Apple is looking for suppliers that can deliver “folded cameras.” Such a component would be used to improve the optical zoom capability on future iPhone models. The folded camera has been used by other manufacturers including (but not limited to) Samsung and Huawei and are also called periscope cameras. That’s because they refract light like a periscope and the lens and sensors are placed horizontally instead of vertically.
Apple, according to sources familiar with the company’s thinking process, already has had talks with a particular company to obtain patented “folded camera” technology and patents. Using the periscope, an upcoming iPhone model should be “able to provide high-magnification optical zoom without affecting the thickness of a smartphone. In other words, even with a more powerful optical zoom, the iPhone won’t necessarily need to have a larger camera bump