Apple is testing a new design for the base iPhone 16 devices that could result in a slimmer camera bump reminiscent of previous iPhone generations, according to new information shared on X and later corroborated by MacRumors.
On X, leaker Majin Bu shared information regarding the upcoming iPhone lineup. The leaker reiterates that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max could grow slightly bigger to accommodate taller displays, but they also share what appears to be early prototyping schematics for the base iPhone 16 devices.
The alleged schematics depict an iPhone with a much slimmer pill-shaped camera bump that only encompasses two camera lenses and the microphone, with the LED flash sitting flush with the rest of the iPhone’s body outside the protrusion. The camera arrangement for the iPhone 16 could also do away with the diagonal setup Apple introduced with the iPhone 13, reverting to a more traditional vertical array that was last seen with the iPhone 12.
The rumored camera bump would also be similar to that of the iPhone X and iPhone XS, which featured a main camera and a telephoto one with the LED flash sandwiched between them. The rumored iPhone 16 camera bump would still be more sophisticated as it features a further separate elevation for each camera’s lens array, something Apple has maintained since the iPhone 11 lineup.
The new pill-shaped camera setup is also expected to match the rest of the device’s color rather than always being black. Today’s square camera bump is so far expected to remain the same with the iPhone 16 Pro’s triple camera arrangement. MacRumors speculates that the vertical camera arrangement on the base iPhone 16 models should enable Spatial Video recording for Apple Vision Pro, which so far remains exclusive for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Renders shared on X by @upinthezone and @theapplehub depict the iPhone 16 with the rumored camera design in multiple colors.
Other rumored features for the upcoming iPhone lineup include a new Capture button with gestures and force-sensing support for things like zooming in and out and manual focus. The high-end iPhone 16 Pro could gain a new modem with support for 5G-Advanced, and a 48-megapixel Ultrawide camera sensor.
