EXCLUSIVE: iPhone 16 models show new Camera Shutter button

The official announcement of the iPhone 16 may be five months away, but factories in China appear to be working on the models final stages of production preparation as new leaks show millimetre accurate dummies of the upcoming phone, revealing several key changes to the 2024 iPhone version.

Due to be announced in early September, the next iPhone will undoubtedly be called the iPhone 16, however it’s features are kept under wraps until the announcement save for a few key leaks across the industry.

Normally, in mid to late May EFTM receives leaked “Dummy” iPhones, these are plastic mock ups of the next phone we’ve been seeing for around eight years now, and frankly – they’ve never been wrong.

These “dummy” phones are made from leaks and inside info, and are sold to case makers who don’t have the inside line from Apple, allowing them to design and manufacture cases to suit the upcoming phone and be ready to go at the day of launch!

This year, the delivery came earlier – and the mock ups inside are very different. These are machined metal, not the plastic fakes we’ve seen before, but whatever the style, they show what appear to be key features of the next iPhone for all of us to see.

Camera is King on iPhone 16

The biggest change coming to iPhone 16 appears to be an entirely new button on iPhone.

Last year the Action Button replaced the silence switch on the iPhone 15 Pro models, but this year there’s a whole new button on the right hand side of the phone.

This button is flush with the edge of the phone, sitting in a recessed hole with angled chamfered edge. While it may be programmable, it’s more likely Apple will set this to be exclusively the Camera Shutter button for iPhone.

Currently, the volume buttons can be used to press the shutter instead of the button on-screen. This is useful in situations where you’re using one hand, like an outstretched selfie or group shot, but as phones have gotten larger, that button is getting further and further from reach.

The new Camera Shutter button that appears to be coming to iPhone 16 makes single-handed selfies a breeze, and makes traditional point and shoot photography more natural with an index finger press of the button.

Our testing shows this is well placed, easy to use and will mean a whole new re-think of cases from all manufacturers.

Action Button comes to all iPhone 16 models

While the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus still had the “switch” for silence, iPhone 16 and 16 Plus appear to be getting the Action button from the 15 pro models.

This means silence comes from a press and hold, but the button can also be programmed for other things.

Nothing remarkable, but hopefully at Apple’s upcoming WorldWide Developers Conference, or in September, that button is changed in software to be used in more ways. Personally, I never used it for anything but silence.

Camera re-alignment on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus

Perhaps the most noticeable visible change to the iPhone 16 is the re-alignment of the cameras on the 16 and 16 Plus. The two lenses will be placed vertically aligned with the side of the phone, instead of the previously angled approach.

We expect this relates to new spacial video capabilities in line with the Apple Vision Pro, and also aligns the cameras for point and shoot use with the new Camera Shutter button.

iPhone 16 Pro Max is larger

Sitting the Dummy model of the iPhone 16 Pro Max side by side with the 15 Pro Max, it appears the 16 is larger, indicating a bigger screen, potentially a bigger battery too.

All other core features appear broadly the same as 2023’s iPhone 15 Pro Max.

When will the iPhone 16 be launched?

We expect Apple to announce the iPhone 16 on September 3 or 10, with availability on the 14th or 21st of September.

But – as we say every year, this is just speculation.