Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max is at the center of speculations again ahead of its official release next month, and the latest suggests that the company is planning a major camera upgrade for the flagship. To be more specific, the company is developing a new telephoto lens for the Pro Max, which will deliver a significantly improved camera performance for the device. The enhancement could deliver substantial leaps in the zoom performance of the iPhone, potentially competing with Samsung.
Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max could bring a major telephoto camera upgrade, with redesigned lens technology and a bigger camera bump
According to a reliable Weibo-based leaker known as Instant Digital, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is expected to feature a 48MP telephoto lens, a major jump from the 12MP on the current version. The increase in resolution would allow the device to capture more details in zoomed-in shots, improving both photography and videography quality. Additionally, with the upgraded sensor on board, the leaker also claims that the device could finally offer up to 8x optical zoom with this model.
In comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro Max offers just 5x optical zoom, and 8x zoom would be more than a welcome addition, especially compared to Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra. The rumored capability stems from the inclusion of a moving lens element that would enable users to seamlessly switch between 5x and 8x optical zoom without resorting to digital cropping.
The mechanical zoom system would preserve image quality across the entire zoom range, avoiding noise and loss of sharpness, which is often associated with digital zooming. Potentially due to this redesigned lens, the iPhone 17 Pro Max could feature a larger camera bump, which is also seen in the latest design renders of the iPhone 17 Pro Max. It was also previously reported that the iPhone 17 Pro Max would be thicker than the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and while a larger battery could be part of the deal, we believe that the company is implementing the change due to the redesigned camera lens.
We have to take note that while Instant Digital’s track record is generally reliable, it is worth noting that not all of his past predictions have proven accurate, so be sure to take the news with a grain of salt. It is also interesting to note that the leak is in line with other industry rumors suggesting that the iPhone 17 Pro lineup could adopt 48MP telephoto sensors, along with advanced features such as dual-video recording and potential 8K video support. Do you think the iPhone 17 Pro Max would be worth the upgrade solely based on camera improvements? Let us know in the comments.
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