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The iPhone 16’s huge redesign has leaked. Here’s what’s new

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iPhone 15 Pro Max lying on the ground surrounded by leaves.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Apple fans might be in for a lukewarm surprise when Apple releases its next wave of iPhones this fall season. Over the past few weeks, numerous outlets — including 91 Mobiles and MacRumors – and independent insiders have shared alleged CAD-based renders of the entire iPhone 16 portfolio.

In 2024, it seems Apple will shower more love on the entry-point models, bestowing them with a slight design refinement on the rear shell. Leaks suggest the camera island on the iPhone 16—and likely its Plus variant as well—will get a pill-shaped makeover. Other changes are reported for the 16 Pro and Pro Max models. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s dig in.

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The iPhone 16’s brand-new design

On the current-generation iPhone 15 duo, we get diagonally arranged camera lenses positioned atop a square-ish glass bump. In the upcoming versions, Apple is reportedly replacing it with a vertical pill-like camera island, mirroring the look we first saw on the iPhone X.

iPhone 16 CAD pic.twitter.com/EWpt53aCZ4

— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) March 5, 2024

The rest of the device profile will likely remain unchanged. The full-screen aesthetics topped off by the Face ID cutout are here to stay, and so is the physical button layout. There isn’t much credible information on the innards, but a new silicon in the A17 series is expected alongside minor camera refinements.

What do you think on this new iPhone 16? pic.twitter.com/SqPlDXZkwq

— Divine Chinemerem (@Divine__002) March 3, 2024

It’s a potentially big design shift for Apple — and one that’ll certainly make the iPhone 16 a visually distinct upgrade from its iPhone 15 predecessor. Is it a positive change, though?

Harkening back to the iPhone X is a fun idea, especially since Apple has used the same square-ish camera bump design since the iPhone 11 series. It would also give the iPhone 16 a more visual difference from the iPhone 16 Pro, for whatever that’s worth.

iPhone 16 Pro changes

On the iPhone 16 Pro models, it seems Apple is content with the refresh it introduced for the iPhone 15 Pro pair. The only visible change is going to be an extra button on the right edge of the phone, sitting below the power button. Reports suggest it won’t be a physical button.

🚨🚨The iPhone 16 Pro will feature the same design, a larger Action Button, and a new Capture Button

This is based on leaked CAD renders pic.twitter.com/aUVbfVtfwA

— Tech Fabrizo 𝕏 (@joberlK) March 10, 2024

Instead, this new button will be flush with the phone’s frame and might even feature capacitive sensors underneath. Rumors suggest it will be used somewhat like a camera shutter button and might be customizable, just like the iPhone 15 Pro duo’s Action button. It’s great to see an element popularized by the Lumia and Xperia phones make a comeback!

To accommodate this new button, Apple is also relocating the antenna to the other side. Once again, Titanium will be deployed to make the premium iPhones, but we just might get a new color that is internally referred to as “White Titanium.”

iPhone 16 Pro leaked design schematics.
91Mobiles

Under the hood, the smaller “Pro” model in 2024 will also get the same tetraprism 5x telephoto zoom treatment currently exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. On the iPhone 16 Pro Max, we might see Apple pull a Samsung and arm it with a 10x zoom camera.

It seems some of the internal upgrades will also take a toll on the overall dimensions. 91Mobiles claims that the iPhone 15 Pro will be taller, wider, and thicker than its predecessor at 149.6 by 71.4 by 8.4mm. Barring that, the aesthetic profile will be the same bland affair that Apple first introduced with the iPhone 11 Pro lineup.

Nadeem Sarwar
Nadeem Sarwar
Managing Editor
Nadeem is the Managing Editor at Digital Trends.
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