The 2025 iPhone lineup is looking to be one of the best yet, and the iPhone 17 Air is the headliner. Indeed, the iPhone 17 Air can be the thinnest iPhone ever at 6mm.
But here’s one thing that might actually upset some people: that 5x optical zoom lens for zooming in on far away objects with great clarity will remain exclusive to the Pro models. Yes, that means the iPhone 17 Air and standard iPhone 17 aren’t going to get it.
According to The Elec, a Korean publication, LG Innotek of Korea, which supplies the folded zoom modules (a periscope-type telephoto camera module) for Apple’s iPhone series, is investing in new facilities to supply camera modules for the iPhone 17 series. However, it was also said that the folded zoom would be applied to only two higher-end lineups (Pro models) next year.
So, the improved tetraprism camera system with 5x optical zoom will again remain exclusive to the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, just like the iPhone 16 series. First introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, this periscope-type telephoto module made its way to the iPhone 16 Pro models as well.
The tetraprism camera system itself is a complex piece of engineering that requires significant space within the device, and the iPhone 17 Air, rumored to be the thinnest iPhone ever, could hardly make room for this advanced camera system. On top of that, the development and production of the periscope lens system is more expensive compared with conventional camera modules.
As we get closer to the launch, we’ll get more info.
