Ming Chi Quo Says Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max Will Be Most Popular

Fabled Apple analyst Ming Chi Quo has said that the Pro Max variant of the iPhone 15 models will be the most popular variant of the next iPhone, which is expected to launch in September. Interestingly, Quo notes that it will account for more than 1/3rd of orders, despite being by far the most expensive model in the range and possibly the most expensive mainstream smartphone. Usually, the standard non-pro model or the smaller pro model is the most popular iPhone in Apple's lineup.

He says the iPhone 15 Pro Max will sell 15-20% more units than the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The reason for this is that the Pro Max will be the first iPhone to get a periscope-style lens, which will allow the phone to optically zoom in on faraway objects by more than 3x. Apple pioneered optical zoom technology with the iPhone 7 Plus, but in recent years brands like Huawei and Samsung have pulled ahead with periscope zoom cameras on their phones.

For example, Samsung introduced a 10x optical zoom camera on the Galaxy S20 Ultra back in 2020. It also touted "Space Zoom" capability which used AI to further enhance cropped-in photos from the 10x zoom, providing lossless zoom ability that could take clear shots of the moon. Samsung has iterated on this technique over the last couple of years.

Apple has tapped Largan, which makes periscope lens systems even for Huawei, to supply the 15 Pro Max's telephoto lens. Huawei's cameras have been highly rated by DXOMark in recent years due to its zooming technology coupled with proprietary camera techniques it developed with former partner Leica, which has now moved on to partnering with Xiaomi. Huawei's cameras are considered the best, but its smartphone business has been crippled by US trade embargoes which bar it from accessing core Google apps.

Despite this, Huawei manages to ship 15-20 million phones in its home market of China, where Google services are banned anyway. This number is expected to grow to 30 million next year. The iPhone could further bolster Largan, as its generic 7-piece lens is much cheaper than a periscope lens. Periscope lens tech is estimated to be 3 to 4 times more expensive.

Apple's implementation is likely to differ from competitors - it may not tout "moon zoom" abilities. Even so, the primary wide camera is expected to see a big upgrade with a 1-inch Sony sensor that could dramatically improve low-light performance.

Other updates to the iPhone 15 line include a 3nm A17 Bionic chip, slightly larger displays with smaller bezels, bigger batteries, a titanium casing for lighter weight and sturdiness, and new colours.

Overall, the iPhone 15 Pro Max could represent the biggest update since the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which was the last model to have a different camera system than its smaller Pro sibling. For those wanting Apple's best camera capabilities, the 15 Pro Max may justify its premium pricing.