Apple Adding Second Periscope Lens Supplier to its iPhone 15 Pro Max Supply Chain

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A report from DigiTimes says Apple is working on bringing on another supply chain supplier for its upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max. The report says the Cupertino company is adding a second periscope camera lens module producer for its new handset.

Industry sources tell the publication that Genius Electronic Optical (GSEO) will be brought online to provide additional supplies of the module.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to be equipped with a new periscope camera system, which would take light entering the telephoto lens on the back of the handset and reflecting it with an angled mirror towards the phone’s camera image sensor. The periscope system allows Apple to squeeze a longer telephoto setup inside the device, which would allow iPhone users to zoom in on a scene closer without any blurriness.

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We’ve seen plenty of rumors about a periscope lens for the iPhone since early 2020. Reputable source Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had initially said the periscope lens would debut on the iPhone 14 Pro, but now it looks as if the new lens will premiere alongside the iPhone 15 Pro Max later this year. (Likely in September, as that is the traditional month for iPhone debuts.)

The iPhone will join a growing list of smartphones that are equipped with periscope camera lenses, as several Android handsets are already equipped with periscope lenses, including Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra and Huawei’s P40 Pro+.

It had been previously reported that the sole supplier of the periscope lens system would be Largan Precision. However, it is looking likely that Apple will add GSEO to its iPhone 15 Pro Max supply chain to ensure that it has a sufficient supply of periscope lenses for this year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max model.

Kuo has also said that he believes both iPhone 16 Pro models in 2024 will be equipped with the same or similar periscope lens as the one destined for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Supplier GSEO could start providing periscope lenses for the iPhone 16 Pro, Kuo said back in March.

A January report by The Elec said Apple will depend on two new suppliers for the OIS actuators to be used in the periscope lens used in this year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max. OIS actuators combine OIS and autofocus functions in one.

South Korean companies LG Innotek and Jahwa Electronics will supply the actuators, replacing the existing iPhone actuator makers Japan Alps and Mitsumi.

An April 2022 report said Jahwa Electronics planned to spend $155 million USD on production facilities for the new optical image stabilization (OIS) actuators.

Some reports have said the iPhone 15 Pro Max could boast up to 6x optical zoom, which would be quite an improvement over the current 3x optical zoom in the iPhone 14 Pro models.

We may also see Apple further differentiate the next-generation iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, says Kuo. He believes Apple may develop exclusive features for the iPhone 15 Pro Max to encourage customers to purchase the more expensive handset.