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While the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro aren’t expected to arrive until September, there are already plenty of rumors circulating about what Apple has in store for its next-generation superphone. From larger display sizes and thinner bezels to new processors and slimmer designs, the next iPhones are likely to feature a series of upgrades. Apple has already talked about Apple Intelligence skills that will be coming to iOS 18, and we’re expected to hear more about how these AI features will be used in the lead-up to the phone’s launch.
But as a professional photographer, it’s the camera that excites me the most.
Apple has always equipped its iPhones with some of the best cameras you can put in a smartphone, and with its 5x optical zoom, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is one of the best camera phones you can buy right now.
read more: The best iPhones to buy in 2024
But with so much competition, especially in the photography space, Apple will likely be looking for ways to ensure its phone’s photography skills are top-notch. Here’s a closer look at what’s rumored about the iPhone 16 series’ cameras.
New Physical Camera Button
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max feature a new “Action” button on the outer edge of the phone that can be customised to perform a variety of actions, such as launching the camera or taking voice memos.
The iPhone 15 Pro’s action buttons may be joined by a new physical camera button.
However, MacRumors suggests that the next model will have an extra button aimed specifically at photographers: it will act as a camera shutter, with multiple sensitivity levels, allowing you to half-press to focus and fully press to take a photo. It’s also rumored that the button will recognize swipe gestures, allowing you to zoom in or out by swiping left or right.
read more: WWDC 2024: What to expect from Apple’s iOS 18 event and how to watch it
While it was previously possible to use the volume buttons to trigger the camera shutter, these new buttons give you more advanced camera control, making your iPhone more like a compact digital camera.
Improved zoom on all Pro models
According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the base iPhone 16 Pro model will have a 5x optical zoom lens, a feature previously only available on the larger iPhone 15 Pro Max, so it’s good to see the same zoom level available in a smaller, more pocketable size.
The 10x zoom on the S23 and S24 Ultra may see some competition.
But both phones could also be getting upgrades, with previous rumors saying the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a “super telephoto” lens offering zoom levels beyond the current 5x. This would be a welcome addition for sports and wildlife photographers who rely on long zoom levels, but these rumors circulated last summer – before the iPhone 15 was even released – so don’t take them too seriously.
Larger Image Sensor
According to a MacRumors article citing Weibo user Digital Chat Station, the iPhone 16 Pro’s main camera may feature a larger image sensor, which will be 1/1.14-inch in size, larger than the 1/1.28-inch sensor found in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
Such a significant increase in size is great, as a larger sensor captures more light and image information, resulting in better detail, dynamic range, and better low-light performance. Well-known leaker Majin Bu posted what he claims to be a leaked case for the X for the upcoming Pro model, which shows a significantly larger cutout for the camera island. This would make sense if the smartphone is indeed going to have a larger camera sensor, and therefore a larger camera unit.
Smartphones like the Xiaomi 14 Ultra already use even larger image sensors – 1/0.98-inch (known as 1-inch) – in their main cameras, so it would be wise for Apple to double down on its efforts in this area.
The larger image sensor on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra gives you more photography power.
High-resolution ultra-wide-angle camera
The ultra-wide camera on iPhones has been somewhat neglected over the past few generations, remaining stuck at 12-megapixel resolution since the iPhone 11. However, a report from noted analyst Jeff Pugh seen by 9to5Mac claims that the ultra-wide camera on both the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will be significantly boosted to 48-megapixels.
read more: The best and worst times to buy a new iPhone
Vertical Camera Placement
According to various rumors and leaked renders, the base iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will have a vertical camera layout instead of the diagonal one seen on the iPhone 15. The design will be similar to the iPhone 12, but there’s a bigger reason for this beyond simple aesthetics.
Such a vertical camera layout would make it easier to capture spatial video, leveraging information from both cameras to create a 3D-like effect. This makes sense, as Apple introduced spatial video capture to the iPhone 15 Pro series but not to the base iPhone 15 model due to the camera layout.
The spatial video looked good on my Apple Vision Pro headset.
Spatial video looks just like regular 2D video when played on an iPhone, but it’s designed to create a 3D effect when viewed through Apple’s Vision Pro headset.
What else would you like to see?
Apple talked a lot about AI at its WWDC event, but not much about its potential applications in photography, even though iPhone cameras already use AI at many levels, including computational photography, skin tone reproduction, depth mapping, and even automatic settings when taking photos.
read more: Apple iPhone 16 Plus leak hints at smaller battery and more color options
But as AI gets more advanced, it will also improve scene recognition and allow for better use of settings and processing to take better looking images. We’re also impressed with the AI object removal feature in the Google Pixel series, so it’s possible that the next iPhone will have a similar AI-based editing tool.
Speaking of editing, Apple may introduce more ways to edit video on phones, especially if you shoot using Log on the 15 Pro and Pro Max. Log video is designed to look flat and gray when shot, giving you a better base for editing and adding color and contrast later.
iPhone footage recorded in Log color space must be edited on a computer or iPad, and it would be nice to have more options for processing this footage on the iPhone itself.
Right now, editing Log video in software like BlackMagic’s DaVinci Resolve requires transferring the footage to the iPad or computer, so it would be nice to see Apple introduce more ways to work with Log footage on the phone, perhaps even introducing its own series of “LUTs” to the iPhone’s editing tools, which are presets used to quickly apply color and contrast to video.
Editor’s note: CNET has used its AI engine to create and label dozens of articles accordingly. The notes you’re reading are attached to articles that substantively address AI topics, but are all written by our expert editors and writers. For more information, see the CNET AI Blog. AI Policy.
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