Apple is making a major change to the iPhone 16’s camera — the first of its kind since 2013

Rumors are swirling that Apple is making a major redesign of the iPhone 16 camera, marking the first time such a redesign has been made since 2013.

Industry leakers have shared photos of the upcoming smartphone, showing a sleek, pill-shaped camera system that can capture 3D “spatial video” for playback on Apple’s Vision Pro VR headset.

The change would be a big difference from the current iPhone layout with an awkward diagonal camera design.

While Apple has yet to release any details about its upcoming smartphone, the new leaks reveal an apparent dual-camera setup, with one dedicated to a wide and one ultra-wide field of view.

Tech industry leakers have unearthed photos of iPhone 16 demo cases (above) and iPhone 16 schematics (below), which they say clearly indicate that the bulky diagonal camera systems of recent iPhone models are likely a thing of the past.

However, alleged demos of the two Pro models of the iPhone 16 reveal that these devices will likely still feature a triangular camera array for even higher-quality 3D images.

Until now, only the iPhone 15 Pro has been capable of recording such stunning and immersive 3D “spatial videos,” which you can view on the Vision Pro headset.

For months, industry experts have been reporting that Apple will be making some major adjustments to the camera system of the upcoming iPhone 16.

A brand new button, which appeared on the side of prototypes of the new iPhone cases, is said to be a new ‘capture’ button for more quickly summoning the camera from the device’s lock screen, for example.

And now a report from Tom’s guide has researched the new pill layout on the so-called entry-level models of the iPhone 16.

These vertically stacked cameras on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus would mark the first major change to the alignment since diagonally-aligned lenses were first introduced with the iPhone 13 in September 2021.

According to this report, the new setup will allow the phone to capture images with both the main camera and the ultra-wide camera simultaneously.

By synthesizing these two video feeds, even the cheaper iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus can capture video with a sense of depth, making it seem like you’re seeing a real scene unfold before your eyes.

“There will probably be spatial video added,” according to one prolific Apple leaker, who calls himself Major Bu on X, agreed. Bu posted schematics and prototypes claiming to be the iPhone 16.

“There will likely be a spatial video added,” noted a prolific Apple leaker who goes by X Majin Bu and posted schematics (above) and prototypes purported to be the iPhone 16.

But the two Pro models of the iPhone 16 also get unique additions that improve their ability to produce immersive spatial video.

All models, from the iPhone 16 to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, come with a new 48-megapixel ultra-wide lens, which is said to be better suited for recording spatial videos.

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, however, get a 5x telephoto lens and improved camera sensors that increase their capabilities. This allows the device to capture more detailed spatial videos and potentially even remote spatial videos.

Majin Bu and other leakers have also reported that the new phone’s cameras will come with a redesigned anti-reflective lens coating — applied using a precision atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique — which will solve “the long-standing ghosting issue” with the iPhone’s cameras.

Ghosting is a type of camera artifact, similar to lens flare, where secondary or double images appear faint, usually on the other side of a bright light.

This phenomenon is caused by light bouncing between the two surfaces of the camera lens and the sensor.

All models, from the iPhone 16 to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, come with a new 48-megapixel ultra-wide lens that’s said to be better for recording spatial video. But the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max also get a 5x telephoto lens and improved camera sensors

The change would be a stark departure from the current iPhone layout, which has a bulky, diagonal camera design

In early May, noted Apple insider Sonny Dickson leaked photos of four alleged prototypes of the upcoming iPhone 16 models: the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Dickson’s photo was posted to the social site X and was a confirming signal that at least the cheaper iPhone 16 models could feature this vertically stacked, pill-shaped camera configuration.

But the leak also revealed a big potential change in dimensions: the iPhone 16 Pro promises to be 6.3 inches long, compared to the same model in 2022, which came in at 6.1 inches long.

This major change to the higher-end models would mark the first size change Apple has made since the iPhone 12 Pros, which were 0.6 inches larger than the previous model.

However, experts note that these “proof of concept” iPhones may not be 100 percent accurate.

The public won’t know for sure if these images are actually accurate until Apple officially unveils its new iPhone line later this year.

The company holds several events throughout the year related to new products, such as the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) held last June for third-party app makers and Apple fans. The new iPhone models are also traditionally unveiled in September.