iPhone 17 Pro’s telephoto camera might hold a surprise

The post iPhone 17 Pro’s telephoto camera might hold a surprise appeared first on Android Headlines.

Apr 3, 2025 - 18:05

Summary: The iPhone 17 Pro will feature an upgraded 48MP telephoto camera, but its optical zoom is changing from 5x zoom to 3.5x zoom. Apparently, this is a good thing, as it means that users won’t have to step back too much to snap their photos.

Apple will upgrade the telephoto camera on the iPhone 17 Pro to a 48MP sensor. This is a huge jump over the iPhone 16 Pro, which used a 12MP sensor. However, the camera upgrade may go beyond the megapixel count. According to tipster Majin Bu, the telephoto camera on the iPhone 17 Pro could be hiding some surprises.

Change to optical zoom

According to the tipster, Apple will upgrade the telephoto camera on the iPhone 17 Pro from 12MP to 48MP—that much we know. However, the source also claims that the optical zoom for the iPhone 17 Pro will change to 3.5x. For context, the iPhone 16 Pro’s telephoto camera, even though it packs a lower-resolution sensor, has 5x optical zoom.

This seems like a downgrade, but is it? Majin Bu believes that this change is actually for the better. The 5x telephoto zoom requires users to move further away from their subject when taking photos. This is annoying, especially since sometimes it’s not very convenient to do so.

By going with a 3.5x optical zoom, users won’t have to move back as much. This makes it perfect for portrait photos where users want to focus more on the subject above the shoulders. Keep in mind that Apple going with 3.5x optical zoom doesn’t mean that digital zoom is gone. Digital zoom is still available, but its quality may vary.

Maybe you’re unfamiliar with the differences between optical and digital zoom. Digital zoom is when a photo is zoomed in digitally by cropping on the picture. With an optical zoom, the lens physically adjusts to magnify the image. For this reason, people generally prefer optical zoom over digital zoom, which can lead to pixelated photos.

Other iPhone 17 changes

In addition to upgrading the sensor and optical zoom length of the telephoto lens, Apple is making other changes to the iPhone 17 Pro series. Based on leaked renders, Apple is changing the design of the camera module. The current module sits at the corner of the iPhone in a square-like configuration.

However, the leaked renders suggest that Apple is adopting a Pixel-like design for the module, where it stretches across the back of the phone. It’s a weird look, and there’s an unsightly gap between the camera lenses and the flash. We’re not sure what the gap is for, but hopefully, Apple has a good reason for this.

Apple will launch the new iPhone 17 series later this year. The lineup includes the base iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and a brand new model—the iPhone 17 Air.

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