iPhone 16 could make small adjustments to the iPhone 15 design
Renders based on leaked prototypes show what the iPhone 16 could look like, with vertical cameras and altered button configurations being the primary changes.
The base iPhone 16 is expected to get a few minor design changes, like vertical cameras and the Action button. More information continues to roll in about potential upgrades to the standard models, but this time, prototypes may have revealed what the final version may look like.
Pre-production designs for the iPhone 16 have been shared with MacRumors, which are described and shown via renders to protect their source. Each model represents a different stage in development, and none of them may be the final design.
The three iPhones are rendered based on the prototype designs and colors being used by Apple. One model is referred to as yellow, but it looks closer to green.
The yellow model is described as the earliest known design with a unified volume rocker, Action button, and iPhone X-style camera bump. The pink model has an Action button, separate volume buttons, and a camera bump similar to iPhone 12.
The device referred to as midnight and black in the text is the one that matches previous rumors sourced by MacRumors and is described as the most likely. It has a larger capacitive Action button, the rumored Capture button, and a relocated mmWave antenna.
Apple reintroducing vertical cameras to standard iPhones is likely to be for Spatial Video capture. Users can capture 3D video that can be viewed on Apple Vision Pro, but for now it is limited to iPhone 15 Pro thanks to its camera arrangement.
iPhone 16 prototype renders from MacRumors
The new renders don't provide any previously unknown information and serve to corroborate older rumors. Since the information is from an anonymous source, its accuracy is still unknown. However, some details reflect what has been shared by Ming-Chi Kuo, which earns it a possible rating.
The standard iPhone tends to get conservative updates compared to the pro models, so the multiple changes and new button additions seem unlikely. The Capture button, in particular, seems like an odd choice for the standard model, as new hardware additions are usually reserved for the pro models.
The iPhone 16 lineup will be revealed in September 2024. Any or all of these details could change in the nine months to the official announcement, so remain skeptical.