This week, we got another early look at the design of this year's upcoming iPhones that showed off a revamped camera layout, two Pro exclusives headed for vanilla models, and other changes expected of the iPhone 16.
A set of leaked cases for the iPhone 16, as first spotted by the team over at TechNetBook, give us a peak into how Apple's planned updates have impacted the smartphone's external design. Let's start with one of the biggest tweaks: the orientation of the camera lenses. With the iPhone 16, Apple seems to be ditching the iPhone 15's diagonal arrangement on a square camera island in favor of a vertically arranged camera stack.
Rumor has it this tweak should let all versions of the iPhone 16 record the same kind of spatial video currently exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro models. While standard video recording and picture taking shouldn't be affected, the new camera arrangement is perfectly situated for optimal spatial capture as the side-by-side lenses mimic the position of human eyes when recording in landscape mode. Soon anyone with one of the best iPhones could be able to record tailor-made 3D video viewable on an AR/VR headset like the Vision Pro.
What's also noteworthy about these iPhone 16 cases is the covered button area where the mute switch used to be. This is believed to be for Apple's new Action button, a side key you can long-press for all sorts of programmable shortcuts that debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Based on the case designs, the Action Button looks set to come to all iPhone 16 models and will no longer be a Pro exclusive.
Last but not least, a cutout below the power button suggests another Pro exclusive, a dedicated camera button, could be on its way to all vanilla iPhone 16 models. The case shows a complete cut-out for the button, which tracks with previous rumors that the button is touch-sensitive, enabling users to quickly perform a range of actions like capturing photos, adjusting zoom and focus, and more.
Of course, all this should be taken with a grain of salt for now. We still have a while to wait before Apple's usual September time window for iPhone launches. In the meantime, be sure to check out all the rumors so far in our iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max hubs.
More from Tom's Guide
- Forget iPhone 15 — 7 biggest reasons to wait for iPhone 16
- 25 coolest ways to use the iPhone 15 Pro's Action Button
- I went a week without using a case on my phone — here’s what I learned
