New iPhones will have camera with 10x zoom: Which model will get it first?

The iPhone 15 Pro Max became the first in Apple's lineup to feature a "telephoto" lens based on tetraprism technology with a fivefold optical zoom. In the future, Apple may transition to tetraprism with a tenfold zoom.

According to reports, Apple will replace LG Innotek, currently responsible for supplying the tetraprism module, with ICT (a subsidiary of Luxshare) due to some undisclosed conflict. The next generation of the tetraprism module is expected to provide a tenfold optical zoom.

The exact timing of this change is unclear but is expected not to occur in the next year. According to available information, the next generation of iPhones will retain the tetraprism module, which, in addition to the Pro Max model, will also be introduced in the Pro model. Perhaps, the new camera will be a highlight of the iPhone 17 lineup and might initially be exclusive to the most expensive model.

The Kr.Investing resource doesn't provide any information on this, but it can be speculated that if Apple indeed equips the tetraprism "telephoto" with a tenfold zoom, they might introduce another "telephoto" with a lesser zoom, for example, a threefold zoom. It's worth noting that such a system is implemented in the Galaxy S23 Ultra, except that the "telephoto" there is not based on tetraprism but on a periscopic module.