iPhone 17 Pro Max Rumored to Have Major Telephoto Camera Upgrade

The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a significantly upgraded Telephoto camera, according to a post this week from Instant Digital, an account with nearly 1.5 million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2
In fact, the leaker said the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have one of the best Telephoto cameras on any smartphone, but they did not elaborate.

More recent rumors have indicated that both the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature an upgraded 48-megapixel Telephoto camera. Last year, however, well-connected Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo did suggest the 48-megapixel Telephoto camera might be exclusive to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Whether it is on the Pro and/or Pro Max, the upgraded Telephoto camera is rumored to offer up to 8× optical zoom. Specifically, it has been rumored that the lens will be able to move, allowing for multiple focal lengths. As a result, a tipster claimed that it will be possible to switch between 5× and 8× optical zoom, without tricks like sensor cropping. A moving Telephoto lens would require more parts and internal space, which could explain why the camera bump is expected to be larger on iPhone 17 Pro models.

On the iPhone 16 Pro models, the 12-megapixel Telephoto lens has a fixed focal length of 120mm, and it offers a 5× optical zoom option. Apple says the devices also have a 2× optical zoom option, but that uses the main rear camera with sensor cropping, which in simple terms is a technique that effectively zooms in on the center of a larger photo.

Instant Digital has accurately leaked Apple information before, such as the Yellow finish for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2's Titanium Milanese Loop. However, the account does not have a perfect track record.

Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 17 series in less than a month from now.

Related Roundup: iPhone 17 Pro
Related Forum: iPhone

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Top Rated Comments

r_123 Avatar
11 weeks ago
don't make us mad: same cameras for the pro and pro max please... pro max is way too big in my opinion.
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zubikov Avatar
11 weeks ago
I'm skipping the 17 pro update if this is the case.

Apple, listen, I'm not carrying around a phablet as my phone. We all know you have the capability to put these flagship camera updates into both pro models. The next year's model always, somehow, miraculously, has the same cameras the following year.

Stop screwing your pro-line customers with these Max-only updates. These flagship camera updates are mostly why I would consider upgrading.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CharlesShaw Avatar
11 weeks ago

don't make us mad
If you stay mad you don't have to get mad.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Andres Cantu Avatar
11 weeks ago
If the Pro Max once again has a better camera than the regular Pro, I’ll vote with my wallet and skip the upgrade. Really not a fan of when Apple does that on some generations.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DocMultimedia Avatar
11 weeks ago
It really would be nice if everything in the Pro series was equivalent in terms of technologies. Very disappointing.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Thought Thinking Thought Avatar
11 weeks ago
I remember a time when Steve Jobs would deliberately only release the minimum necessary iterations of a product at a time. He'd cut out what he perceived to be redundancies in their product lines. For instance, he'd release the new (singular) iPhone, not 4 different iPhones and 5 different Macs with blurred distinctions. Steve Jobs benefited shareholders and customers. Cook (i.e., Tim Apple), however, is solely a shareholder's dream.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)