Apple has introduced a number of new camera features for each model of the iPhone 16 series. Here are the most significant improvements.
New iPhone 16 camera features
There are a bunch of new camera features coming to the iPhone 16 series, including a camera slider that lets you quickly capture a shot in landscape or portrait mode. Here are the most notable changes.
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus feature a new vertical camera island with dual lenses instead of diagonally positioned lenses. Apple now calls the main camera the Fusion lens, but it doesn’t appear to be improved from the previous version. You can still zoom in 1x or 2x with it. The ultra-wide camera does get an upgrade, and appears to be the same camera that Apple used on the iPhone 15 Pro models. Here’s what’s new compared to the iPhone 15:
- 48-megapixel f/1.6 Fusion lens
- 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide-angle camera
- Macro photos with ultra wide angle camera
- Spatial Photos for Vision Pro
- QuickTake video up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision
- Spatial audio sound recording
- Wind noise reduction for clearer sound quality when recording videos
The Pro models still have an edge when it comes to the telephoto lens, ultra-wide camera, and image stabilization. The iPhone 16 doesn’t have a telephoto lens and second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, and its ultra-wide camera has fewer megapixels. The Pro models also have ProRes and ProRAW.
iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max
The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max both feature a 5x optical zoom, something that was reserved for the Pro Max on its predecessor. Here’s what’s new compared to the iPhone 15 Pro models:
- 48MP wide-angle lens, now called Fusion lens. Same f/2.2 aperture
- Second generation quad-pixel sensor for 48-megapixel RAW images
- New 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera
- 5x optical zoom for both Pro models
- Better macro shots
- 100 and 120 fps 4K Dolby Vision video recording
- 120 fps 1080p Dolby Vision video recording
- 120 fps 4K Dolby Vision slow-motion video recording
- Option to change playback speed while editing
- ProRed video recording up to 4K at 120 fps (external SSD required)
- QuickTake video up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision
- Spatial audio recording
- Four microphones for more natural sound
- Wind noise reduction for clearer audio quality when recording videos
Camera features on all iPhone 16 models
There are also a number of new camera features added to the entire iPhone 16 series.
Camera controller
All iPhone 16 models have a new button called the camera controller, which should make it easier to quickly take photos and videos. In addition to being touch-sensitive, the button is also force-sensitive, meaning it supports swipe gestures and other gestures for cycling through camera options.
A single click opens the camera, a second click takes a photo, and a long press starts video recording. A light press opens controls like zoom, and a double light press lets you switch tools. A swipe lets you adjust parameters like zoom and exposure. Later, another Apple Intelligence-added feature, which allows you to get information about something you point the camera at.
New photographic styles
Photographic Styles have been around for a while, but Apple has revamped the feature. You can now choose from new, more subtle styles and have much more control over how the style is applied. You can preview Photographic Styles live before you make a change. You can adjust the look of a style, as well as the intensity of specific colors.
Apple says skin tone rendering is more advanced than before, so you can also create a style to set your favorite look, which you can then apply to all the photos you take. You can also change the photographic style after you’ve taken a photo, something that wasn’t possible on previous models.
Audio mix
We’re closing out the new camera features with Audio Mix. This is a video feature that uses Spatial Audio Recording. You can use it to adjust the way voices sound in videos, and there are three different options.
- In Frame: Captures only the voices of people in frame, even when people are talking off-frame.
- Studio: Makes voices sound as if the recording was made in a professional studio with soundproof walls. A recording sounds as if the microphone was close to the person’s mouth.
- Film: Captures all the voices and brings them together at the front of the screen, like in movies.
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