In the quiet rhythm of technological progress, Apple prepares to extend its periscope zoom lens — a feat of folded optics that compresses distance into a slender frame — from a single flagship to its entire Pro lineup within a year. What begins as exclusivity in the iPhone 15 Ultra will, by 2024, become the shared inheritance of both iPhone 16 Pro models, carried there by a reshuffled supply chain anchored by LG Innotek and Jahwa Electronics. This is the familiar arc of innovation: the extraordinary becomes ordinary, and the price of being first is paid by those who cannot wait.
Apple to expand periscope zoom to both iPhone 16 Pro models in 2024
A feature that costs extra money this year becomes baseline next year.
Mark
Why does Apple introduce a feature on one phone and then put it on two phones a year later? Why not just wait?
Mimi
Because it signals progress. The iPhone 15 Ultra needs a reason to exist, a reason to cost more. If periscope zoom showed up on every Pro phone immediately, there's no story, no upgrade path. Staggering it creates narrative momentum.
Mark
But doesn't that frustrate people who buy the Ultra?
Mimi
Sure. But Apple's betting those people either don't care about the cost or they value being first. And by the time the 16 Pro arrives, the Ultra will have other exclusive features to justify its price. It's a treadmill.
Mark
What's actually hard about making these lenses?
Mimi
The folding mechanism itself—getting light to bounce at a right angle without losing quality, then building actuators precise enough to move the elements smoothly. It's not just engineering; it's manufacturing at scale. That's why you need suppliers like LG Innotek who've done this before.
Mark
So LG and Jahwa are replacing the old suppliers because they have this specific expertise?
Mimi
Exactly. Japan Alps and Mitsumi made good actuators for standard cameras, but periscope is different. It demands precision these new suppliers have already proven. Apple's consolidating around companies that can deliver what it needs.
Mark
Does this mean the iPhone 15 Ultra is worth buying?
Mimi
Depends on your timeline. If you need a phone now and want the best zoom, yes. If you can wait a year and don't mind paying less, the 16 Pro will do the same thing. Apple's counting on people who can't wait.
Der Puls
- A technology that bends light through right angles to achieve superior zoom — without thickening the phone — is currently locked behind Apple's most expensive device, creating immediate desire and exclusion in equal measure.
- Supply chain shifts are already underway, with LG Innotek absorbing 70% of folded zoom actuator production and displacing longtime Apple partners Japan Alps and Mitsumi — a quiet industrial disruption with large downstream consequences.
- Consumers face a familiar dilemma: pay a steep premium now for the iPhone 15 Ultra's periscope lens, knowing the same capability will be standard across Pro models within twelve months.
- Apple's naming conventions remain unresolved — whether the top-tier 2024 model carries the 'Pro Max' or 'Ultra' designation — leaving both journalists and supply chain analysts navigating deliberate ambiguity.
- The trajectory is clear: periscope zoom becomes a Pro-tier baseline by 2024, tightening the gap between flagship and premium while widening the distance between Pro and standard iPhone lines.
In the quiet rhythm of technological progress, Apple prepares to extend its periscope zoom lens — a feat of folded optics that compresses distance into a slender frame — from a single flagship to its entire Pro lineup within a year. What begins as exclusivity in the iPhone 15 Ultra will, by 2024, become the shared inheritance of both iPhone 16 Pro models, carried there by a reshuffled supply chain anchored by LG Innotek and Jahwa Electronics. This is the familiar arc of innovation: the extraordinary becomes ordinary, and the price of being first is paid by those who cannot wait.
Apple's camera ambitions are moving on a deliberate schedule. This year, the periscope zoom lens — a folded optical system that bounces light at a right angle to achieve longer focal lengths in a thinner body — debuts exclusively on the iPhone 15 Ultra. It is a meaningful technical achievement, years in the making. But its exclusivity has an expiration date.
By 2024, both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will carry the same periscope technology, according to supply chain reporting. The feature that once justified the Ultra's premium price will become standard across Apple's entire Pro lineup — a deliberate push down the product stack, paced carefully enough to avoid alienating early adopters.
Driving this expansion is a significant supplier realignment. LG Innotek and Jahwa Electronics will take over actuator production from Japan Alps and Mitsumi, with LG handling roughly 70 percent of orders. These spring-type actuators govern the precise lens movement inside the periscope module and will appear throughout the iPhone 15 Ultra's broader camera system.
For consumers, the calculus is straightforward if uncomfortable: a premium feature today becomes a baseline expectation tomorrow. Those purchasing the iPhone 15 Ultra for its zoom capabilities are paying for a twelve-month head start. Apple's longer game is to keep Pro models meaningfully distinct from standard iPhones — while slowly democratizing the best of what it builds. The cost of that strategy, as ever, is borne by those who arrive first.
Apple's camera ambitions are shifting. This year, the company will introduce a periscope zoom lens—a folded optical system that lets phones zoom without the bulk of a traditional telephoto—but only on its most expensive model, the iPhone 15 Ultra. By next year, that exclusivity ends. Both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will carry the same technology, according to supply chain reporting, meaning the feature that once justified a premium price tag will become standard across Apple's entire Pro lineup.
The move represents a deliberate strategy: push flagship features down the product stack, but slowly enough that early adopters don't feel cheated. It's a familiar Apple playbook. The periscope lens itself is a technical achievement worth understanding. Rather than stacking glass elements in a straight line—which would make a phone impossibly thick—the folded design bounces light at a right angle, compressing the optical path. This allows for longer focal lengths and better zoom quality in a thinner package. It's the kind of engineering that takes years to perfect and costs money to manufacture at scale.
Two suppliers will make the actuators that move the lens elements inside these periscope cameras: LG Innotek and Jahwa Electronics. LG will handle the bulk of production, roughly 70 percent of orders, with Jahwa filling the remainder. These companies are replacing the existing camera actuator makers, Japan Alps and Mitsumi, signaling a significant shift in Apple's supply chain. The new suppliers bring expertise in spring-type actuators—the mechanical components that enable precise lens movement—and their technology will appear not just in the periscope module but throughout the iPhone 15 Ultra's camera system.
What matters here is the timeline and the message it sends. In 2024, when the iPhone 16 Pro models arrive, they will inherit this same periscope technology. The report does not specify whether Apple will use identical actuators or develop improved versions by then, leaving some uncertainty about the exact specifications. There's also a lingering question about naming: will Apple call its most premium phone the iPhone 16 Pro Max, or will it adopt the "Ultra" designation it's introducing this year? The company hasn't confirmed, and the supply chain reporting reflects that ambiguity.
For consumers, the implications are straightforward. A feature that costs extra money this year becomes a baseline expectation next year. That's not unusual in consumer electronics—it's how the industry works. But it also means that anyone buying an iPhone 15 Ultra for its periscope zoom is paying a premium for something that will be cheaper to produce and more widely available within twelve months. Apple's strategy here is to keep Pro models differentiated from standard iPhones while gradually democratizing the best features. The cost of that approach falls on early adopters and those who simply want the latest technology. The company is betting that enough people will pay the price to make it worthwhile.
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