Exclusive: every iPhone 16 & iPhone 16 Pro camera spec & Capture Button detail revealed

AppleInsider

Video: AppleInsider has learned exclusive new details regarding the upgraded camera system and rumored capture button on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. Here's what you need to know.

New camera updates updates coming to the iPhone 16 line

Apple is widely expected to announce its latest round of iPhones during an event taking place on September 10. While we await word on if that is true, more information continues to leak surrounding the devices.

Many others have claimed Apple will be introducing some big changes including a higher-resolution ultra wide camera and a tactile capture button. Sources we have worked with for years have not only confirmed these details to AppleInsider, but added to them.

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus cameras

Both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will retain a pair of shooters on the back. There will be the primary wide camera that provides a 1X and 2X zoom, and a secondary ultra wide camera for the .5X zoom out.

As has been shown in many mockups and dummy units, these cameras will now be vertically stacked instead of on a diagonal.

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The primary camera will be staying the same in 2026. It will still be 48MP with an f/1.6 aperture and optical quality 2X telephoto capabilities.

The ultra wide though, will get a faster f/2.2 aperture from the f/2.4 it had before. This allows more light to hit the sensor, improving low-light shots.

New ultra wide camera will finally support macro photos on iPhone 16

Non-Pro model iPhones are also believed to support macro photography for the first time.

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max

The bigger shift is coming to the two Pro-level phones. They still have three cameras on the back -- a wide camera, an ultra wide camera, and a telephoto camera.

The telephoto lens will come to both iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max

The primary sensor is again, staying the same. It's still 48MP with an f/1.78 aperture that can also take 2X optical-quality 12MP telephoto shots, and has 1.22 micrometer pixels.

Both models will get the 5X telephoto lens this year as it will no longer be a Pro Max model exclusive. This will replace the 3X telephoto lens on the iPhone 15 Pro.

Otherwise, the telephoto lens is the same with 12MP and an f/2.8 aperture.

Finally, the ultra wide lens will balloon to 48MP and will have the same pixel-binning feature as the primary camera. It will have .7 micrometer pixels when shooting at full resolution or 1.4 micrometer when used as a quad pixel.

The ultra wide lens will be upgraded to 48MP

We also expect users will be able to shoot 48MP ProRaw photos when using this upgraded lens. ProRaw has the most amount of image data that allows for more options in post processing.

Other camera changes coming to iPhone 16

We heard two other small details about these upgraded cameras. Our sources say that Apple will support a new image format with the iPhone 16.

That new format is said to be called JPEG-XL. It will sit alongside HEIF, JPEG, HEIF Max, ProRaw, and ProRAW Max that are offered now.

We've also been told that the two Pro models will support 4K video at 120 frames per second with Dolby Vision. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are expected to shoot 1080P at either 120FPS or 240FPS or 4K at 60FPS.

Our source has reached out to confirm this was 4K video at 120 frames per second, not 3K as originally reported.

Capture Button for all

What we're most eager for though, is the long-detailed capture button. We received confirmation on many of the rumors and presumptions that have been thrown around.

The rumored capture button on our iPhone 16 dummy unit

The Capture Button should be coming to all four new iPhone models. It will be located on the lower-right corner, so when held in landscape, the camera bump will be on top and your index finger will sit atop the new button.

This button is capacitive. This practically means that you will need to use your finger to activate, so it won't be inadvertently triggered in your pocket.

It's designed to be used exclusive by camera-specific apps. Users will be able to dictate which camera app it opens, be they Apple's or third-party ones.

Once in the camera app, it has a force-sensitive half-press that will be tied to a developer API. This could, for example, lock the exposure and focus, before you press it all the way to take the photo.

Since it is capacitive, it will act as a trackpad of sorts. Sliding your finger along the button, which is also tied to a developer API, can do different actions.

The capture button will be ideal for shooting photos and video

Our guess is Apple will use this to zoom in and out while in the stock app. Other options may be to cycle through filters to apply at time-of-capture, adjust the exposure up or down, or maybe adjust the degree of background blur on a portrait shot.

