Apple plans to introduce periscope telephoto cameras on the iPhone line in 2022, according to a research note by TF Securities analyst Ming-chi Kuo, which was reported by 9to5Mac, AppleInsiderand MacRumors. Semco, a South Korean company that will contribute autofocus motors for this year’s new iPhone models, is said to be online to provide about half the supply of periscope optics.
Periscope cameras are a way to allow long focal lengths on devices like smartphones where physical depth is very important. They use prisms and mirrors throughout the device to reflect and focus light on a sensor, rather than placing the sensor directly behind the lens as with traditional cameras. The technique has been pioneered in recent years by Chinese companies like Oppo and Huawei, which have launched phones with 5x “zoom” lenses, and Samsung joined the fight this year with the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
In 2016, Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus was the first major phone to add a 2x secondary telephoto lens, which the company also used to provide depth information for portrait photos. However, Apple has not gone beyond the 2x zoom range since then, even though competitors are broadening the idea. Some phones have added multiple telephoto lenses without a periscope; The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro, for example, has conventional cameras with 2x and 3.7x focal lengths.
If Apple is moving towards periscope designs, then it would probably provide a range of 5x or more. Huawei’s P40 Pro Plus has the widest optical range of any current smartphone with its 10x periscope lens.
