Trusted 
The iPhone 14 range is being readied for production according to a new report, but it’s likely to arrive without one hotly tipped feature.
The long-absent periscope lens from range has a “high chance” of debuting in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max in 2023, according to analyst Jeff Pu of Haitong International Securities (via 9to5Mac)
The periscope lens would give the iPhone 15 Pro/Max a 5x optical zoom functionality, closing a feature gap between the top iPhone and many of the front-running Android phones from the likes of Samsung, Vivo and Huawei.
However, it does mean another 18-months of waiting for the feature to arrive, if Hu’s prediction comes to fruition. The analyst Ming Chi-Kuo had previously suggested a periscope lens could be present on the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, but it was first rumoured for the iPhone 13.
Last July, Apple was granted a parent for the periscope lens technology, which uses angled prisms to compensate for the lack of depth within the lens hardware, which is required for the optical zoom in traditional cameras.
The patent, spied by Patently Apple last year read: “Embodiments of a folded camera are described that include two light folding elements (e.g., prisms) and an independent lens system located between the two prisms that includes an aperture stop and lens elements with refractive power mounted in a lens barrel. The prisms and lens system may collectively be referred to as an optical system.”
While Apple has boosted the zooming capabilities with telephoto lens technology in recent years, the periscope lens method has proved hugely useful on Android phones in enabling users to get closer to their subjects without the loss of visual fidelity.
Would you be disappointed if Apple doesn’t include the tech within the iPhone 14 Pro? Or is this an auxiliary feature that won’t affect your camera experience too much? Let us know @trustedreviews on Twitter.
