Most Apple users will have woken up with an email in their inbox announcing an event on September 09. While Apple doesn’t tell us what these events are going to focus on before the date, it's widely accepted that this one will reveal all the highly anticipated details on the iPhone 16 series.
The range will include four new models: the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Rumors about what the new series phones will look like have been circulating for months, including the introduction of iOS 18, AI smart features in the form of Apple Intelligence, and an updated Siri.
Some of the most significant upgrades however, are in the camera department.
Earlier this month I reported the latest rumblings about the camera button that looks to be coming to the iPhone 16 family, and now new information obtained by Apple Insider appears to confirm a wide range of exciting camera updates.
Some of the outlet's longstanding sources have "not only confirmed these details… but added to them."
iPhone 16 and 16 Plus
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will keep two vertically stacked cameras on the back, as shown in many dummy units and mock ups over recent months. There will be a primary wide camera that provides a 1x and 2x zoom, and a secondary ultra-wide camera for the .5x zoom out.
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The primary camera will be staying the same at 48MP, with an f/1.6 aperture and optical quality 2x telephoto capabilities. The ultra-wide camera, however, will get a faster f/2.2 aperture (over the f/2.4 it had before), enabling more light to hit the sensor and improving low-light shots.
Non-Pro models in the 16 range are expected to get a macro photography mode for the first time, usually only available on the Pro and Pro Max models.
Not many details have been released on this but, unlike the more basic iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, the current 15 Pro and Pro Max ultra-wide cameras have autofocus, enabling the lens to focus close up for sharp macro shots. This suggests that if the 16 and 16 Plus are getting macro capability, then they might also get autofocus.
iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max
The two Pro-level phones are seeing the biggest changes, while keeping their three cameras on the back – a wide camera, an ultra-wide and a telephoto.
Their primary specs will remain unchanged; a 48MP sensor complete with an f/1.78 aperture lens, capable of 12MP images (via pixel binning) up to 2x.
The addition of a new 5x telephoto lens to the Pro is the biggest change in this tier. This is the first time that the 5x unit will be available on the smaller non-Max model, and it replaces the 3x telephoto lens on the current 15 Pro.
Delivering up to four times the resolution of the current Pro models, the new model will get an all new 48MP ultra-wide camera, which will reportedly be able to switch between 24MP and 48MP modes.
Lastly, the two Pro models are also predicted to be able to support the JPEG–XL image format – which delivers smaller files than standard JPEGs at the same quality, as well as native support for HDR.
New Capture Button
The most unusual change to the new iPhone series is the addition of a special, touch sensitive camera button, which is expected to appear on all four models.
It is expected to mimic the two-stage shutter buttons on standard DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, pressing once to autofocus, and again to take the photo. The button is capacitive, meaning that your finger is needed to activate it, so you won’t get hundreds of pictures of the inside of your bag or pockets.
Sliding your finger along the button will activate the zoom function, as well as other features.
Other products expected to be announced at the September 09 event include new Watches and AirPods, but Apple Intelligence AI features aren’t expected for another month after that.
Take a look at our guides to the best iPhone for photography, the best camera phone, and the best lenses for iPhone and Android camera phones.
