iPhone 16 Cases Surface Online, Hinting at Pill-Shaped Rear Camera Island

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are likely to make their debut in the second half of 2024 with a few design tweaks, according to previous reports. A leaked image that shows two cases for the iPhone 16 models gives us a good idea of what to expect from the successors to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. This year, the standard models are said to sport a vertical pill-shaped layout, replacing the square camera island with rounded edges found on the iPhone 15 series and other models that preceded it.

An image of two smartphone cases was leaked by tipster Sonny Dickson via X (formerly Twitter). The case on the left side appears to be slightly larger, which means it could be for the iPhone 16 Plus, while the cover for the standard model could be on the right side. Both cases are shown with a vertical rear camera bump, along with a plastic cutout for the LED flash located right next to the camera island.

While the new camera layout could be part of a new design that has been tipped several times over the past few months, MacRumors notes that the upcoming smartphones may also feature a dual rear camera setup that is vertically aligned to enable support for spatial recording — this is reportedly not supported on the iPhone 15 as the handset has a diagonal camera layout.

This year, Apple’s Action button is expected to make its way from the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max to all four models in the iPhone 16 series. The leaked cases also appear to show the Action button on the regular iPhone 16 models, along with a cutout for the rumoured ‘Capture’ button that is expected to arrive later this year.

Another image recently shared by the same tipster showed the purported iPhone 16 Pro model with a cutout for what could be the Capture button on the upcoming flagship handset from Apple. Meanwhile, the colour options for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max have also been leaked, and the company’s premium smartphones could arrive in four colour options later this year.