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iPhone 13 Pro Max with "5x optical zoom range": Prepare for Apple's September 14 math exam

By Martin Filipov

Updated: Sep 08, 2021, 9:09 AM

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This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.

iPhone 13 Pro Max with "5x optical zoom range": Prepare for Apple's September 14 math exam

Apple's Mad Math Marketing or marketmathics (this one's original) when it comes to the iPhone 12 and perhaps iPhone 13 zoom capabilities - that's the topic of this story. But before that, let's set the scene:

Smartphone cameras have come a long, long way. That’s due to progressive hardware implementations, especially thanks to progressive manufacturers like Huawei, which brought:

The first-ever modern Night Mode with the P20 series
The first-ever 5x periscope zoom camera with the P30 Pro
The very first 10x periscope zoom camera with the Google-less P40 Pro+

Then there’s LG that introduced ultra-wide-angle cameras to the mainstream, and Google that sprinkled some software processing magic on phones like the Nexus 6P, Google Pixel,, and Google Pixel 2, for better photos.

The common thing about all of the above camera advancements is that they stuck. Today, Night Mode, long-range zoom cameras, ultra-wide cameras, and computational photography are still at the core of every great cameraphone - the Galaxy S21 Ultra, OnePlus 9 Pro, Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, and, of course, the upcoming Google Pixel 6 Pro.

Wait! What about Apple? Well, as it often goes, Apple plays the long game. It took some time for the first Night Mode-capable iPhone 11 to join the low-light photography party; same for the ultra-wide-angle camera, which came with the same device; and the only thing left now is a periscope zoom camera for long-range magnification.

To Apple’s credit, the iPhone has a brilliant Night Mode which is more intuitive and easier to use for the average Joe - it turns on automatically, and it just… works, as people often say when talking about iPhones.

The ultra-wide-angle camera is a different story, though. The good news is that the iPhone 13 series, which is days away, promises to bring an upgraded ultra-wide-angle shooter that will finally compete with the likes of the Galaxy S21 and the OnePlus 9 Pro.

iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max: "Optical zoom range" vs optical zoom

Apple's "Compare iPhone models" page might be a bit... misleading.

However, today’s topic is the iPhone’s zoom. As we’ve established, Apple has committed to waiting for a while before giving the iPhone a periscope zoom camera. In other words, the sky is blue.

Meanwhile, the Cupertino-based tech giant has decided to make up for the mediocre zoom range of the iPhone 12 (and presumably iPhone 13 series) by using a bizarre marketing gimmick.

If you go on Apple’s website and head to the “Compare iPhone models” page, you’ll be greeted by a list of specs, which tell you everything you might need to know about the differences between the iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

What sticks out is the way Apple’s decided to address the zoom capabilities of the iPhone 12 series:

iPhone 12 Mini: 2x optical zoom range
iPhone 12: 2x optical zoom range
iPhone 12 Pro: 4x optical zoom range
iPhone 12 Pro Max: 5x optical zoom range

Anything odd? Yes! Apple makes it seem like the iPhone 12 series of phones have 100% better zoom than they actually do. If you are wondering why Apple can get away with this, think about that ultra-wide-angle camera on the iPhone 12 series once again.

Apple’s marketing team decided to measure the “zoom range” of the iPhone 12 series, starting with the ultra-wide-angle camera. Therefore it says “zoom range”, not just “zoom”. However, you’d have to agree that the two won’t mean anything different to the average consumer, right?

But what’s the actual problem with measuring zoom range by starting with the ultra-wide-angle camera? Well, for starters, no iPhone or Android phone defaults to its ultra-wide-angle camera for… anything. The only exception would be a few of Huawei’s flagships that shoot video with their ultra-wide-angle camera by default - for better stabilization.

Furthermore, when you open the Camera app on your iPhone, it defaults to the main shooter - that’s why it’s called a “main/primary camera”. It’s as if I was to tell you:

“Big Ben is 3 miles away from the Tower of London, but really it’s only 1.5 miles away if you were at the British Museum right now! But you aren’t. Sorry, mate!”

What Apple’s “Compare iPhone Models“ page should probably read is:

iPhone 12 Mini: 10x digital zoom range
iPhone 12: 10x digital zoom range
iPhone 12 Pro: 2x optical zoom range / 4x hybrid zoom range
iPhone 12 Pro Max: 2.5x optical zoom range / 5x hybrid zoom range

That’s what the iPhone 12 series can do when it comes to zoom. Also, the word “range” can easily be dropped if Apple went with the above marketing option, which is more straightforward.

iPhone 13 series: Will Apple carry on with the "optical zoom range" marketing trickery?

The iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max are right around the corner, and it’s fair to say that I expect Apple to keep the same spirit. For example, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is expected to stick with the same 2.5x zoom camera from the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Therefore Apple’s marketing might (again) read:

iPhone 13 Mini: 2x optical zoom range
iPhone 13: 2x optical zoom range
iPhone 13 Pro: 4x optical zoom range
iPhone 13 Pro Max: 5x optical zoom range

But now you know! If you are at the Apple store or on Apple’s website, ready to choose the right iPhone 13 for you, take that zoom marketing with a spoon of salt.

For the record, we can't say Apple is... "lying". It does say “optical zoom range” in the end. However, it also leaves out important details, which might convince customers they’ll be getting an iPhone 13 Pro Max with 5x optical zoom, which won’t happen (unfortunately)...

Ultimately: Apple's not alone... We see you, Huawei!

The Huawei P50 Pro also claims to do more than it does. But it doesn't really need to.

There are other companies to hold accountable for similar moves. We'll finish off as we started - with Huawei. Weirdly, the long-range zoom pioneer advertises the P50 Pro as a phone that does “200x zoom”, which is misleading. The P50 Pro has a 3.5x optical zoom camera with up to 100x digital zoom.

The Chinese tech giant has pulled an Apple with this one, which is ironic. The P50 Pro boasts brilliant zoom capabilities despite technically “taking a step back” from the 5x and 10x periscope cameras from the P40 and Mate 40 series, thanks to brand new optics on the P50 series.

Huawei’s worked some magic, and according to same samples, the 3.5x zoom camera on the P50 Pro often matches or does better than dedicated 10x zoom cameras like the one on the Galaxy S21 Ultra. We might discuss that in a future story!

In the end - Apple, Huawei, and everyone else... Please! The iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and P50 Pro don’t necessarily have the best zoom camera hardware on paper, but they are great camera phones despite that. No need for such shenanigans…

But also!

If you want to get the new iPhone 13 Pro Max and imagine you have a 5x optical zoom camera, we won't judge you! Just remember: Every time you open the Camera app, go to 0.5x first, and then start zooming all the way to 2.5x - that way you really do get a "5x optical zoom... range". Congratulations!

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Martin, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, brings a unique blend of humor and insight to his work. His fascination with smartphones began with a Galaxy Young and evolved through a series of trades and upgrades, making him a self-proclaimed smartphone nerd. Martin's content often combines current analysis of market trends with historical references and future predictions. Whether it's a deep dive into technical issues or a first-person commentary on industry events, Martin's articles are designed to inform and engage. His critical perspective is driven by genuine curiosity and a desire to keep readers informed, not by any corporate sponsorship.