With this new button and iOS 18, users will be finally able to remove the camera from their Lock Screen and replace it with this physical control.

Coming soon to an iPhone near you

These features and more are coming to the new 2024 iPhones very soon. Stay tuned to AppleInsider for live coverage of the event, and in-depth analysis of the new hardware as we approach iPhone season, and after release.



Read on AppleInsider

jbirdiikun

Nice. But, and I know this will be ‘heresy’ to many, I worry how having a case on will affect all Capture Button functions. I’m one of those rare few (i.e., clumsy) that need a case on my phone 

DAalseth

jbirdiikun said:

Nice. But, and I know this will be ‘heresy’ to many, I worry how having a case on will affect all Capture Button functions. I’m one of those rare few (i.e., clumsy) that need a case on my phone 

That’s a very good point. I always keep my phone in a case too, and for the same reason. It’ll be interesting to see how the manufacturers deal with this.

EDIT: I am going to add one thing. If they were going to bump one of the cameras to 48mpxl I do wish it was the 5x camera.

apple4thewin

I wonder what we can expect internally such as the TOPs i presume the performance should be similar to an m3 vs m4 so A17 Pro vs A18 Pro. 

pulseimages

DAalseth said:

jbirdiikun said:

Nice. But, and I know this will be ‘heresy’ to many, I worry how having a case on will affect all Capture Button functions. I’m one of those rare few (i.e., clumsy) that need a case on my phone 

That’s a very good point. I always keep my phone in a case too, and for the same reason. It’ll be interesting to see how the manufacturers deal with this.

EDIT: I am going to add one thing. If they were going to bump one of the cameras to 48mpxl I do wish it was the 5x camera.

Me too! Do Android phones have 48mp 5x zooms?

gatorguy

pulseimages said:

DAalseth said:

jbirdiikun said:

Nice. But, and I know this will be ‘heresy’ to many, I worry how having a case on will affect all Capture Button functions. I’m one of those rare few (i.e., clumsy) that need a case on my phone 

That’s a very good point. I always keep my phone in a case too, and for the same reason. It’ll be interesting to see how the manufacturers deal with this.

EDIT: I am going to add one thing. If they were going to bump one of the cameras to 48mpxl I do wish it was the 5x camera.

Me too! Do Android phones have 48mp 5x zooms?

Yes. The most recent would be the Pixel 9 series. 

"Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL share the same best-in-class pro triple rear camera system to get the best photos and videos ever on a Pixel. And the new 48MP 5x telephoto lens has an upgraded sensor that improves autofocus so you can get sharper images — even with low light.

These two phones also have a new 42 MP front camera, so you’ll get sharper and brighter photos in low light. Plus, with a wider field of view, you can get the perfect group selfie."

The Pixel 8 Pro also had a 48mp 5x zoom, but using a different sensor from the 9's (I think).

pulseimages

gatorguy said:

pulseimages said:

DAalseth said:

jbirdiikun said:

Nice. But, and I know this will be ‘heresy’ to many, I worry how having a case on will affect all Capture Button functions. I’m one of those rare few (i.e., clumsy) that need a case on my phone 

That’s a very good point. I always keep my phone in a case too, and for the same reason. It’ll be interesting to see how the manufacturers deal with this.

EDIT: I am going to add one thing. If they were going to bump one of the cameras to 48mpxl I do wish it was the 5x camera.

Me too! Do Android phones have 48mp 5x zooms?

Yes. The most recent would be the Pixel 9 series. 

"Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL share the same best-in-class pro triple rear camera system to get the best photos and videos ever on a Pixel. And the new 48MP 5x telephoto lens has an upgraded sensor that improves autofocus so you can get sharper images — even with low light.

These two phones also have a new 42 MP front camera, so you’ll get sharper and brighter photos in low light. Plus, with a wider field of view, you can get the perfect group selfie."

The Pixel 8 Pro also had a 48mp 5x zoom, but using a different sensor from the 9's (I think).

Ugh, why is Apple always playing catchup these days.

tlinn

Six thoughts on this post and Apple's approach to their cameras:

1. As an iPhone Pro (non-Max) user, it is frustrating that Apple is going to dick around for six years before all three cameras employ 48 MP sensors.

