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Apple will be adding a periscope telephoto lens to iPhones in the near future, potentially dramatically increasing the camera’s zoom capabilities, according to reports.
Respected analyst Ming Chi Kuo, who has predicted a number of new Apple features, says South Korean lens-maker Semco will be providing periscope lenses for Apple.
The use of a periscope lens was revolutionary when introduced in Huawei’s P30 Pro as part of a range of features which won the smartphone widespread praise for its camera set-up.
The hardware of the P30 itself was capable of delivering a 5x optical zoom – without degrading the quality of the image being captured.
Used alongside digital zooming techniques the P30 was able to achieve a 50x zoom.
Reports suggest that the next generation of Huawei’s flagship photography line of smartphones could include a 10x optical zoom capability thanks to its use of periscope lenses.
Periscope lenses allow for greater optical zoom by bouncing light inside the phone off a mirror before passing it through another smaller lens which can be moved closer and further away from the sensor, amplifying the light even more.
Although digital zoom techniques can enlarge the images which are captured by phone sensors, these techniques are always constrained by how sensitive the sensor is.
Apple has for many years been seen as offering an inferior camera on its smartphones compared to competitors such as Samsung and Huawei.
As noted by Apple site MacRumours, which first reported Mr Kuo’s assessment about Apple moving to Semco for its lenses, the company has filed patents regarding periscope lenses as recently as 2016.
However he suggests the first iPhones to feature the periscope lens may not be available for consumers until 2022.
It comes following reports that Apple could sell the iPhone 12, its first device capable of 5G connection – which is expected later this year – without headphones, a charger or a plug adaptor in the box.
