The latest rumors suggest that we just might have a little more to look forward to with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, due out this October. Reports suggest that we are going to be treated to the 48-megapixel sensor seen on last year's iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models.
Apple's updates to its latest vanilla iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus were a little bit disappointing, offering basically the same phone as the previous year. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, as the iPhone 14 still is one of our best camera phones and on our best iPhone for photography list, but it would have been great to see some new features to get excited about on its midrange device.
Current intel from 9to5 Mac suggests that Apple will stick with the two-camera setup on the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, with the 'standard' wide lens getting the three-stacked 48MP sensor. It is looking unlikely that the vanilla iPhones will inherit the telephoto lens or LiDAR system from the Pro models, as Apple will most likely want that to remain a selling point of their more expensive phones.
The 48MP sensor on the iPhone 14 Pro is excellent and is a major step up from the 12MP sensor found on the regular 14 models. Not only can you get bigger photos, with more sharpness and clarity, but it also allows a huge raft of new features including Apple's 2x oversampled digital zoom, better natural subject isolation, and all the deep-fusion AI technology Apple is working on, as well as RAW photos.
A lot of mid-range Samsung phones and Google Pixel phones, including the excellent Google Pixel 6a, have had large megapixel sensors for a while, so it is good to see Apple keeping up with the competition in this department.
Rumors suggest Apple might also have a special camera announcement poised for the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max (or iPhone Ultra if rumors are to be believed), with reports suggesting that we might see the debut of a 12-megapixel 6x telephone periscope lens, which will also function as a 3x zoom. This will be in addition to the regular wide angle, and super-wide camera lenses that are mainstays on the iPhone range.
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