The iPhone 16 series won’t be announced until September, but I think we can already settle any design debates. Nothing can be truly confirmed for the time being, but I think the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro designs are a done deal.
We saw a set of images showing purported dummy units for all four iPhone 16 models a few days ago. A newly leaked photo shows another set of iPhone 16 mockups that resemble the ones in the previous images. And these iPhone dummies seem to confirm all iPhone 16 rumors out there. Most Apple fans out there are well aware that Apple’s iPhone designs always leak long before the new phones are actually unveiled.
Spoiler alert: the iPhone 16 design will be boring. That’s what many people will say. It’s also what many have said of many of the previous designs. Apple doesn’t make big changes each year, choosing instead to refine and perfect its proven iPhone design.
But it’s not like Apple has plenty of options out there that it’s ignoring only to rehash an old iPhone design. All phones feature large all-screen displays on the front, with relatively small bezels. Those bezels keep shrinking, and the iPhone 16 Pros might have the smallest screen bezels in iPhone history.
The back of modern flagship smartphones like the iPhone 16 is usually made of glass to support wireless charging. All iPhone 16 models will support wireless charging, including Apple’s MagSafe standard.
The camera module is the only design element on the rear panel that can differ from generation to generation. For the iPhone 16 series, Apple will keep the triple-lens camera design of the previous-gen iPhone Pro models.
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will get a vertical camera setup. That’s what rumors say and what mockup images seem to confirm. Just look at the picture above that leaker Majin Bu posted on X.
That’s it; that’s your iPhone 16 design. After so many years of covering the iPhone, I could have told you all of that, even without the plethora of leaks detailing the design of this year’s flagship iPhones.
I’ll also note that dummy iPhone units leak around this time of year for every new iPhone generation. Accessory makers need these mockups to create new cases and screen protectors for the upcoming models, so dummies leak each year.
Unlike the previous leak, the image above isn’t as good at confirming design rumors. For example, the iPhone 16 Pros should be slightly larger than the iPhone 16 versions. Rumors say we’re looking at 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays compared to 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch for the non-Pro models.
The iPhone 16 Pros will be slightly taller and wider. It’s all thanks to the reportedly thin bezels that might be impacting iPhone 16 Pro display production.
Moreover, the new image doesn’t show clearly the buttons coming to the iPhone 16 series. Rumors say all four handsets will feature an Action button instead of the Mute switch, just like the iPhone 15 Pros. Also, the four iPhones will have a Capture button on the opposite side, which will be dedicated to the camera.
Majin Bu’s photo makes it difficult to see those details. But leaker Sony Dickson posted more pictures of similar iPhone 16 dummy units in early April, giving us a look at the rumored buttons.
While I’m sure we’ll see more iPhone 16 dummies leak before mid-September, I’m also certain the images above show Apple’s designs for this year’s iPhone 16 series. Apple will start assembling the new iPhones at some point this summer, so it’s unlikely to expect any major design changes at this point.