iPhone 16 design change revealed in leaked CAD files — Capture button, Action button, and rearranged camera on show

Another iPhone 16 design leak appears to confirm two of the biggest changes coming to Apple’s flagship later this year. 

As shared by reputable leaker Majin Bu on X, a CAD image purportedly depicting the iPhone 16 shows a brand new rear camera configuration, the Action button inherited from the current Pro, and what appears to be the new rumored Capture button coming to the iPhone lineup this year.

Apple is expected to unveil its new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models in September. While many aspects of the iPhone 16 are not expected to change, the three aforementioned design tweaks are some of the biggest rumored changes we’re looking forward to, with these leaks adding credence to their inclusion. 

iPhone 16 design changes 

If real (and CAD leaks are not uncommon months ahead of release), the images reveal that Apple is likely planning to adopt a vertical camera configuration for the iPhone 16. This isn’t the first time this rumored design has leaked. Renders in February revealed big camera changes coming to the iPhone 16 and hinted at the inclusion of not one but two new buttons on the regular iPhone 16. 

This vertical camera configuration would pave the way for shooting spatial video that can be viewed on Apple Vision Pro and harkens back to the old design language of the popular iPhone X. 

The renders also reveal the Action button, positioned alongside the volume buttons. The Action button was added to Apple’s best iPhones, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max last year. It’s a multi-purpose button that can be programmed to do several different things including running Shortcuts, and the iPhone 16 is expected to inherit this feature.

On the other side, we can see the other fabled new addition dubbed the “Capture button” by some sources.  According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the iPhone 16’s Capture button (coming to both Pro and non-pro models) will be used for recording videos. More recently, rumors indicate it will also be used for taking still photos and could use pressure sensing to adjust the focus before you shoot, just like a DSLR. 

Given we’ve heard about these upgrades from multiple different sources, these changes seemed to be nailed on for Apple’s iPhone 16 launch in September. Before then, Apple is expected to unveil a new M3 OLED iPad Pro, iPad Air 6, and of course, its usual slate of software at WWDC 2024. 

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