Apple focused on camera improvements for its iPhone 16 lineup, introducing a number of new features for every model. There's a Camera Control button for quickly taking a shot in landscape or portrait mode, new editing options, Ultra Wide lens improvements across the board, and more.
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus
The iPhone 16 models have a new dual-lens vertical camera rather than diagonally arranged lenses, plus there are updates to the Ultra Wide camera.
Apple is now calling the Main lens the Fusion lens, but it doesn't seem to be upgraded over the prior version. It still enables either 1x or 2x zoom. The Ultra Wide lens did get an upgrade, though, and it appears to be the lens Apple used for the iPhone 15 Pro models. What's new compared to iPhone 15:
- 48-megapixel f/1.6 Fusion lens
- 12-megapixel f/2.2 Ultra Wide lens
- Macro photos with Ultra Wide
- Spatial photos for Vision Pro
- QuickTake video up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision
- Spatial Audio sound recording
- Wind noise reduction for clearer audio quality when recording video
The Pro models still have an edge when it comes to the Telephoto, Ultra Wide, flash, and image stabilization, as the iPhone 16 has no Telephoto lens, a lower MP Ultra Wide, and no second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization. The Pro models also have ProRes and ProRAW.
iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max both have 5x zoom this year, plus there's a new 48-megapixel Ultra Wide lens that's the standout new addition for macro photography.
- 48-megapixel Wide lens renamed "Fusion" lens. Same f/2.2 aperture.
- Second-generation quad pixel sensor for zero shutter lag for 48-megapixel RAW images
- New 48-megapixel Ultra Wide lens
- 5x Telephoto for both Pro models
- Better macro shots
- 100 and 120 fps 4K Dolby Vision video recording
- 120 fps 1080p Dolby Vision video recording
- 120 fps 4K Dolby Vision Slo-mo video recording
- Option to change playback speed when editing
- ProRes video recording up to 4K at 120 fps (external SSD required)
- QuickTake video up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision
- Spatial audio recording
- New four-microphone array with more true-to-life sound
- Wind noise reduction for clearer audio quality when recording video
All iPhone 16 Models
There are several features that have been added across the iPhone 16 lineup.
Camera Control
All of the iPhone 16 models have a new Camera Control button that's designed to make it easier to quickly get photos and videos. The button is touch and force sensitive, so it supports swipes and other gestures for swapping through camera options.
A single click opens the camera, a second click snaps a photo, and a click and hold starts a video recording. A light press opens up control options like zoom, and you can swap tools with a double light press. Adjust parameters like zoom and exposure with a swipe. Later this year, Apple is adding an Apple Intelligence Camera Control feature that will let iPhone 16 users point the camera at something and get more information about it.
Pointing the camera at a restaurant, for example, will bring up hours and menu information, while pointing it at a plant will identify the plant.
New Photographic Styles
Photographic Styles have been an option for some time, but Apple overhauled the feature this year. There are new, more subtle styles to choose from, and Apple is enabling far more control over the way the style is applied.
Photographic Styles can be previewed live before you make a change. You can shift the way a style looks with the control pad that lets you adjust tone and color. The intensity of specific colors and the tone can be changed, so you can make adjustments that don't affect the entire color scheme of an image.
Apple says that skin tone rendering is more advanced than before, so you can also create a style for dialing in your favorite look and then add it across all of the images that you take. You can also change the Photographic Style after an image is captured, which wasn't an option with prior models.
Audio Mix
Audio Mix is a video feature that takes advantage of Spatial Audio capture. You can use it to adjust the way that voices sound in videos, and there are three different options.
- In-frame - Only captures the voices of people on camera, even if people off camera are talking.
- Studio - Makes voices sound like the recording was done in a professional studio with sound-dampening walls. A recording will sound like the mic was close to the subject's mouth.
- Cinematic - Captures all voices and consolidates them to the front of the screen, which is how sound is formatted for movies.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 16 models will kick off on Friday, September 13, with a launch to follow on Friday, September 20. We can expect to see media reviews ahead of the launch, and once we get the new iPhones at MacRumors, we'll do a deep dive into the camera capabilities.