2. It is disappointing that the rumored sensor upgrade to the main camera does not appear to be happening. Or maybe the author is just assuming that if the resolution remains at 48 MP, the sensor is the same. Hopefully, the latter.

3. The author writes "The ultra wide lens will be upgraded to 48MP". They mean the sensor. Lenses don't have megapixels. I'm not making this point to be pedantic. There are rumors that the lens itself will also be upgraded. Hopefully this remains the case. 

4. I'm really hoping that the rumored anti-flare coating on the camera lenses is still happening despite the fact that this isn't mentioned here.

5. Optical quality is a meaningless term. When the author says the main camera can take "2x optical-quality" images, what they should be saying is that the camera can be configured to crop in-phone to simulate a 2x (48mm) focal length. In other words, Apple is taking 12 MP from the center of the sensor and throwing away the rest of them. Anyone can do this from any image taken by any camera using their camera app's crop tool or post-processing software. The same thing is happening when users set the primary camera to 28mm or 35mm. This is a crop setting.

6. As a photographer, the above illustrates my main grip with phone cameras in general: On the iPhone 15 Pro Max—and presumably both of the 16 Pros—the full frame equivalent focal lengths of the three cameras are 13mm, 24mm, and 120mm. The most commonly used focal lengths for non-phone photography, between 24 and 70mm, are totally missing. The 3X telephoto lens is 77mm, close to 70mm. The 5X lens moves farther away from this range. The iPhone is great for taking selfies. It's not bad for close up work either. But for traditional photography, it is regrettably limited. (To be clear, I'm not arguing that Apple is making the wrong choices based on consumer demand.) 

pulseimages

Hopefully the iPhone 17 will have the 48MP 5x zoom. I’m not paying over 1K for 12MP. 

charlesn

tlinn said:

5. Optical quality is a meaningless term. When the author says the main camera can take "2x optical-quality" images, what they should be saying is that the camera can be configured to crop in-phone to simulate a 2x (48mm) focal length. In other words, Apple is taking 12 MP from the center of the sensor and throwing away the rest of them. Anyone can do this from any image taken by any camera using their camera app's crop tool or post-processing software. The same thing is happening when users set the primary camera to 28mm or 35mm. This is a crop setting.

6. As a photographer, the above illustrates my main grip with phone cameras in general: On the iPhone 15 Pro Max—and presumably both of the 16 Pros—the full frame equivalent focal lengths of the three cameras are 13mm, 24mm, and 120mm. The most commonly used focal lengths for non-phone photography, between 24 and 70mm, are totally missing. The 3X telephoto lens is 77mm, close to 70mm. The 5X lens moves farther away from this range. The iPhone is great for taking selfies. It's not bad for close up work either. But for traditional photography, it is regrettably limited. (To be clear, I'm not arguing that Apple is making the wrong choices based on consumer demand.) 

Thank you for this. I'm really happy to see someone other than myself posting "the reality" of iPhone's three lenses. There is no optical zooming. These are three fixed focal length lenses and any "zooming" is achieved through sensor cropping and computational photography tricks. I also agree 100% that the move to a 120mm telephoto lens is a move further away from quality in the range most used for general photography. The 24mm "main" lens will now handle everything from 24mm to 119mm, and when a 5X zoom range is handled by sensor cropping, it's inevitable that quality will suffer--as has been demonstrated in 15 Pro vs 15 Pro Max comparison shots in the 77mm to 119mm range. The 15 Pro shots are clearly and demonstrably better. I have read--but cannot find confirmation from Apple--that Apple uses information from multiple lenses, in addition to sensor cropping, to determine the image it produces for non-native focal lengths. For example, if shooting a 60mm shot on the 15 Pro, it is both cropping the sensor of the main, 24mm lens while also considering how the shot actually appears through the 77mm telephoto lens to arrive at the best rendition of a 60mm photo. This seems plausible and possible, but could also be entirely incorrect--I do wish Apple provided more transparency in how it achieves non-native focal lengths. Instead, we're being fed this "more is better" nonsense, where 120mm is "better" than the 77mm lens it's replacing, and that is only true if you're shooting at 120mm or more. For general photography, it's a step backwards. 

muthuk_vanalingam

pulseimages said:

DAalseth said:

jbirdiikun said:

Nice. But, and I know this will be ‘heresy’ to many, I worry how having a case on will affect all Capture Button functions. I’m one of those rare few (i.e., clumsy) that need a case on my phone 

That’s a very good point. I always keep my phone in a case too, and for the same reason. It’ll be interesting to see how the manufacturers deal with this.

