- The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max might have a 3.5x optical zoom as a substitute of a 5x
- However a 5x and even 7x lossless zoom would possibly nonetheless be achievable via cropping
- This change would apparently be paired with a brand new 48MP sensor
One factor we’ve heard from fairly just a few sources is that the telephoto digicam on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max could possibly be getting an improve, with a 48MP sensor reportedly set to be included instead of the 12MP one on the iPhone 16 Pro fashions. The newest tip echoes that, however suggests much more is altering than simply the megapixel rely.
According to tipster Majin Bu (by way of 9to5Mac), the iPhone 17 Pro sequence may have a telephoto digicam that gives 3.5x, 5x, and even 7x optical zoom. The wording makes it barely ambiguous as to how that is achieved, however they point out lossless cropping as a characteristic, so we’d assume it’s a 3.5x optical zoom digicam, which might then crop a picture to attain a 5x or 7x zoom at a decrease megapixel rely.
This kind of optical-quality cropping wouldn’t be doable with out upping the megapixels, so it’s a characteristic that will make sense for Apple to supply if the sensor is 48MP.
Not a brand new thought for Apple
We’ve already seen this concept on iPhones, with the 48MP fundamental sensor on the iPhone 16 sequence having the ability to take optical-quality 2x zoom pictures at 12MP, so it wouldn’t be shocking if Apple added this similar characteristic to the telephoto lens.
This change then would arguably be for the higher, because you’d nonetheless be capable to obtain a 5x zoom like you’ll be able to on the present Pro fashions, however there would even be longer and shorter distance zooms accessible too.
And having the ability to get 3.5x photographs at – presumably – full 48MP high quality can be particularly fascinating for some folks, as a 3.5x zoom is usually extra helpful for portrait photographs than a 5x zoom.
All that mentioned, whereas this can be a credible declare, we’d take it with a pinch of salt, because the supply has a barely combined monitor document, and the iPhone 17 sequence continues to be a good distance from launching, with September more likely to be the announcement month.
