Apple puts USB-C on the iPhone 15 Pro, the 15 Pro Max adds a periscope zoom

12 September 2023
The biggest update to the iPhone in years.

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I'm an Android user (Galaxy S23 Ultra) but I'm not an Apple hater either. They make great phones. But it's hard to see getting excited about their announcements. USB-C has become the standard for everything but Apple. Periscope cameras have been around for years (I still recall fondly my Huawei P30 Pro with it's awesome periscope camera). Slightly smaller bezels? Slightly different brushed finish? Their phones will be awesome with great cameras and great screens and great processors, but it's all just kinda boring since they don't really bring any exciting innovations.

    • N
    • Nonapplefanboy
    • aXG
    • 12 Sep 2023

    Complete nonsense claiming is the first phone with a f2.8 aperture on that X5 focal length. Sony Xperia 1 IV (and probably the V too) have a continuous optical zoom from 3x to 5.2x, where the apertura at 5x (and 5.2) is f2.8.
    Don't understand how companies are allowed to make such claims

      The 1 V is F2.8 with it's 5.2x magnification
      Nothing new here...

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • gDf
        • 12 Sep 2023

        The periscope is disappointing regarding the specs. I expected 48 megapixels and a larger effective diameter (it's only approximately 5.59mm large, Huawei and Xiaomi have between 6 and 7mm, though Google and Samsung have rougly 5.5mm as well).

        Kuo's prediction wasn't completely correct either. He predicted a 1/3" type sensor, but it's actually approximately a 1/3.2" type sensor and when he first made the 5x-6x prediction, Apple's default field of view was 26mm, so the prediction indirectly suggested 130mm-156mm.

        But the other leaked 85mm periscope rumors from a few days ago were completely wrong.

          • V
          • Vic
          • 354
          • 12 Sep 2023

          Action button instead of switch is not a good solution. Expect a lot of random presses..

            Anonymous, 12 Sep 2023You don't know much about branding and good design, do... moreHahah what about the branding and the design? The same 3 years old design and what new about branding? Since Johnny Ive are not there the design and the branding are stuck in the past. The brand has become some how vintage retro nostalgic.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • JhQ
              • 12 Sep 2023

              Anonymous, 12 Sep 2023Money and control. Same things that halting all advancement... moreIf consumers stop buying when companies make incremental changes , then companies will lose money and give consumers what you want.
              As consumer you have the power. Companies will serve you , if you punish them by not buying when they try to fool you.
              I was expecting a design change in current Iphone. It is 4 years old. They didn't.
              So, I WONT BUY THIS YEAR

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • JhQ
                • 12 Sep 2023

                Anonymous, 12 Sep 2023Just one of the anti-consumer practices normalized by this ... moreSame design = NO BUY for me
                I was expecting DESIGN CHANGE.
                Not worth that much money, next year there is going to be complete new design and 15 Pro Max will already look old.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • gDf
                  • 12 Sep 2023

                  SamsungRules, 12 Sep 2023My point is Samsung has 10x optical zoom camera best in the... moreActually I compared the S23 Ultra at 360mm (approximately 15x) with my Pixel 7 Pro in a store by taking photos from distant objects and I used Google's short Night Sight mode and the 7 Pro was definitely a tiny bit superior. I also tried Samsung's night mode at 10x and compared it with Google's 15x results, but again Google was definitely a tiny bit superior. The reviews often compare them at 30x where Google's image processing is just terrible (a 2x crop from a 15x photo looks better) and the reviews often don't compare the zoom at 15x and usually without Google's short Night Sight mode, which increases the amount of detail from the periscope camera. Furthermore, I compared multiple Pixel 7 Pro units and the quality of the periscope camera can vary.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • JhQ
                    • 12 Sep 2023

                    Same design again = NO BUY

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • gDf
                      • 12 Sep 2023

                      "The lens itself is an f/2.8, the brightest on a 120mm camera on a phone"
                      Actually, that's very misleading. The amount of light you capture from a distant object per exposure time depends on the effective aperture diameter and the effective aperture diameter is only approximately 5.59mm.

                      For comparison: The Xiaomi 13 Ultra (same 120mm field of view) has 6.47mm. And there are several other phones like the BBK Oppo Find X6 Pro (5.91mm), Tecno X2 Pro(6.24mm), Huawei Mate 40 Pro+(6.53mm) or Huawei P60 Pro (6.93mm), which have larger effective diameters at 120mm because of course you can use 120mm on these phones via digital zoom and the effective diameter, of course, stays the same.

                      And even if you only look at the f-number (which doesn't make sense) of periscope cameras, the Sony Xperia 1 V at approximately 120mm has an f-number of 2.8, too.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • 0p}
                        • 12 Sep 2023

                        Rotciv Ikias, 12 Sep 2023Samsung uses that small sensor because they have total of 4... moreRemoving 69mm camera would not allow larger sensor inside periscope.
                        Using bump thicker than those phones with 1" cam sould help.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • 0p}
                          • 12 Sep 2023

                          IpsDisplay, 12 Sep 2023Three years ago the p40 is rocking 10x No one has yet s... moreUseless 1/4.4" sensor. Pointless and vga quality.
                          Samsung also had 240mm.

                            GrapheneOsUser, 12 Sep 2023Still no way to ditch unsecure stock os and apps, especiall... more🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨

                              Still no way to ditch unsecure stock os and apps, especially iMessage with recent zero-click exploit used to infect iPhones with spyware.

                              Apple still own the iphone, not you, as long as you can't safely remove all their stock unsecure apps or better install another more secure and privacy focused os (like GrapheneOs).

                                Anonymous, 12 Sep 2023I am talking about overall module size. Periscope that ... moreSamsung uses that small sensor because they have total of 4 rear cameras and a pretty big main cam so no space like u said

                                And yes obviously a bigger sensor together with it's lenses will take more space

                                  Anton., 12 Sep 2023Samsung has 10x who is stuck? and surely Samsung would dar... moreThree years ago the p40 is rocking 10x

                                  No one has yet surpassed Huawei hardware feats

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • 0p}
                                    • 12 Sep 2023

                                    Rotciv Ikias, 12 Sep 2023Your are making a mistake it's not the sensor size it&... moreI am talking about overall module size.

                                    Periscope that uses 1/2" sensor paired with 125mm takes more space (also thicker) than periscope that uses 1/3" paired with 125mm lens.

                                    To reducing the sensor size a lot allows them to increase range while keep module similar size or even bit smaller.

                                    Samsung uses lame 1/3.52" because it is necessary, not choice.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • 02s
                                      • 12 Sep 2023

                                      AnonD-546724, 12 Sep 2023Besides all that titanium fanfare and complex manufacturing... moreYou don't know much about branding and good design, do you?

                                      Stick to Oppo.

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • I@H
                                        • 12 Sep 2023

                                        AnonD-546724, 12 Sep 2023Besides all that titanium fanfare and complex manufacturing... moreJust one of the anti-consumer practices normalized by this brand. Same design means no design cost, which means higher profit: a win for them and a loss for the consumers