Both iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Three 48MP Cameras

Friday January 10, 2025 2:35 am PST by Tim Hardwick

Both the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature an upgraded 48-megapixel Tetraprism camera, making them the first iPhone models to have a rear camera system entirely made up of 48-megapixel lenses, claims a new rumor out of China.

iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Horizontal Single Feature
According to the Weibo account Digital Chat Station, the iPhone 17 Pro camera specs will include a 1/1.3" 48MP Fusion lens, a 48MP Ultra Wide lens, and a new upgraded 48MP Tetraprism telephoto lens (up from 12MP on the iPhone 16 Pro models). Both the main and telephoto cameras are said to be hybrid glass-plastic lenses. Meanwhile on the front, both Pro models will feature a 24MP front camera, said the leaker.

The claim lines up with a prediction made by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a June 2024 report, Kuo said the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature an upgraded 48MP Tetraprism camera for enhanced photo quality and zoom functionality. Kuo said he was uncertain whether only the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the upgraded Tetraprism camera, but today's rumor indicates that both Pro models will get the upgrade. The new camera requires all-new designed prisms, which must have a shorter form factor to reduce the camera's height, according to Kuo.

Today's rumor also corroborates Apple analyst Jeff Pu's claim in August that all four iPhone 17 models will feature an upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing camera. By comparison, all iPhone 16 models have a 12-megapixel front camera. Kuo also last year claimed that at least one iPhone 17 model would be equipped with a 24-megapixel front camera with a six-piece lens, so this upgrade has now been rumored by multiple sources, making it more likely. Kuo said these changes will "significantly improve the image quality" and low-light performance.

iPhone 17 models are expected to launch in September 2025. Apple is rumored to be introducing a new four-model lineup that drops the iPhone "Plus" model in favor of a slimmer device that we are provisionally calling "iPhone 17 Air," while the iPhone 17 Pro models are said to have a totally redesigned half-aluminum, half-glass back cover with a new rectangular camera module that could result in a smaller main camera sensor being used.

Related Roundup: iPhone 17

Tag: Digital Chat Station

Buyer's Guide: iPhone 17 (Neutral)

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Top Rated Comments

martinlk

24 months ago

I simply don't understand why 48MP camera phones are even a thing. Due to the physical limitations in sensor and lens size, the effective resolution will probably be close to 12-16MP even though the box says 48MP. Add to this that having smaller pixels (because you're putting more MP in the same size sensor) will introduce more noise and less dynamic range because each pixel collects less light compared to a sensor with fewer MP. It seems to me that this is almost entirely a marketing scam; one that actually results in a worse product:

* More noisy pixels
* Less dynamic range
* Larger image sizes (in terms of storage)
* More processing power required
* No added image detail over lower-megapixel sensors due to diffraction limits in such a small lens.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Ctrlos

24 months ago

The first render MacRumors have used that I don't hate.

Not a particularly attractive design, but not downright ugly like many of the previous ones.

It does scream 'Pixel 9' though, which I think is a lovely bit of kit but do Apple want to be seen as copying another company so blatently? Doesn't exactly scream cutting edge of product design does it?

Apple, being seen by many as the 'default' are used to dictating the minutae of the phone market. You only have to look at how prevailant flat edges became after the iPhone 12 revamp. It would certainly be an interesting turn of events if they quietly secede that throne to Google :oops:

It would be an interesting year if Apple launch a 17 lineup with a Pixel 9-esque camera strip and Google nearly all but eliminate the thing altogether ('https://www.t3.com/tech/android-phones/pixel-9a-leaks-again-showing-google-is-heading-in-a-new-direction')

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

DickieSmith

24 months ago

The first render MacRumors have used that I don't hate.

Not a particularly attractive design, but not downright ugly like many of the previous ones.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Ctrlos

24 months ago

I simply don't understand why 48MP camera phones are even a thing. Due to the physical limitation in sensor and lens size, the effective resolution will be probably close to 12-16MP even though the box says 48MP. Add to this that having smaller pixels (because you're putting more MP in the same size sensor) will introduce more noise and less dynamic range because each pixel collects less light compared to a sensor with fewer MP. It seems to me that this is almost entirely a marketing scam; one that actually results in a worse product:

* More noisy pixels
* Less dynamic range
* Larger image sizes (in terms of storage)
* More processing power required
* No added image quality over lower-megapixel sensors

Its mainly for better Quad Bayer image stacking. For a 14mpx image the sensor is using 16 pixels-per-pixel or thereabouts. On an S24 Ultra, the 12mpx stacked images are much better than the unprocessed 200mpx images from the main sensor because the algorithms have more data to work with. With pixel-binning you have more light hitting the pixels because each one is 'bigger'.

You also have better digital zoom range when transitioning between lenses. If you need to shoot at 3.8x or 5.4x then that extra image data makes up for the lack of a proper optical zoom. Telemacro has improved performance due to the Ultrawide having a 'zoom' range without resorting to the 5x lens

In general what you're seeing is more flexibility. For most people, their phone is their camera and so it has to fit all sorts of scenarios. The processing is much of a muchness, with top of the line A-series and Snapdragon chipsets being almost too much for what a phone gets used for.

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

martinlk

24 months ago

megapixels mean nothing it’s about the sensor size, it’s all marketing the mp number. My dslr canon 5D mark iv is not 48mp but it’s a million times better image quality with any crop

I have a 26MP Fujifilm. Even _talking_ about comparing the images of the Fujifilm with those of an iPhone is borderline insulting.

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Kylo83

24 months ago

megapixels mean nothing it’s about the sensor size, it’s all marketing the mp number. My dslr canon 5D mark iv is not 48mp but it’s a million times better image quality with any crop

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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Both iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Three 48MP Cameras

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