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Forget about the iPhone 16. This new iPhone 17 leak sounds incredible

The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max's camera module.
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Apple will almost certainly announce the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro series in a few weeks. However, we continue to hear exciting rumors about next year’s iPhone 17 series lineup. The latest news comes from Ming-Chi Kuo.

According to the respected analyst, at least one of the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature upgraded quad-rear cameras, resulting in much-improved camera quality and zoom function. This will reportedly be thanks to a new 48MP telephoto lens. Kuo says Apple is using an upgraded quadruple reflect camera on the iPhone 17 Pro that will require a camera with a shorter appearance for the new telephoto lens.

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The current iPhone 15 Pro Max features a 12MP tetraprism telephoto camera with a maximum optical zoom of 5x and a digital zoom limit of 25x. At the same time, the smaller iPhone 15 Pro comes with a 12MP telephoto camera offering 3x optical zoom and a digital zoom of up to 15x.

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Kuo expects the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max to have similar camera specs, which would be an improvement for the smaller iPhone 16 Pro. Looking ahead to 2027, one of the iPhone 19 models is expected to feature a new camera improvement with better optical zoom. This improvement involves using more than four prisms in the lens to lengthen the light path and increase the zoom range.

If the possible camera changes coming to the iPhone in 2025 don’t sound exciting to you, there are other features likely to arrive that are worth considering. Previously, for example, we heard that Apple plans to change the outer glass on the iPhone 17 series to significantly reduce reflections and scratches. Next year’s iPhones may also be thinner, akin to this year’s iPad Pro models.

This year’s iPhone 16 series should be announced in September. Among the changes to this year’s phones that we expect are larger displays, improved charging specs for the Pro models, redesigned rear cameras for the non-Pro models, and more.

Bryan M. Wolfe
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
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