Rumor has it that the periscopic zoom lens on the iPhone 14 Pro has been delayed to the iPhone 15 series

A few iPhone 14 revelations in recent times have hinted that Apple will offer two different bangs designs for the 2022 smartphones. The entry-level model will follow the traditional Face ID notch, while the high-end iPhone 14 Pro model could use a new, never-before-seen solution. Meanwhile, the leaked schematics seem to confirm rumors that the high-end model will have a 48MP main camera sensor. But according to the latest news, the iPhone 14 may not have a periscopic zoom lens.

(Photo via BGR)

For reference, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra smartphone has a periscopic lens that enables it to achieve up to 100x hybrid zoom. And the legendary 2022 entry iPhone smartphone is said to be called iPhone 14 / 14 Max.

They may hold the same screen size as the high-end Pro models, but lack some exciting specs -- like a faster "A16 Pro" chipset, LPDDR5 memory, a high 120Hz refresh rate, and a 48MP main camera/telephoto lens.

The iPhone 14 model will keep the dual rear camera, while the iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max will have a triple rear camera that includes a telephoto lens and will have at least as much zoom power as the iPhone 13 Pro.

But the new iPhone 14 Pro will not have a periscope lens, meaning this generation of iPhone will have trouble taking optical zoom to a whole new level.

iPhone 12 Pro features a 12MP telephoto lens with 4X optical zoom

Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu pointed out in a new research note that iPhone 14 has entered the engineering verification testing (EVT) phase, so there will be no periscope camera this year.

Other news includes that the recent EVT has not affected the iPhone 14 production schedule and that the A16 chip will have a larger die size than the A15.

Analysts also noted that the high-end Pro models will see a 48MP wide-angle camera upgrade, and Apple is expected to introduce a periscopic lens with 5X optical variation on the iPhone 15 Pro line next year.

iPhone 13 Pro - Rear Camera Specifications

Previously renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in December that the iPhone 14 series will not come with a periscope camera. Even so, we expect the 2022 iPhone to see some improvements to the zoom.

As you can see above, the iPhone 13 Pro currently on sale supports 6X hybrid zoom, while the iPhone 12 Pro has 5X. If you look at just the optical zoom, the iPhone 13 Pro only supports 3X Optical Zoom.