The iPhone 17 Pro telephoto zoom might finally give Apple the upper hand in long-range photography. A new leak suggests the phone will offer 8x optical zoom with a moving lens, up from 5x on the iPhone 16 Pro.
The tip comes from a source speaking to MacRumors. They claim that Apple is shooting an ad for the phone with Division Film, a company that has worked with Apple before. While unverified, it lines up with earlier rumors.
The moving element in the lens could allow smooth zooming across different ranges. Users won’t need to rely on digital zoom or cropping. Sony uses a similar trick on some of its Xperia models.
The leak also mentions a new pro camera app for both photos and video. It could rival Halide, Kino, and Filmic Pro. Apple might also overhaul the existing Final Cut Camera app instead of launching something new. A dedicated Camera Control button may also appear on the phone’s top edge.
Other details include a triple 48MP camera setup, a copper color option, and a repositioned Apple logo. Earlier leaks suggested the iPhone 17 Pro may also feature a horizontal camera bar and support simultaneous front and rear video recording.
If Apple delivers, the iPhone 17 Pro telephoto zoom could pull in not just iPhone loyalists, but also Samsung and Sony users. Especially those who feel let down by the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 5x zoom. Apple seems ready to go all-in on cameras this year. And if these rumors are true, it’s about to raise the bar.
