There’s a lot of overlap between the best camera phones and the best iPhones. Over the years Apple has put a lot of effort into making sure its phones take the best photos possible, offering better hardware and software capabilities on each subsequent iPhone generation. Though it’s still early days, the iPhone 16 is definitely no exception.
A whole bunch of camera changes are coming to both the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro lineups. Apple’s managed to offer quite a lot of new stuff this year, and you’ll find that certain iPhones won’t be getting everything. So to help out we’ve broken down all the changes coming to the cameras on all 4 of the newly-announced iPhones.
Here’s what you need to know about camera upgrades on iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
48MP Fusion Camera (all iPhone 16 models)
While the hardware specs for the iPhone 16’s camera seem mostly unchanged, Apple has changed the sensor in the main lens and renamed it the “Fusion Camera." Available on all 4 iPhone 16 models, this new hybrid sensor includes a 2x telephoto function, which adds “optical-quality” magnification to that main camera lens with up to 12MP resolution.
That could be beneficial to the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus most of all, since they lack the tetraprism telephoto lens that adds 5x optical zoom to both Pro models. However Apple’s description of “optical-quality” suggests this 2x zoom is software based.
Quad-pixel sensor (iPhone 16 Pro & Pro Max)
Both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max have what Apple calls a “quad-pixel” sensor behind the main and ultrawide lenses. Existing quad-pixel sensors improve the pixel density on the camera which helps to enhance detail and reduce overall pixelation. There had been speculation that this sensor could also be larger than the one in iPhone 15 Pro phones, but Apple hasn’t revealed any specific details about that.
The new sensor is faster, reading data twice as fast and offering zero shutter lag. The company also claims that the sensor is what enabled the iPhone 16 Pro to record video in 4K 120fps in slo-mo and Dolby Vision.
48MP Ultrawide camera (iPhone 16 Pro & iPhone 16 Pro Max)
Resolution isn’t everything but there comes a point where having another 12MP camera lens just doesn’t sit right with people. So we’re happy to see the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max now have a 48MP ultrawide camera lens, for higher resolution photos when you’re capturing a larger area. Alone that doesn’t mean a lot, but combined with new software and other hardware upgrades, like the quad-pixel lens and autofocus, that should be a significant boost to your camera’s repertoire.
Tetraprism lens (iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max)
After missing out on the tetraprism telephoto lens that debuted on iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple is adding that 5x optical magnification to the iPhone 16 Pro. And that means the 3x optical zoom we’ve seen on so many older iPhones is gone in favor of this next-generation telephoto lens. Or last generation, if you think about it, because this appears to be the exact same 12MP tetraprism lens that debuted last year. So sadly the iPhone 16 Pro Max has had no discernable upgrade to its telephoto hardware. Maybe next year?
Camera Control button (all iPhone 16 models)
Apple’s adding another button to the iPhone, in the form of the Camera Control button that lives on the bottom right-hand side of the phone. The goal of this button is to give you faster and easier access to various camera features — including the ability to open up the camera app with a single tap and then take photos with each subsequent tap.
A light tap will open up a minimalistic camera interface, and another light tap opens up a menu bar that can be navigated with a swiping gesture. This same swiping gesture lets you zoom in and out. There’s even support for Apple Visual intelligence for doing things like looking up restaurant info live, though we don’t know when that will actually launch to the public.
Macro photography (all iPhone 16 models)
The ultrawide camera on iPhone 16 and 16 Plus may not be 48MP, but there’s still an upgrade in there. All 4 iPhone 16 models now have autofocus on the ultrawide lens, which Apple claims will enable a new macrophotography feature on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. That way you can capture super-close-up photos of stuff in even better detail than you could before.
In the case of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, you'll get the ability to take more detailed macro shots.
Spatial video recording (iPhone 16 & iPhone 16 Plus)
Spatial recording debuted on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max last year, but now Apple has brought the feature over to the standard iPhone 16 and 16 Plus — aided by switching the camera layout from a diagonal to vertical profile. The idea here is that the two cameras can work together to add depth to your photos and videos, which can then be enjoyed with a 3D-like effect on Apple Vision Pro.
4K 120fps video (iPhone 16 Pro & iPhone 16 Pro Max)
Thanks to the new quad-pixel sensor and the A18 Pro chipset, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max can record video in 4K resolution at up to 120 frames per second with Dolby Vision HDR in a variety of different modes. This includes regular video mode, slow motion and the super-high quality ProRes mode. Though the latter requires you to be connected to an external hard drive via USB-C — that much hasn’t changed since last year.
Audio Mix & Spatial audio (all iPhone 16 models)
While this feels like the kind of feature that would be exclusive to the iPhone 16 Pro series, it’s actually available on all iPhone 16s. The idea behind Audio Mix is that it makes it easier to record and edit sound, with the goal of making it sound like a more true-to-life studio-quality recording. Machine learning will be able to focus on specific voices while also reducing unwanted noise in the background — including wind.
Just note that you'll get better audio performance from the iPhone 16 Pro series as it features four studio quality mics.
The phones also allow for spatial audio recordings, not just for spatial videos but also so you can listen back in a more immersive way. You’ll just need a compatible pair of AirPods and an Apple Vision Pro to do so.
Visual Intelligence (all iPhone 16 models)
Visual Intelligence utilizes both the iPhone 16 camera and Apple Intelligence, and allows you to use AI to scan and analyze real world objects. Whether you’re looking to search for products, translate text or simply learn more about that restaurant, Visual Intelligence will be able to help using a mix of on-device and cloud-based AI computing. Think of it as a similar feature to Google Lens but taken to the next level.
Plus, you'll be able to instantly act on this Visual Intelligence data, such as adding that concert date you see on a flyer directly to your calendar.
Photographic styles (all iPhone 16 models)
Photographic styles is a way for users to, in Apple’s words, “express their creativity and customize their photos by locally adjusting color, highlights, and shadows in real time”. Think of it as an advanced version of a filter, but way more in-depth. Rather than applying a single color or effect to the whole photo, Photographic Styles are supposed to be able to adjust specific colors of pre-selected styles before or after the iPhone takes a photo.
The current preset Styles include Rich Contrast, Vibrant, Warm and Cool, which the iPhone 16 can visualize before you actually take the photo. After that you have the option to adjust tone and warmth to something that you like the look of. And if you decide you don’t like the result, you’re given the option to reverse all the changes you made and get the original photo back.
