iPhone 14 could eclipse iPhone 13 with this periscope zoom

(Prototype credit: EverythingApplePro)

Apple tree has just been granted a patent for a "folded camera" lens (via Plainly Apple), which could exist used to aggrandize the optical zoom capabilities of future iPhones. Information technology's probable too late for this innovation to find a home in the iPhone 13, but the iPhone xiv could be in the running.

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Adding a periscope lens to the iPhone makes a lot of sense, peculiarly when you compare its camera to the competition. The tricky thing about optical zoom lenses is that the more zoom you want, the bigger the focal length needs to be. And that requires a longer lens mechanism to accomplish.

Right now Apple'due south optical zoom is stacked horizontally, but at that place gets to a signal where yous tin only add together then much before it starts increasing the thickness of the phone. The electric current iPhone 12 doesn't offer a telephoto lens at all, while the iPhone 12 Pro offers a 2x telephoto zoom and the iPhone 12 Pro Max ups that to two.5X.

The iPhone 12 series offers digital zoom up to 5x, while the iPhone 12 Pro goes to up to 10X and the iPhone 12 Pro Max 12X.

A periscope lens would allow Apple to stack the lenses vertically, where at that place'due south already a lot more room to work with. Information technology's a technique used by several other major phone companies, like Huawei and Samsung, which is why you can buy phones similar the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra that have 10x optical zoom capabilities.

Apple tree'due south periscope description is fairly literal. However, the cardinal difference is that Apple has built its 'folded camera' with 2 prisms instead of the usual one. The lens system is located between the two prisms, and includes an "discontinuity stop and lens elements with a refractive power mounted in a lens barrel".

apple folded lens camera — (Image credit: Apple tree/USPTO)

Information technology's certainly an interesting design. The first prism directs the light from the camera into the zooming lens organization, which is pretty standard for a periscope lens. Nonetheless, rather than having the sensor underneath the lens array, the 2d prism redirects it over again. Why Apple has opted to do things this mode isn't made clear, merely it's conspicuously able to differentiate the design plenty for a patent to be approved.

It's non known how much optical zoom range this particular lens blueprint would provide. However, information technology means there'southward room for Apple to go well across the existing iPhone 12 range. The only question is if and when the design will be put to use inside an actual iPhone.

Nosotros're a niggling too shut to the iPhone 13 launch for that to be particularly probable, but nosotros nevertheless take enough of fourth dimension before the launch of the iPhone fourteen for Apple tree to potentially brand this feature a reality. And, considering Apple already has some of the best camera phones out there, this can only make things better.

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Tom is the Tom's Guide's Automotive Editor, which means he tin can unremarkably be institute knee deep in stats the latest and best electric cars, or checking out some sort of driving gadget. It's long way from his days equally editor of Gizmodo United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, when pretty much everything was on the table. He's ordinarily plant trying to squeeze another giant Lego fix onto the shelf, draining very big cups of coffee, or lament that Ikea won't let him buy the stuff he really needs online.