With every iPhone iteration, Apple adds new functionality to the camera system, and the iPhone 15 series is no exception. MacRumors has obtained detailed information about the camera systems of the iPhone 15 lineup, from the standard iPhone 15 with upgraded 48-megapixel camera to the iPhone 15 Pro Max with its new periscope telephoto lens.
iPhone 15 and 15 Plus
- Main Camera: 48-megapixel image sensor, ƒ/1.6 aperture
- Ultra Wide Camera: 12-megapixel image sensor, ƒ/2.4 aperture
The base iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models are expected to feature an all-new 48-megapixel Sony image sensor, which is a substantial upgrade from the 12-megapixel Main camera on the iPhone 14. The increase in megapixels will allow for higher resolution images with improved detail. It’s worth noting that this claim has been made repeatedly by a variety of sources – including industry analysts Jeff Pu and Ming-Chi Kuo, along with Weibo user “Digital Chat Station.”
The iPhone 15 is not expected to use the Sony IMX-803 image sensor from the iPhone 14 Pro, and will instead use a different Sony sensor with improved capabilities.
There is evidence that Apple tested different configurations of the base model iPhone 15, one of which featured the rumored stacked camera sensor system, while the other did not. It is currently unclear whether or not the stacked sensor system is present on the final units. Stacked camera sensors allow for faster readout speeds and improved low-light imaging.
No significant upgrades are expected for the Ultra Wide camera, which is expected to continue to have a 12-megapixel resolution and an ƒ/2.4 aperture.
iPhone 15 Pro
- Main Camera: 48 megapixels, Sony IMX-803 image sensor, ƒ/1.78 aperture
- Telephoto Camera: 12.7 megapixels, ƒ/2.8 aperture
- Ultra Wide Camera: 13.4 megapixels, ƒ/2.2 aperture
As far as the iPhone 15 Pro is concerned, improvements focus mainly on the Telephoto and Ultra Wide cameras, with the Main camera still using the same Sony IMX-803 image sensor found in the iPhone 14 Pro. This information contradicts previous rumors suggesting that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max would use the Sony IMX-903 image sensor. Both the Ultra Wide and Telephoto cameras will receive upgrades compared to the iPhone 14 Pro’s 12-megapixel cameras, allowing for improved image quality and higher resolution photos.
iPhone 15 Pro Max
- Main Camera: 48 megapixels, Sony IMX-803 image sensor, ƒ/1.78 aperture
- Telephoto Camera: 12.7 megapixels, ƒ/2.8 aperture, periscope lens
- Ultra Wide Camera: 13.4 megapixels, ƒ/2.2 aperture
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the most interesting in the lineup by far. MacRumors has confirmed with industry sources that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be equipped with an entirely new periscope lens system for the Telephoto camera, confirming previous claims from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. With periscope zoom technology, we can expect significant improvements to the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s zoom capabilities. The iPhone 14 Pro Max, for example, is limited to 3x zoom, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to have between 5x and 10x zoom.
Unlike most cameras that have an image sensor directly underneath the camera lens, folded optics systems use angled mirrors to reflect light toward the image sensor. The directional shift is what allows for optical zoom that surpasses what’s possible using a standard telephoto camera system.
Apple likely decided to make the periscope lens exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max for now due to space constraints. According to information from our sources, the camera module used in the iPhone 15 Pro Max is, to a certain extent, larger than the camera module in the iPhone 14 Pro models and the smaller iPhone 15 Pro. Apple appears to have increased the size of the camera module to accommodate the periscope lens hardware, which in turn required other internal components like the midframe assembly to be shifted accordingly.
In 2024, the iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to increase in size to 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches, giving Apple space for the periscope lens in both the Pro and Pro Max models. As noted by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, periscope zoom will not be limited to the larger Pro Max in the iPhone 16 lineup.
Along with periscope zoom, the iPhone 15 Pro Max will include the same 48-megapixel IMX-803 image sensor and Ultra Wide and Telephoto cameras as the iPhone 15 Pro.
It’s worth noting that the information presented here is pre-production information, and may not necessarily reflect the exact hardware of mass production units, but it represents our best visibility into what Apple has been planning for the new iPhone lineup.
To read more on what to expect, check out our dedicated rumor roundups for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro.