Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- Tech Advisor reports that Apple is exploring a 200MP periscope telephoto lens for future iPhones, but this upgrade likely won’t arrive until 2028’s iPhone 20 Pro.
- Competitors like Oppo, Xiaomi, and Honor already offer advanced 200MP telephoto technology in current flagship devices, giving them a significant head start.
- This potential camera enhancement would provide a major zoom capability boost for Apple’s smartphones, though iPhone users may wait years longer than Android users.
Apple may not be ready with its own iPhone 200Mp telephoto camera for a couple of years yet, according to reports.
Our very own Managing Editor, Chris Martin, is currently in China getting testing out the Oppo Find X9 Ultra, and one of its most impressive elements is its unusually large 200Mp telephoto camera.
Seriously, just look at the fur on that panda.
Oppo isn’t the only smartphone manufacturer employing such technology, and even Apple is widely reported to be looking at bolstering the telephoto offering of its iPhone series.
However, recent reports suggest that we might have to wait a little longer than expected.
Chris Martin / Foundry
iPhone telephoto upgrade delayed
Established tester Digital Chat Station has taken to Weibo with confirmation that “Apple is evaluating a 200MP periscope telephoto lens” (via machine translation).
The telling part comes further down the post, when the tipster responds to an enquiry about the likely timeframe for this upgrade by stating that it’s “most likely 2028”.
We previously reported on claims that Apple would implement a 200Mp telephoto camera in 2027, presumably with the iPhone 19 Pro. It would have been a fitting upgrade for a model that’s set to mark the 20-year anniversary of the very first iPhone.
If these latest reports are to be believed – and they’re not the first to point to a 2028 timeframe – it would be the iPhone 20 Pro that gains a major zoom boost.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time that Apple has lagged the competition with particular smartphone innovations, and we’d put good money on it nailing the implementation whenever it does arrive.
In the meantime, the Oppo Find X9 Pro, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and the Honor Magic 8 Pro are here to make a petition for your hard-earned money.