EDIT: I am going to add one thing. If they were going to bump one of the cameras to 48mpxl I do wish it was the 5x camera.

Me too! Do Android phones have 48mp 5x zooms?

Pixel 6 Pro from 3 years ago had 48mp 4x zoom telephoto camera. Pixel 7 pro from 2 years ago had 48mp 5x zoom telephoto camera. There are few other phones from Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo as well which have 48mp (or 50mp) 5x telephoto cameras.

charlesn

jbirdiikun said:

Nice. But, and I know this will be ‘heresy’ to many, I worry how having a case on will affect all Capture Button functions. I’m one of those rare few (i.e., clumsy) that need a case on my phone 

Not heresy at all. It's actually kind of rare (relatively speaking) to see a caseless iPhone in the wild. I go through spurts of using a case and not, and when I'm caseless, friends look at me like I'm crazy. At any rate, cases have always had cut outs for buttons and this will require just another cut out. Since the Capture button appears to sit flush with the metal trip, case makers--especially on thicker cases--will likely need to bevel the edges around the opening of the cut out to give your finger better access. But I have to think case makers already have a solution. What it does mean, for sure, is that cases from the 15 series will not be usable. Case makers have to like that part. 

bobolicious

tlinn said:

3. The author writes "The ultra wide lens will be upgraded to 48MP". They mean the sensor. Lenses don't have megapixels. I'm not making this point to be pedantic. There are rumors that the lens itself will also be upgraded. Hopefully this remains the case.

Indeed let us hope the 'lens will also be upgraded'...

Otherwize does the edge softness one can see even on a small iPhone screen risk becoming more pronounced...?

No doubt a challenge @ 13mm eq I'd be happier to see focal length increased to say 15mm or 18mm eq and the f stopped down to 2.8 if it allowed pin sharp edge to edge...

M68000

tlinn said:

Six thoughts on this post and Apple's approach to their cameras:

1. As an iPhone Pro (non-Max) user, it is frustrating that Apple is going to dick around for six years before all three cameras employ 48 MP sensors.

2. It is disappointing that the rumored sensor upgrade to the main camera does not appear to be happening. Or maybe the author is just assuming that if the resolution remains at 48 MP, the sensor is the same. Hopefully, the latter.

3. The author writes "The ultra wide lens will be upgraded to 48MP". They mean the sensor. Lenses don't have megapixels. I'm not making this point to be pedantic. There are rumors that the lens itself will also be upgraded. Hopefully this remains the case. 

4. I'm really hoping that the rumored anti-flare coating on the camera lenses is still happening despite the fact that this isn't mentioned here.

5. Optical quality is a meaningless term. When the author says the main camera can take "2x optical-quality" images, what they should be saying is that the camera can be configured to crop in-phone to simulate a 2x (48mm) focal length. In other words, Apple is taking 12 MP from the center of the sensor and throwing away the rest of them. Anyone can do this from any image taken by any camera using their camera app's crop tool or post-processing software. The same thing is happening when users set the primary camera to 28mm or 35mm. This is a crop setting.

6. As a photographer, the above illustrates my main grip with phone cameras in general: On the iPhone 15 Pro Max—and presumably both of the 16 Pros—the full frame equivalent focal lengths of the three cameras are 13mm, 24mm, and 120mm. The most commonly used focal lengths for non-phone photography, between 24 and 70mm, are totally missing. The 3X telephoto lens is 77mm, close to 70mm. The 5X lens moves farther away from this range. The iPhone is great for taking selfies. It's not bad for close up work either. But for traditional photography, it is regrettably limited. (To be clear, I'm not arguing that Apple is making the wrong choices based on consumer demand.) 

