please stop calling it optical zoom? It would simply be an 85mm lens, in addition to the other two lenses. The iPhone essentially has 3 prime lenses. They do not optically zoom. An optical zoom would be 1 lens that OPTICALLY ZOOMED from 24mm to 85mm.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
User 6502 Avatar
18 hours ago at 05:27 am
This seems like a big downgrade.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H3LL5P4WN Avatar
18 hours ago at 05:40 am

5x is almost useless, it's very rare that you get to use it. Any picture taken between 1x - 4.9x basically uses the main 1x camera, which is probably 99.9% of all pictures.

I always said that 2x or 3x are the ideal focal lengths for the telephoto, any longer than that, either you add a separate lens or you use digital zoom.

Case in point: I was on vacation with my wife, me with the 3x iphone 15 Pro and she with the 5x Pro Max. I think I wanted her zoom twice in 2 weeks, whereas I took a lot more of pictures with my 3x (but much much more with 2x!)
I live and die by my 5x.

Between travel and concerts, it’s used probably more than the main shooter.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wave84 Avatar
18 hours ago at 05:43 am

I live and die by my 5x.

Between travel and concerts, it’s used probably more than the main shooter.
Here's the problem, though. A 5x photo with a 3.5x lens will be almost perfect (or perfect with a 48MP sensor).
But a 3.5x photo with a 5x camera doesn't exist .. (it doesn't use the lens at all).

So a 3.5x is far far more useful for more people and more situations.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)