iPhone 16 component leak may have revealed a new camera design

The iPhone 15 family (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

It might seem like a long time to the iPhone 16 launch, but the next Apple flagship series could be with us in as little as seven months – and a new component leak gives us some idea of the redesign that might be coming to the rear camera module.

Schematics obtained by tipster Majin Bu (via MacRumors) show two camera lenses positioned on top of each other in a vertical arrangement, which would be a departure from the diagonal alignment on the iPhone 15 and other recent models.

In fact, this vertically stacked approach takes us all the way back to the iPhone 12, which launched in 2020. Of course, the Pro models (including the iPhone 15 Pro) have an extra lens, so already use a vertical alignment of sorts.

This redesign hasn't come out of nowhere: we've already seen this new/old camera setup in leaked renders that appeared earlier this month, so there's a growing amount of evidence that this is the direction that Apple is going in.

This would appear to be the new camera module of the iPhone 16, as you can see the vertical positioning is confirmed pic.twitter.com/JWF5olGwQ4February 16, 2024

The rumors so far

The iPhone 16 rumors are really starting to pick up the pace now. Both the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro Max are rumored to be getting bigger batteries – although the one inside the iPhone 16 Plus is said to be shrinking in capacity size.

Inside the phones we would of course expect performance improvements, and that is indeed where the rumors are pointing. We've also heard talk of a new Capture button, which would allow for greater flexibility when shooting photos and video.

Then there's the software side too: we should be hearing a lot more about iOS 18 in the coming months, and in line with the hottest trend of the moment, it's said to be bringing a host of artificial intelligence upgrades to the iPhone series.

As September draws closer – which is when Apple traditionally launches new iPhones – we should see more leaks and rumors around the iPhone 16 series, and don't be surprised if there's more about this updated camera module design.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.