Great post.  Regarding point #4 about lens flare.  I recently was out with a friend and her friends.  We did two pics using iPhone and android from the same vantage point and there was sun in the back.  I warned them that lens flare would be issue.  The iPhone picture had the flare.  The android did not.  The guy with the android told me android will automatically remove the flare.  He basically laughed at me for using an iPhone for pictures and not just because of the flare but the cameras in general.  Later, I then saw him do an impressive zoom picture of a lit up sign that was several miles away.   But, Bottom line,  I’m not replacing my camera equipment with smartphones.  A tiny sensor and lens in a phone can only do so much.  That’s my view.

i did have a counterpoint with him about security seeming to be better on iPhone.  That is the main thing that keeps me on iPhone for now.  Ultimately, security is much more important than pictures.

slow n easy

charlesn said:

jbirdiikun said:

Nice. But, and I know this will be ‘heresy’ to many, I worry how having a case on will affect all Capture Button functions. I’m one of those rare few (i.e., clumsy) that need a case on my phone 

Not heresy at all. It's actually kind of rare (relatively speaking) to see a caseless iPhone in the wild. I go through spurts of using a case and not, and when I'm caseless, friends look at me like I'm crazy. At any rate, cases have always had cut outs for buttons and this will require just another cut out. Since the Capture button appears to sit flush with the metal trip, case makers--especially on thicker cases--will likely need to bevel the edges around the opening of the cut out to give your finger better access. But I have to think case makers already have a solution. What it does mean, for sure, is that cases from the 15 series will not be usable. Case makers have to like that part. 

Whether or not I use a case is mainly determined on how well I like the iPhone “look.” I put a case on the Sierra Blue because I thought the color was unattractive. The 6 and 6S were very ugly phones in my opinion. I always put a case on what I consider to be unattractive phones. My current 15 Pro is absolutely gorgeous so I didn’t put a case on it. I never put a case on my phone for protective reasons because I don’t drop phones or do careless things like put it in the same pocket with other items like keys for example.

soundsinmotion

This just isn’t enough for me to upgrade from my 15 pro max. I’m getting tired of the incremental updates, they need a revolution and innovation.

JohnDenver101

Other websites are reporting iPhone 16 Pro will get Sony's IMX903 sensor. A significant upgrade over the current sensor. It's about 12% larger but more importantly features Sony's stacked technology offering 50% better light capture. 

roundaboutnow

soundsinmotion said:

This just isn’t enough for me to upgrade from my 15 pro max. I’m getting tired of the incremental updates, they need a revolution and innovation.

Incremental phone upgrades are pretty much the name of the game these days, so might as well get used to it. I read somewhere that most people hang onto their phones for at least two or three upgrade cycles like I do. I went from 4s to 6 to Xs to 13 pro, so every time I got a new phone, it was always a pretty noticeable improvement. (I was just about to go with the 15 pro, but I'm thinking I'll wait for the 16 pro now).

kiwimachead

Unless I accidentally break or lose it, I’ll be sticking with 14 Pro until Apple introduce a worthwhile replacement and the new AI features are dialed in. Battery life in mine is still great after two years (battery health 88%). The camera, screen, storage and processor speed are faultless. It streams music and podcasts all day, handles multiple txts, emails, building site photographs and still has around 20-30% battery remaining in the evening when I top it up.

williamlondon

soundsinmotion said:

This just isn’t enough for me to upgrade from my 15 pro max. I’m getting tired of the incremental updates, they need a revolution and innovation.

Exactly, it should toast bread, vacuum rugs, wash and dry clothes.

Align your expectations with reality.

pulseimages

williamlondon said:

soundsinmotion said:

This just isn’t enough for me to upgrade from my 15 pro max. I’m getting tired of the incremental updates, they need a revolution and innovation.

Exactly, it should toast bread, vacuum rugs, wash and dry clothes.

Align your expectations with reality.

There hasn’t been much in the way of groundbreaking innovation since Jobs passed.