Apple has been rumored to be upgrading the iPhone 17 Pro‘s Telephoto camera to a 48MP sensor. That could possibly unlock new possibilities for Pro users, including 8K recording across all three lenses. While readers might be tired of hearing confirmation of this rumor over again, this time, a leaker went a little further to explain what this upgrade might represent. Even though it’s a downgrade, it might actually be a good thing. Yeah, try to keep up.
According to Majin Bu, the iPhone 17 Pro is “set to transform the world of mobile photography” as it will shift from 120 mm to 85 mm. In other words, this means Apple will stop offering 5x optical zoom and downgrade to 3.5x optical zoom, which Bu says is “perfect for portraits and everyday shots.”
Still, this downgrade could be good news. Compared to the current 12MP sensor, Apple could offer photos with 12MP optical zoom quality of up to 7x (160mm). With that, the new 48MP 3.5x optical zoom would be perfect for savvy users, while typical iPhone owners would be able to zoom even further without losing quality.
The leaker also discusses other benefits of the 48MP Telephoto lens on the iPhone 17 Pro, such as more captured light for low-light shots, “lossless cropping without sacrificing details,” and the new 85 mm portrait and 160 mm landscape photos.
While we have to see if Apple will make these changes to the iPhone 17 Pro Telephoto lens, plenty of other rumored features are coming to this phone.
The iPhone 17 Pro is expected to feature a half-glass half, half-aluminum finish, as Apple is ditching titanium for increased durability. Besides that, the iPhone 17 Pro models could undergo another redesign with a “much narrower” Dynamic Island. A few analysts have rumored this, but others suggest Apple will maintain the front of the iPhone unchanged. However, in 2026, Apple might be able to adopt under-display Face ID to its phone.
So far, the only iPhone not expected to get a redesign is the iPhone 17, as Apple plans to maintain the same visuals as the iPhone 16. On the other hand, the rumored iPhone 17 Air could also have a similar look to the Pro models, even though it might only feature a single rear camera.
