It has been rumored since 2020 that Apple is working on a telephoto camera module with a periscope lens for the iPhone; the plans have since been indirectly confirmed by a 
corresponding patent.
Apple iPhone 13
A first model should be expected next year at the earliest, it was said - now these predictions are becoming more concrete. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the first to be released with such a periscope in the second half of 2023, followed by the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro in 2024.
New production facilities are currently being constructed in China for this purpose. Apple allegedly does not want to use Samsung technology, which is said to have led to delays in some cases. Periscope cameras are already installed in smartphones by several other manufacturers; Oppo showed such a system for the first time in 2017.
According to Kuo, the periscope telemodule in the iPhone is supposed to offer a 5x to 6x optical zoom factor as well as a 1/3" 12MP sensor with sensor shift and a light intensity of f/2.8.
Periscope module / Oppo
Using a prism, the periscope module deflects the light beam by 90° - allowing it to travel along the width of the smartphone until it hits the sensor, which is also offset. This trick makes it possible to achieve longer focal lengths for an optical zoom without having to build the device thicker and more bulky.
Since the production of a periscope camera is even more expensive than conventional camera modules for smartphones, we can assume that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be sold at an even higher price.
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