HOW IT WORKS
The periscope lens
How submarine tech could mean better iPhone photos
This image, by Chinese hardware firm OPPO, shows how a periscope lens works in a smartphone.
YOU WILL LEARN
How periscope lenses could enhance iPhone photography
Periscope lenses give you longer zoom without requiring an enormous camera assembly
Key fact
To get a longer range zoom you need to increase focal length – the distance between the lens and camera sensor. In a normal camera, you do that by making the lens move outwards, for example by having a telescopic lens. Telescopic cameras have been tried in smartphones but they weren’t too successful.
According to multiple well-connected Apple leakers, the iPhone could be getting a new kind of camera in 2022; one that sees further than any existing iPhone camera without any loss of image quality.
That’s because Apple is experimenting with periscope lenses. It wouldn’t be the first to do so, either. Samsung’s Galaxy S20 and S21 Ultra both have periscopes, and other Android firms are following suit with their own high-end products. So what is a periscope lens and why would you want it in your phone? Let’s – ahem – look into it.