iPhone 16 series could bring major design changes and new capacitive button

Baseline iPhone 16 models are anticipated to get vertically aligned camera set-up on the rear. Moreover, the action button is set to expand to the baseline models together with a new capacitive button

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Apple Intelligence is the talk of the town after WWDC 2024, but all eyes are now on the next-generation iPhones that are slated for launch in September – going by Apple’s iPhone launch cycle tradition. Anticipated to be called the iPhone 16 series, the lineup would comprise four models – two in baseline and two in Pro line. All four models in the lineup are expected to bring major design changes. Moreover, all the models in the series are expected to get a new capacitive button, backed by Apple Haptic engine, in addition to the Action Button.

iPhone 16 series design: What to expect

The biggest change on the iPhone 16 in terms of design is expected to be on the rear camera module. Unlike the squared-off bump with diagonally aligned dual-camera set-up on the current generation model, Apple is reportedly reducing the surface area of the bump with vertically aligned dual cameras on a pill shaped rear bump reminiscent of the iPhone X. The rear flash which currently sits on top of the camera island would likely move on the side of the bump.

The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models are also anticipated to feature the “Action Button”, which debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models. The customisable Action Button will replace the mute switch and bring more functionality with options for more actions apart from muting the device.

Another major change would likely be the addition of a dedicated camera button, which the company may call the “Capture Button”. The Capture Button is expected to be available across the iPhone 16 series and would likely be haptic in nature rather than mechanical. The haptic engine on the Capture Button would reportedly allow users to take camera actions with customisable gestures such as single tap to focus, double tap to click a picture and more.

Apart from the design change, the camera system on the base variants of the iPhone 16 series are also anticipated to get the ability to click spatial photos and videos which can be viewed on Apple’s Vision Pro mixed-reality headset.