The time has come, the first prototypes of the iPhone 16 have surfaced. Renders were made based on this – and this is what they reveal about the iPhone 16 design.
iPhone 16 with new design
The iPhone 16 will of course be Apple’s top device of 2024. Like every year, we expect the new phone in September. But of course Apple is already developing it. In fact, it has already progressed so far that the first prototypes have already been made somewhere in Cupertino. These are leaked, and based on that information, concrete renders were made that reveal almost all design features. And a major design change looks very familiar to us.
New camera island
The design element that will likely see the biggest change is the camera island on the back. Right now, Apple appears to be experimenting with two designs. Firstly, the well-known iPhone 12 island with separate camera lenses, secondly, the iPhone X appearance with one combined part for all lenses. With two cameras, this takes the form of a pill, as you can see in the image below.
The flash is in the same position in both designs, making it likely that this will also be the case in the final iPhone 16 design.
Changed buttons in iPhone 16 design
The buttons on the iPhone 16 are also getting the necessary renewal. This year with the iPhone 15 Pro we were introduced to the action button for the first time. The replaces the mute switch and makes it possible to assign other actions to it. Of course you can use it to silence your iPhone, but you can also activate a Focus or open the camera. Ultimately, thanks to support for Shortcuts, there are almost no limits to what you can do with the action button. The latest renders of the iPhone 16 show that this action button will come to all models of Apple’s latest phone. Moreover, it will most likely become touch-sensitive and can therefore no longer be pressed.
In addition, we see a new layout for the volume buttons on the left side of the iPhone. Now there are two separate buttons, but Apple is experimenting with a combined design. However, unlike previous plans, the buttons do not seem to be capacitive (touch-sensitive), but simply old-fashioned mechanical.
Another new button
More exciting is a completely new button that the iPhone 16 may get. This currently has the unexciting name ‘Capture button’ and is located on the right side of the phone, below the side button. This will then have a solid-state design and can therefore no longer be pressed. Vibration motors are activated when touched and give the illusion that you are pressing a button. Just like the home button of the current iPhone SE.
What can you do with the new capture button? That’s another Apple secret. We do have some questions as to why this button is needed on the iPhone. You can do everything with the action button, right? But who knows, maybe Apple will surprise us with a brilliant application that we won’t want to miss anymore.
At the same time, there is also a prototype without a capture button. Apple wants to fall back on this design if there are technical problems with the implementation.
iPhone 16 design front
While the sides and back of the iPhone 16 will see quite a few changes, the front will remain largely the same. This means: an almost borderless screen and a Dynamic Island for the Face ID camera. Of course we also keep USB-C as a connection.
Also read: iPhone without bezels: that will take a while (but how long?)
As for the colors, there are already prototypes in yellow, pink and midnight (dark blue). This list is not complete, but there is a good chance that at least these colors will be available soon.
The biggest innovations
We summarize the biggest innovations for you. The iPhone 16 will probably have a new camera island, which will either look more like that of the iPhone 12 or that of the iPhone Finally, there is the new capture button, but we don’t know yet what exactly it will do.
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