If you think the new iPhone 16 series is just going to have ho-hum camera upgrades, you might want to think again. An exclusive new report has just spilled all the camera changes coming to the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, as well as the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
According to AppleInsider, there are some pretty big changes for all four models, starting with the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. So our best camera phone list could see a pretty big shakeup soon.
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus cameras
As previously reported, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will sport dual cameras just like the iPhone 15 series, but they will be vertically stacked in order to provide spatial video recording. This will allow you to view 3D videos using the Meta Quest 3 headset or the Apple Vision Pro.
The main camera will stick with 48MP resoulution and f/1.6 aperture and give you the equivalent of 2x telephoto zoom. However, the ultra wide camera is tipped for a faster f/2.2 aperture (down from f/2.4). This will enable better low-light performance, which is a good thing since the Pixel 9 series is proving even better than the iPhone 15 so far.
Another tidbit is that the regular iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are both said to support macro photography — this would be a first.
In addition, Apple Insider says that the rumored Capture Button is coming to all four new iPhone 16 models. This capacitive button will be located in the lower right corner of the design, which means when held in landscape mode the button will be right underneath your index finger on the top right side.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported how this Capture button would work. You could half press the Capture button for auto focus, fully press to shoot and slide your finger along the button to zoom in and out.
iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max cameras
For those willing to spend a bit more, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are tipped for several camera upgrades as well.
You'll find a 48MP wide sensor on both models with f/1.78 aperture and 1.22 micrometer pixels. The biggest change is that the regular iPhone 16 Pro is allegedly getting the same 12MP tetraprism 5x zoom lens previously reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. This has an f/2.8 aperture.
It gets better. The ultrawide camera on the new iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will be going from 12MP to 48MP, so you'll be able to crop in and still get great details. AppleInsider says you'll get 0.7 micrometer pixels at full resolution and 1.4 in quad pixel mode with pixel binning. It's just speculation, but Apple may extend ProRAW support to the ultrawide lens, too.
On the video front, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max may support 3K video at 120 frames per second, complete with Dolby Vision.
iPhone 16 cameras outlook
When you add in support for a potential new format called JPEG-XL, the iPhone 16 series could have seriously improved cameras versus the iPhone 15. So maybe Apple won't be pinning all of its hopes on Apple Intelligence after all for getting people to upgrade.
Stay tuned to our iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro hubs as we get closer to the rumored Sept. 10 launch date. And check out our Apple September event hub for all the latest leaks.
