MacRumors has shared multiple details on the iPhone 16's design, including the unveiling of a new button that is planned for the devices, the Capture Button. While we've known the name and location of the button, the internal information that we've obtained does not detail what it will be used for.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the Capture Button will be able to record video. In this week's Power On newsletter, Gurman says that the iPhone 16 models will include a "new dedicated button for taking video." The Capture Button's function is, of course, hinted at in the name, but this is the first time we've heard confirmation of its purpose.
As we explained in a recent look at early iPhone 16 prototypes, the Capture Button will be located on the bottom right side of the iPhone 16. It will replace the mmWave antenna on U.S. iPhone models, with the mmWave antenna to be relocated to the left side of the device below the volume and Action buttons. Non-U.S. models do not have a mmWave antenna that needs to be relocated in order to accommodate the Capture Button.
The Capture Button will be a capacitive button with haptic feedback rather than a mechanical button, and it is expected to include a force sensor that can recognize pressure. The location of the button may make it easy to trigger, but if it is activated via pressure, it could be that holding it down will launch into the camera and allow video recording to start. The different pressure levels could also open up the camera for either a photo or a video (specifically a spatial video), but that's just speculation at this point.
The Capture Button is coming to all four iPhone 16 models, and with spatial video and the Vision Pro headset, it makes sense for Apple to make video recording quicker and more accessible. The Vision Pro headset can play 3D spatial videos that can be recorded with the iPhone.
Right now, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can record spatial video using the Wide and Ultra Wide cameras in tandem, with this functionality added in iOS 17.2. The standard iPhone 16 models will feature a new vertical lens arrangement that will allow them to capture spatial video as well, so the feature won't be limited to the Pro models in the future. Spatial video can only be viewed on the Vision Pro headset, and it is meant to make users feel immersed in their memories.
For more on what's expected for the iPhone 16 lineup, we have dedicated iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro roundups that aggregate all of the rumors we've heard to date.
