New design appears in the latest leaks

Updated August 24 with more information on another big design change: the new cameras expected in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16.

When Apple unveils the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max this fall—and you can read more about when they'll be unveiled here—the phones will come in new colors. One of them will be a completely different color to the current iPhone 15 Pro lineup. That's not the only change catching our attention, as a new report suggests design changes to the cameras are also coming.

New camera features include an additional hardware button for video and photo recording, which we'll cover in more detail below. “These additions include the introduction of a brand new shutter button that is expected to roll out across the iPhone 16 lineup. Apple has been testing this button on both the base iPhone 16 model and the larger iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max,” says Apple Insider.

ForbesApple iPhone 16 release date: New report sets exact datefrom David Phelan

Note that this report says that all iPhone 16 models will have this feature, which was not confirmed in previous expectations. Commentators like Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said it may be limited to the Pro models only.

To get the faster 5G network, a design change would be necessary, especially for US iPhones with mmWave connectivity, because the new button will be placed exactly where the mmWave pad used to be. This will now be moved to the other side of the phone.

“Design-wise, the shutter button is unique because it fits the frame; it doesn't stick out like the power or volume buttons,” the report says, which unsurprisingly suggests that Apple wants to keep the phone as sleek and attractive as ever.

While the obvious functions are taking a photo or starting a video, these capabilities aren't just about that.

It is also reportedly pressure sensitive. It appears to have what is known as “force sensing technology,” which means it can detect different levels of pressure. This presumably means that a light touch will focus the image, while a strong press will capture the image.

Also, since it's a wide button, the assumption is that sliding your finger right or left will give you a nice new way to zoom in and out of the shot.

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will still have two cameras, according to a separate, detailed report in Apple Insider that covers many aspects of what's to come.

The 48MP main camera will remain unchanged, and the 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera will have a faster aperture, from f/2.4 to a wider f/2.2. It is also believed that regular iPhones will have macro photography capabilities as well.

The biggest changes will come to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, though. As reported elsewhere, the telephoto lens on both Pro sizes will offer 5x zoom (currently it's exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max due to space constraints, I'm told). The main camera will remain the same as on the current Pro models, at 48MP.

The most striking news is the introduction of a second 48MP sensor. The ultra-wide-angle camera on the Pro and Pro Max will switch to this sensor and offer the same features as the main camera, namely the ability to shoot in full resolution and combine adjacent pixel positions to create better 12MP images.

In addition to all these updates, there is also the aforementioned, highly anticipated shutter button, which will be available on all iPhone 16 models, according to the report. Another advantage of a capacitive button: it cannot be accidentally triggered in your pocket.

Coming back to the new colors that the iPhone Pro phones will be available in, well-known leaker Majin Buu detailed the four colors that these phones will be available in and recently caused controversy after posting an alleged invitation to attend the event where the iPhone phones are set to be announced. The invitation was fake (as I discussed here), and Majin Buu was quick to clarify the matter.

I think they're on more solid ground here when they say the colors will be white, black, gold, and space gray, but that's not what Apple is calling them. The topic was posted on X. The colors currently available for the Pro model are natural titanium, blue titanium, white titanium, and black titanium. The most careful fact-checkers will surely notice that Apple likes to flaunt the fact that the iPhone 15 Pro is made of titanium.

The new lineup appears to be similar, with the gray color likely being a new version of natural titanium. And what about the gold color? According to the leak, it will be called Desert Titanium. Majin Buu says in a separate post, “The color of Desert Titanium is a kind of dark gold, similar to antique purple, and is relatively subtle and deep.”

The deep purple was one of the colors of the iPhone 14 Pro lineup and was dark enough to appear muted. The new color is said to be a warm brown, but the actual color may be different. Predictions about the exact shades Apple will use are rarely entirely accurate.

But the name, if correct, gives us a clue and suggests something lighter and more sparkling than the rest of the collection.

This fits in with a number of other rumors and fake renders of the recently released iPhone 16 Pro series. As always, just because multiple commentators predict the same details doesn't mean it's true, although the weight of the numbers sometimes makes it more likely.

The new report is also in line with other reports that suggest the blue iPhone will be dropped from the current Pro lineup and replaced with the new color.

Majin Buu recently reposted it. The newspaper published an image of the possible new color and said, “This image may resemble the new Desert Titanium color of the iPhone 16 Pro, what do you think?” They also played it a little safe and continued, “The image is based on rumors and it is not certain whether the official color reflects that 100%.”

There is one more detail: In the previous post, Majin Buu showed the iPhone 16 Pro's camera rings in four colors. The rings appear shiny, possibly indicating that the polished titanium of the 15 Pro series could be replaced with something shinier.

The iPhones will be available for sale this time next month, so we'll know more soon.

ForbesApple iPhone 16 Pro: Everything we know so farfrom David Phelan