Two Exciting Rumors About the iPhone 16 Camera

The iPhone 16 is still months away from this release, but we already have a pretty good idea of what Apple might bring to the table this year. 

If you’re an Apple fan, you probably already know that, even if the new iPhone isn’t that big of an upgrade, Apple always goes out of its way to at least make the camera system better than last year’s iPhone.

And it seems this year won’t be any different. On top of all the rumors we’ve heard about the iPhone, there are also a couple of rumors regarding the new cameras on the upcoming iPhone 16 lineup that will make the wait worth it. 

Rumor 1: The Tetraprism Lens Is Coming to the iPhone 16 Pro

Last year, Apple improved the camera on the iPhone 15 Pro Max by adding a tetra prism lens, which allows the highest-end iPhone to take pictures with up to 5x optical zoom.

Unfortunately, the base iPhone 15 Pro didn’t get this upgrade, making it slightly worse for taking pictures at longer distances. Fortunately, this might soon change with the introduction of the iPhone 16 Pro.

According to new documentation that MacRumors shared, the new models that Apple plans to use with the new iPhone 16 Pro look pretty similar to the module on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Moreover, the iPhone 16 lineup is said to get a size increase this year. Specifically, the iPhone 16 Pro is rumored to feature a 6.3-inch display instead of the normal 6.1 inches we’re used to. 

Many suspect it was the smaller size of the iPhone 15 Pro that prevented Apple from adding the tetraprism lens for the telephoto camera, but this new size might give the company more room for this new feature.

Rumor 2: A New 48MP Ultra-Wide Camera

Last year, Apple finally made the switch and increased the main camera on the standard iPhone 15 models from 12MP to 48MP. Granted, more megapixels don’t necessarily mean a prettier picture, but this change made the pictures on the iPhone 15 more detailed than before — and powered a 2X optical zoom mode for the first time on a non-pro iPhone.

It seems Apple will continue this trend in 2024 and increase the megapixels on one of the other iPhone 16 Pro cameras. This time, it’s rumored Apple will increase the Ultra Wide camera resolution from 12MP to 48MP on both the iPhone 16 Pro and the larger iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Just like with the iPhone 15, this means your pictures will be more detailed, have a better resolution, and overall be of better quality. Being the Ultra Wide, this won’t have anything to do with zoom, but it will improve low-light photography on wider shots and allow Apple to capture more data to feed into its computational photography engine, resulting in better pictures overall.

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, a popular Apple analyst, the Ultra Wide camera will still shoot pictures in a 12MP format, but you should still see higher quality in your pictures.

And in case you’re wondering, the Telephoto camera will remain the same at 12MP. Rumor has it that Apple will wait until the iPhone 17 to launch a 48MP telephoto lens, at least according to Jeff Pu, another popular analyst.

Let the Waiting Game Begin

It’s important to remember that you should take all of these rumors with a grain of salt. While Apple is most likely already working on the iPhone 16, we’re still around eight months away before we actually see the final product.

One thing’s for sure: these rumors do make us excited for what Apple has in store for us. If you’ve decided to skip the iPhone 15 to wait for the iPhone 16, the wait might be worth it.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]