Latest iPhone 16 Leak Reveals Updated Camera, New Buttons

Updated June 23 with new case and charger details: article originally posted June 22.

New iPhone 16 leaks have suggested several upgrades, including support for visionOS tools, a popular iPhone Pro feature arriving, and an addition to the user interface. Now, a set of cases for the iPhone 16 supports those suggestions.

A closer look at the iPhone 16 cases has been published by the team at TechNetBook, and you can see how the updated features have impacted the external design.

First up is the orientation of the camera lenses. these have changed from the iPhone 15’s diagonal arrangement on a square camera island to a vertical arrangement on a more lozenge-shaped island. This shouldn’t impact the regular pictures and video taken on the iPhone, but the arrangement of the lenses will allow side-by-side lenses when recording in landscape mode—that’s the orientation you would need to take stereoscopic videos that would allow 3D playback on the Apple Vision Pro headset.

Then, you have a covered button area for the Action Button. This programmable physical button debuted on last year’s iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Max. It allows users to assign a shortcut or action when the button is pressed, such as when the camera app opens so a picture can be quickly taken. The button was unavailable on the vanilla iPhone 15 or 15 Plus handsets.

The Action Button will now be a universal offering, appearing on the vanilla iPhone 16 models alongside the iPhone 16 Pro models.

Finally, you have a new button. Presumably based on positive feedback from the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple will be adding a Camera Butto. The case shows a complete cut-out for the button, which makes sense as the button is expected to be pressure sensitive and allow for a multi-stage press (allowing, for example, a focus lock to be selected with a “half-pres” before taking the picture with a full press).

Update: Sunday June 22: Noted tipster Ice Universe has published a look at another iPhone 16 case this weekend. Their video shows the case being rotated to show the rear and the edges of the case. Just as in the TechNetBook’s images, the vertical arrangement of the camera lenses, the press-through button for the Action Button and a space for the capacitative Camera Button can all be seen.

The cases do add to the discussion around another feature, namely Apple’s inductive charging system. Space for the MagSafe ring is clearly visible, but the charging ring is also thinner than in the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro handsets launched in 2023. While the two different widths of ring will offer inter-connectivity, the newer iPhone 16 family will come with the thinner and lighter weight option.

These three features bring the vanilla iPhones into line with the Pro models. With Apple looking to put clear water in terms of specifications between the vanilla and Pro models, there will have to be several upgrades to the Pro models to reinstate this gap and create a desire in consumers to buy the more expensive model.

One suggestion is the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will update their own camera hardware, with the ultrawide camera quadrupling the sensor size from 12- to 48-megapixels, a new optical coating to reduce lens flare and a greater optical zoom available on the 16 Pro Max through a larger periscope-styled telephoto lens.

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 16 family in early September 2024.

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