Kuo: iPhone 16 Pro Models to Adopt Stacked Camera Sensor Design

Apple's iPhone 16 series next year will adopt a stacked rear camera sensor design across the lineup, following similar adoption in this year's standard iPhone 15 models, according to Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

iPhone 15 Blue Three Quarters Perspective Feature
This year's lower-end ‌iPhone‌ 15 and ‌‌iPhone‌ 15‌ Plus models are expected to feature a 48-megapixel rear camera lens with a stacked CMOS image sensor (CIS) design that can capture more light.

Production yield issues of the new sensor design have likely prevented Apple from adopting it across all ‌iPhone‌ 15 models this year, and while Sony's high-end CIS capacity is expected to remain tight through 2024, Apple has secured most of Sony's orders ahead of time.

According to Kuo, Sony's tight capacity is expected to benefit rival supplier Will Semi, which will obtain more orders for high-end CIS from Chinese smartphone brands as a result.

Rumors suggest the 48-megapixel wide-angle camera used in the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max will feature an eight-part hybrid lens with two glass elements and six plastic elements, along with improvements for the telephoto and ultra wide camera lenses.

Both the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro and the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max could get periscope telephoto lenses in 2024. In 2023, the ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro Max will be the only device to get the new camera technology because of size constraints.

Related Roundup: iPhone 16
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

airpods pro 3 purple

New, Higher End AirPods Pro Coming This Year

Tuesday January 20, 2026 9:05 am PST by
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest. Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Add These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday January 18, 2026 3:51 pm PST by
iOS 27 is still many months away, but there are already plenty of rumors about new features that will be included in the software update. The first beta of iOS 27 will be released during WWDC 2026 in June, and the update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense...
smaller dynamic island iphone 18 pro Filip Vabrous%CC%8Cek

iPhone 18 Pro Leak: Smaller Dynamic Island, No Top-Left Camera Cutout

Tuesday January 20, 2026 2:34 am PST by
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely. Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

MacBook Pro Buyers Now Facing Up to a Two-Month Wait Ahead of New Models

Sunday January 18, 2026 6:50 pm PST by
MacBook Pro availability is tightening on Apple's online store, with select configurations facing up to a two-month delivery timeframe in the United States. A few 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations with an M4 Pro chip are not facing any shipping delay, but estimated delivery dates for many configurations with an M4 Max chip range from February 6 to February 24 or even later. At...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...

Top Rated Comments

vseera Avatar
32 months ago
This article is confusing :/

So does that mean that only the lower end models will feature this new and improved stacked sensor this year? That makes no sense.

Shouldn’t the Pro models get the feature first, before it trickles down to the standard models?
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Schizoid Avatar
32 months ago
Does this bloke know about the iPhone 17 too?
Prediction: It’ll be better
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vegetassj4 Avatar
32 months ago
I don't know why people think this article is so confusing. To determine which phone will get the upgraded sensors first, one simply must use the following basic equation, where Standard Model = normal iPhone:



Attachment Image
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eldaerenth Faexidor Avatar
32 months ago
The majority of iPhone buyers don’t really care about the technology behind their little camera setup. I like to catch flying birds so I kinda care. Yesterday I found my old iPhone 3G. Look at how tiny that camera module is! The iPhone camera has come a long way since. Looking forward to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.


Attachment Image
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MarcoPohlo Avatar
32 months ago

This article is confusing :/

So does that mean that only the lower end models will feature this new and improved stacked sensor this year? That makes no sense.

Shouldn’t the Pro models get the feature first, before it trickles down to the standard models?
Also didn't understand that part, so this year Apple is adding superior tech to the regular lineup? It has always been the other way around. Very confusing indeed.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iPadified Avatar
32 months ago
A lens does not have pixels. A lens is a piece of transparent glass or plastic or other medium and is certainly not pixelated. A lens maybe sit in from of a 48 M Pixel sensor but that is something completely different. I seen this sloppy writing too many times lately.

End Friday rant.

/M
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)