The iPhone 15 has been out for a whole three months now, so it's about time we had more of an idea of what the Apple's follow-up smartphone could look like. And sure enough, renders have appeared based on not one but three purported early prototypes of the iPhone 16.
The main design changes shown in three versions revolve around two main areas: cameras and buttons. I'm not sure which one I prefer, mainly because I'm not convinced we'll see all of the rumoured new features on the standard iPhone 16 (see more in our complete roundup of iPhone 16 rumours).
Published by MacRumours, the three renders above are based on purportedly leaked prototype iPhone 16 designs. The colours are also said to be based on the colours that Apple is using in its prototypes: black, pink and what looks like green but is being described as yellow.
All three feature vertically arranged cameras. This design change would make sense since it would allow the standard iPhone phone to capture 3D Spatial Video for viewing on the Apple Vision Pro headset, something that will only possible on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max in the current line up.
There are variations in how the new arrangement could be implemented, however. The version rendered in yellow shows the cameras in a pill-shaped enclosure like on the iPhone X, while the others feature a camera bump like that of the iPhone 12.
iPhone 16 new button configurations
iPhone 16 Early Prototypes: What Apple's Next-Generation iPhone Will Look Like https://t.co/K9q4JpKPEb pic.twitter.com/tcOpizlz0ODecember 12, 2023
All three models also feature new button configurations, but here there are differences. All suggest that the iPhone 16 will inherit the iPhone 15 Pro's customisable Action button, but it's expected that this will be capacitive rather than mechanical, providing haptic feedback. The button is larger on the black version, which MacRumours thinks is the most likely to be the final design. The mmWave antenna has been relocated to allow the new configuration.
The most mysterious design aspect of the rumoured prototypes is that the black version also shows what's being described as a capacitive Capture button. The purpose of the button is not yet clear, though the name and positioning suggest that it could be a dedicated camera button.
That sounds like it could be useful, making me lean towards this render as my favourite potential design option. However, it seems strange that Apple would add an entirely new hardware function on the standard iPhone rather than bringing it to the Pro first, so I'm not quite convinced this will be the final design.
The new button would be located below the power button on the right of the phone, where the mmWave antenna is located on US models of recent iPhones. The antenna window would be shifted to the left of the device, under the volume controls. In other differences, the model rendered in yellow features a unified volume rocker while the pink render has separate volume buttons.
As always with rumours and leaks on Apple products, none of these may be the real iPhone 16 design. We don't expect Apple to officially unveil the phone until September 2024. In the meantime, see the best iPhone 15 prices below.
