Kuo: iPhone 15 Pro Max to be the best-selling model thanks to periscope lens

We’re only a few weeks away from the official announcement of the iPhone 15 lineup, as Apple is rumored to be holding a special press event in September. According to the rumors, the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the only model to feature a periscope lens for better optical zoom. And analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says this will make the most expensive iPhone model the best-selling one.

iPhone 15 Pro Max to be the most popular model

In a new report, the analyst claims that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will account for 35% to 40% of shipments in the iPhone 15 series, which means that Apple is clearly focusing on the more expensive model this year. Estimated shipments for the iPhone 15 Pro Max by the end of the year have also grown by around 10% compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max in the same period.

“It means Apple is optimistic about the selling point of the periscope, which is only available in iPhone 15 Pro Max,” Kuo said in the report.

This year’s Pro Max model will be the only one to feature the new periscope lens, which will considerably increase the camera’s optical zoom range. This feature has long been requested by some iPhone users, especially professional photographers, since other smartphones such as Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra already have this technology.

It’s unclear why exactly Apple decided to keep the periscope lens exclusive to the more expensive model this year, which is also rumored to get a price increase of up to $200. The analyst notes that the unit price of a periscope lens is four times more expensive than most regular lenses, so this could be one of the reasons.

However, Kuo also corroborated rumors that the periscope lens will come to the smaller iPhone 16 Pro model next year.

More about iPhone 15

Some earlier reports suggested that mass production of the iPhone 15 Pro Max could face a delay due to supply issues. However, it seems that Apple has handled the situation and will start mass shipments of all the new iPhones this week. The company is expected to ship around 80 million iPhone 15 units by the end of the year and 250 million units across 2024.

The entire iPhone 15 lineup is rumored to feature a new design with slightly rounded edges, USB-C port, and Dynamic Island for every model. The 15 Pro models will get a new display with thinner bezels, the faster A17 chip, and the periscope lens on the Pro Max model.

Expect Apple to announce the date of its special September event any time now.

Read also

• Here’s our best look yet at all of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro colors
• USB-C cable included with iPhone 15 may be limited to USB 2.0 speeds
• iPhone 15 rumored to support faster charging speeds with up to 35W

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