Apple Testing Slim Camera Bump Design for Base Model iPhone 16

Over the course of the last few months, Apple has been experimenting with different camera bump designs for the standard iPhone 16 models. We outlined three of Apple's prototype designs back in December, but now Apple has shifted focus once again.

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Colors

Apple's latest prototype features a vertical camera arrangement with a pill-shaped raised surface, and we've created a series of mockups based on internal designs to help readers visualize the change.

The pill-shaped camera bump features two separate camera rings for the Wide and Ultrawide cameras, adopting some of the stylistic cues from earlier prototype designs. A vertical camera arrangement has remained consistent throughout the prototyping process, and Apple has not changed the position of the flash or the camera lenses with this latest update.

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective

Our findings align with schematics recently shared by Majin Bu on social media website X. Bu's leaked images also feature the same updated design.

The latest camera look that Apple is experimenting with draws inspiration from older iPhone models, such as the ‌iPhone‌ X. The ‌iPhone‌ X also had a pill-shaped camera with a slim bump design. While Apple used a vertical camera for the ‌iPhone‌ 12 as well, it had a wider square bump that also housed the flash and microphone.

With the vertical camera layout, we are expecting Apple to bring Spatial Video recording to the base model ‌iPhone 16‌ and ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus models. Right now, the iPhone 15 models have a diagonal camera arrangement and are not able to capture spatial video, a feature that is so far limited to the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models and the Vision Pro headset itself.

Apart from the updated camera bump design, more recent ‌iPhone 16‌ prototypes include slight modifications to the Action Button and Capture Button, as we reported previously. The latest prototype units feature a smaller Action Button, akin to the one used on ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro, along with a pressure-sensitive Capture Button that sits flush with the frame of the device. While the camera bump design is largely a cosmetic update affecting the glass backplate, the change to the Action Button during the prototyping phase is more significant. Apple's updates suggest that it has scrapped its initial idea of bringing a capacitive Action Button to the ‌iPhone 16‌ range.

Note that what we've shared here is sourced from pre-production information, and it may not ultimately reflect the design of the final mass-production units that are released this fall. As we've seen with previous ‌iPhone‌ models, Apple creates multiple designs and hardware configurations as part of the development process, and the ‌iPhone 16‌ range is no exception. More tangible information will come to light as the devices move closer to the EVT (Engineering Validation Testing) phase of development.

For additional details on what to expect, check out our dedicated rumor roundup pages for iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro.

Related Roundup: iPhone 16
Buyer's Guide: iPhone 16 (Neutral)

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Top Rated Comments

klasma Avatar
15 months ago

It's obvious for any photographer. A smaller camera is never better. You want the largest possible sensor, lens, etc. I don't get this obsession
As a photographer, you want to use a real camera.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
15 months ago
because big bump is a pro feature now
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JCCL Avatar
15 months ago
that looks so much better than the current design in my opinion. Kind if like the good old iPhone X and the iPhone XS
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
h.gilbert Avatar
15 months ago

The latest camera look that Apple is experimenting with draws inspiration from older iPhone models, such as the iPhone X.


Attachment Image
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Little Endian Avatar
15 months ago
How about figurine out how to get rid off or at least decrease the camera bump across the entire lineup? Never been a fan of having protruding camera lenses. The phones never lie flat and protruding camera lenses increase the chance of breakage.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
everybodylovesramen Avatar
15 months ago
it’s 2024 and we can’t have our cameras on our phones housed in the body of the phone

add the body height to house it you ding dongs!
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)