Leaked images of the iPhone 16 showcase a slightly different looking phone that seems to channel design elements from both the iPhone X and the iPhone 12
TL;DR: iPhone 16 Design and Features Update 📱✨
- Design Similarities: Front looks like iPhone 14 & 15, hard to spot differences 🤔
- New Sides & Back: Action Button, new button placements, and redesigned camera module (reminiscent of iPhone 12) 📸
- Volume Rocker Rumors: No unified volume button despite earlier reports 🚫
- Action Button Expansion: Expected in all iPhone 16 models, not just Pro versions 🔘
- Possible New Feature: Capacitive Capture Button for camera, potentially starting with Pro models 📷
- Design Uncertainty: Leaked images not final; real or fake still unclear 🧐
- Color Options: New rumored colors include yellow, pink, and midnight, with possible changes before launch 🎨
If you think Apple’s approach to design on iPhone is boring, the first leak of its upcoming iPhone 16 is NOT going to change your opinion.
There are changes, of course, most notably to the button placement and the camera module on the rear. But as usual these changes are super-subtle. To the untrained eye, it will not look any different from what came before.
iPhone 16 Design – Analysis
Key Takeaways:
- Early prototypes suggest notable changes in button design and camera layout.
- The new iPhone, internally referred to as DeLorean, might have a vertical camera arrangement, distinct from its predecessor.
- Apple is exploring various hardware configurations, including changes to the camera bump design.
- Prototypes showcase a unified volume button, an Action Button, and a new capacitive Capture Button.
The front design remains similar to the iPhone 15, continuing the use of the Dynamic Island.
Of course, this is an early “prototype” model, so the finished product could look quite a bit different. It won’t, obviously. Everybody knows Apple rarely messes with the “macro design” of its iPhone, but there’s always a chance it could.
So, what’s the deal with the “new” iPhone 16 design? From the front, not much – it looks pretty much the same as the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 15. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a difference with the screen and Dynamic Island layout (I certainly can’t).
On the sides and around the back, things are decidedly different, though, with new buttons (Action Button), new button placements, and a completely remodelled camera module which looks more than a little like the iPhone 12’s with its vertical lens alignment.
Reports from earlier in the year claimed Apple was looking to “unify” the volume rocker into one, single button with haptic feedback. Based on these leaked designs, however, that doesn’t appear to have happened.
MacRumors has some insight on what potentially happened here, and it is worth reading in full:
The earliest known prototypes of the iPhone 16 included a unified volume button that was developed as part of the now-canceled Bongo project originally intended for release with the iPhone 15 Pro. The unified button would have provided users with haptic feedback, but it was scrapped earlier this year following unresolved technical issues. After the cancelation of the Bongo project, Apple moved back to mechanical buttons for the iPhone 16.
Action Button Coming To All iPhone 16 Models?
The Action Button, launched on the iPhone 15 series, is currently only available on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. But reports now suggest that Apple is planning on bringing it to all models inside the iPhone 16 series.
Again, this is just conjecture at this point. But the trickle down of features does happen each year, and the Action Button would definitely be one of the most cost effective options to bring to the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.
There is also talk about Apple introducing a capacitive Capture Button on the right side for the camera. Again, if this rumor does pan out, it is likely this new button will debut on the Pro and Pro Max models before trickling down to the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Plus in 2025.
Again, though, you have to keep in mind the following things: none of the images that have leaked are anywhere near the “final design” stage and we have no way of knowing whether they’re real or fake – they could also be very old, from before the iPhone 15 launched.
What’s The Deal With iPhone 16 Color Options?
When it comes to color options for the iPhone 16, there has been talk of a few new options: yellow, pink and midnight. But, again, these colors will almost certainly expand and change as we get closer to launch.
Colorways are the LAST part of the puzzle.
For most users, specifically iPhone 15 users, the iPhone 16 – at least from a design perspective – does not appear to be anything too dramatically different to what came before. As with the iPhone 15, the main reasons to upgrade will be for those running and iPhone 13 or iPhone 12.
