Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max might come with some very unexpected camera upgrades.

This is according to MacRumors, which cited a source allegedly familiar with an Apple iPhone ad in the making, which references some of the new features.

According to the tipster, the new iPhone Pro models will reportedly have an improved telephoto lens with up to 8x optical zoom, up from 5x optical zoom on the iPhone 16 Pro models. The tipster also claims the phones will have a new Camera Control button on the top edge of the phone, which will make it easier to quickly access the camera. If the rumor is accurate, this new button will co-exist with the Camera Control button on the bottom right of the phone, which was introduced with the iPhone 16 models.

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Finally, the tipster told MacRumors that Apple will launch a new, pro-oriented camera app for photos and videos, which would be on the level of camera apps such as Halide, Kino, and Filmic Pro. This app could either come as a new, standalone app or an upgrade to the existing Final Cut Camera app.

None of this is official, of course, and should all be taken with a gigantic chunk of salt. The additional Camera Control button, in particular, sounds very fishy to us, as it's a fairly big hardware change we haven't heard of in previous leaks and rumors.

That being said, the new iPhones are expected to come with a redesigned camera system, so it's quite possible that Apple is planning some big upgrades. So far, we've heard that the Pro models will have a triple 48-megapixel camera on the back, as well as video recording improvements.

All will be revealed when Apple officially introduces the new phones, which should happen in September. Until then, fingers crossed?

Topics iPhone