San Francisco, Jul 6 (IANS): Apple's upcoming iPhone 15 series is expected to enter mass production in August, with approximately 84 million units produced for the second half of 2023, media reports said.

According to Apple analyst Jeff Pu, this is up about 12 per cent from the iPhone 14 builds last year, indicating that Apple anticipates strong demand, reports 9to5Mac.

However, Pu warns that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will most likely cost more than the $1,099 starting price of the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

In the past, the Pro and Pro Max were identical except for screen size (and battery size), but that is set to change this year.

According to current expectations, the new periscope zoom lens will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, giving it the best camera system. With the periscope lens, the optical zoom will be higher than ever on any previous iPhone, increasing to around 6x instead of the current 3x.

Camera sensors on the Pro and Pro Max will also be upgraded to use new 3-stacked sensors, potentially improving image quality across the Pro line, the report said.

Further, Pu’s report mentioned that the iPhone 16 will use a new “metalens” technology for the proximity sensor.

In future generations, Apple's "metalens" technology may allow it to significantly reduce the size of the Face ID sensor hardware.

Meanwhile, iPhone 15 Pro Max will reportedly feature a new custom button. Leaked images of a protective case for the iPhone 15 Pro Max have surfaced online, providing an insight into the modifications to the company’s upcoming flagship device's appearance.