We are just days away from Apple’s special event, where the company is expected to unveil the new iPhone 16 lineup. Rumors have circulated widely, and now 9to5Mac has provided additional details about the new hardware. Camera upgrades are among the most notable changes: users can expect improvements such as 4K at 120 fps video recording and more.
New camera features coming to iPhone 16 Pro
Reliable sources familiar with the matter have shared evidence of what’s new in the iPhone 16 Pro camera system. As previously rumored, the new Pro models will feature a 48-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, and our sources confirm this. Additionally, the camera systems will be identical between the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max models.
That means both Pro models will include the tetraprism lens capable of 5x optical zoom, a feature that is exclusive to the Pro Max in the current generation.
What about new capabilities? For video, the iPhone 16 Pro will be able to record 4K video at 120 fps for the first time (the iPhone 15 is currently limited to 4K 60 fps). When connected to external storage, users will be able to capture ProRes 4K at 120 fps. Apple is also upgrading QuickTake recording from 1080p to 4K.
Interestingly, we’ve also seen evidence that Apple has tested 8K video capture on the iPhone 16 Pro. Since an 8K frame is roughly 35 megapixels, both the wide and ultra-wide lenses would have enough resolution to record 8K footage. The new A18 Pro chip appears capable of handling 8K as well.
However, it remains unclear whether Apple will enable 8K recording on production units, especially since the telephoto lens would still be limited to 4K. Apple may reserve 8K for next year’s iPhones, which are rumored to include a higher-resolution zoom lens.
Other notable additions include support for the JPEG XL format to preserve both lossless and high-quality images, the ability to pause and resume video recording within the Camera app, wind noise reduction for video, several new photographic styles powered by improved machine learning to better preserve skin tones, and a new mode for capturing spatial photos that can be viewed in 3D on Apple Vision Pro.
More details on the camera button
The iPhone 16 models are also rumored to include a dedicated camera button, and our sources provided further information about how it will function. Internally referred to as the “Camera Button” (a different marketing name may be used), it will be a touch-sensitive control that performs different actions depending on how the user presses or slides it.
A single tap opens the Camera app or a third-party camera app selected by the user, a capability driven by the same iOS 18 API that allows replacing Apple’s camera app on the lock screen.
A soft press triggers autofocus. A firm press takes a photo or begins recording video. Sliding a finger across the button’s surface will adjust zoom or exposure.