The iPhone 16 might have a mysterious new button

By James On Nov 1, 2023

Apple introduced a new button to its iPhone line with the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, but surprisingly the company could have planned even more buttons, reportedly adding another new button to any iPhone 16 model.

This comes from the leaker Instant Digital, who posted the tip Weibo (through MacRumors), and while we would take this claim with a grain of salt (especially since it’s still so early for iPhone 16 rumors), they have accurately leaked Apple information in the past.

This button is a bit of a mystery, though, because while Instant Digital says there’s a “high chance” that every iPhone 16 model will have it – that means the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max – they don’t say what it will do.

Adjustments to the design

What Instant Digital does say is that the mmWave antenna is apparently being moved to the left edge of these phones, making room on the right edge for this new button.

They also say changes are coming to the Action button, which will apparently switch to a solid-state design, meaning it would sit flush with the side of the phone and not move when pressed, but instead haptic feedback (vibrations). However, the power and volume buttons remain as they are now.

We’ve heard a lot about this, with a previous iPhone 16 leak also mentioning this mysterious new button and saying it too would be solid-state. That leak further stated that the new button is known internally as the ‘Capture’ button, suggesting it could have something to do with the camera – perhaps it’s for taking photos.

However, it seems strange that Apple would add new buttons to the iPhone two years in a row, especially when the Action button is customizable so it can already be used for many different things.

So we’re not at all sure about this, and we probably won’t find out about Apple’s plans until September 2024, as that’s when the iPhone 16 line is expected to launch.