The latest iPhone 16 Pro rumor points to a camera sensor upgrade next year
Everything points to the iPhone 15 launching next month, but rumors are already starting to surface about what to expect from the iPhone 16 – including a major camera upgrade for the Pro models.
Experienced Apple industry analyst Ming Chi Kuo says the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will come with a so-called stacked camera design that’s better than what we’re going to see in this year’s models, especially when it comes to capturing low-light conditions.
Unfortunately, we don’t get much more detail here about exactly what that means for the more expensive iPhone 16 models. Most of Kuo’s accompanying report is about competition between component manufacturers, which won’t affect consumers that much.
Camera upgrades are common when a new iPhone comes out, but it looks like low-light performance will be emphasized next year. It also confirms that there will once again be a difference between the Pro and non-Pro camera settings.
The light is fantastic
If 9to5Mac notes, Kuo mentions Sony camera sensors: if that means the latest camera technology Sony has touted, then it can capture about twice as much light as possible with current-generation camera image sensor (CIS) models.
A stacked design means that two important parts of the sensor – the photodiodes and the pixel transistors – are separated. That in turn means that the light-trapping photodiodes can be significantly larger while maintaining the same pixel size.
In fact, something similar is rumored to be coming to the iPhone 15 in terms of this stacked design, but it sounds like the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are going to improve on this particular feature even further.
For now, though, all eyes are on what Apple has built with the iPhone 15. If the leaks are accurate, September 13 is the big day for the unveiling of Apple’s next flagship phones, and we’ll of course bring you all the news right here.