Updated June 23 with new case and charger details: article originally posted June 22.
Customers shop for iPhone 15 at Apple’s flagship store in Hangzhou (Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing … [+]
New iPhone 16 leaks have suggested several improvements, including support for visionOS tools, a popular iPhone Pro feature coming, and an addition to the user interface. Now, a set of iPhone 16 cases backs up those suggestions.
A closer look at the iPhone 16 cases has been published by the team at TechNetBook, and you can see how the updated features have affected the exterior design.
First is the orientation of the camera lens. these have changed from the iPhone 15’s diagonal arrangement of a square camera island to a vertical arrangement of a more diamond-shaped island. This shouldn’t affect regular photos and videos taken on the iPhone, but the lens arrangement will allow the lenses to be side-by-side when recording in landscape mode – which is the orientation you need to get stereoscopic videos that would allow playback 3D on the Apple Vision Pro headset.
Then, you have a covered button area for the Action Button. This programmable physical button debuted on last year’s iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Max. It allows users to assign a shortcut or action when the button is pressed, such as when the camera app is opened so that a picture can be taken quickly. The button was not available on the vanilla iPhone 15 or 15 Plus.
The Action Button will now be a universal offering, appearing on vanilla iPhone 16 models along with iPhone 16 Pro models.
Finally, you have a new button. Apparently based on the positive feedback from the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple will add a camera button. The case features a full cutout for the button, which makes sense as the button is expected to be pressure sensitive and allow for a multi-stage press (allowing, for example, a focus lock to be selected with a “half press” before take the picture with a full press).
An introduction to iPhone MagSafe (Photo by Dai Yongyuan/VCG via Getty Images)
Update: Sunday June 22: Popular hypothesis Ice Universe has released a look at another iPhone 16 case this weekend. Their video shows the case rotating to show the back and edges of the case. As in the TechNetBook images, the vertical arrangement of the camera lens, the push button for the action button and a space for the capacitive camera button can all be seen.
The cases add to the discussion about another feature, namely Apple’s inductive charging system. The space for the MagSafe ring is clearly visible, but the charging ring is also thinner than on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro phones launched in 2023. While two different ring widths will provide connectivity, the newest family of iPhone 16 will come with thinner and lighter weight option.
These three features bring the vanilla iPhones in line with the Pro models. As Apple looks to clear water in terms of specifications between the vanilla and Pro models, there will need to be some improvements in the Pro models to restore this gap and create a desire among consumers to buy the more expensive model.
One suggestion is that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will update their camera hardware, with the ultra-wide camera quadrupling the sensor size from 12 to 48 megapixels, a new optical coating to reduce lens flare, and a greater optical zoom available on the 16 Pro Max through a larger periscope-style telephoto lens.
Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 16 family in early September 2024.
Now read the latest iPhone, Mac and Apple Intelligence headlines in Forbes’ weekly news roundup of all things Apple…