iPhone 16: The 5 big changes we could see in Apple’s new phones

Apple is hosting a major event on Monday, September 9, where it is expected to unveil the new iPhone 16 series. If rumors are to be believed, the Californian company will unveil four new models called iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, as well as new Apple Watch devices and even two new versions of AirPods.

If these numbers are accurate, we’re in for a week full of new Apple hardware, and according to the various iPhone 16 leaks that have been leaking over the past few weeks and months, we think there are five big changes coming our way with Apple’s new phones that are worth knowing about.

It’s no secret that year-to-year smartphone upgrades no longer represent huge technological leaps, as they arguably did a decade ago. New iPhones generally look the same as those released a year before, and thanks to Apple’s long history of software support, many features introduced on the iPhone 16 could be available on older phones with iOS 18.

With a pinch of salt and an eye on the rumor mill, here are the five changes coming to the iPhone 16 – four of which we’re pretty sure about, and the fifth we’re crossing our fingers won’t actually happen.

The 2023 iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max were the first iPhones ever to not have the physical ring/silence switch, replacing it with the new Action button. This regular button can be assigned to one of many different actions, from muting to turning the flashlight on and off, launching a selected app, or performing a user-created action via the Shortcuts app.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus didn’t have it, but it’s believed that every new iPhone 16 model will have an action button, marking the end of the ring/silence switch. That means no new iPhone has any moving parts, meaning one less part to break over time, and the button performs exactly the same traditional mute action if you want it to.

Much more surprising is the rumor that each new iPhone 16 will also have a brand new additional button called the Capture Button. This is said to sit on the right edge of the phone below the power button. This new clicker is said to be capacitive, meaning it is touch sensitive and not a moving part.

Its primary function will be to act as a shutter button for a camera, with a two-stage focusing feature just like a DSLR. If you wanted one more sign that Apple doesn’t want you to win a real camera, this is it.

It’s also thought that the button could be swipeable to zoom in on scenes, leaving open the possibility that it could perform other actions in iOS. But it’s a big change for Apple to include a permanent hardware button that’s primarily designed for one thing, especially when it does so at the same time as removing the ringer/silence switch.

Rumors suggest the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will have a similar design to the 15 Pro phones, with triple cameras and matte glass finishes in muted colors. But leaks on the regular iPhone 16 and 16 Plus show a changed camera design that will make them stand out on store shelves.

While the iPhone 13, 14, and 15 have diagonally arranged dual lenses on the back, it looks like the iPhone will have two vertically stacked sensors. This will bring the base iPhone back to the look of the cameras on the iPhone X from 2017, as the leaked images show the cameras in a pill-shaped module. The iPhone 11 and 12 also had vertical dual lenses, but in a larger square camera bump.

Apple typically makes a design change from year to year to encourage upgrades and so people can see that you’ve bought the flashiest new iPhone. But it’s also possible that Apple made this move so that the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus can record Spatial Video, the depth-assisted video format that you can view on the company’s Vision Pro headset.

Spatial Video requires a vertical alignment of the iPhone’s main and ultra-wide cameras, which may have spurred the switch to what otherwise looks like a seven-year-old design.

Of course, another way to show off that you have a new iPhone is to opt for the new color. The following leak shows that Apple could return to bold color options on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, with white, black, blue, green, and pink being much bolder than the pale pastel colors of the iPhone 15:

Meanwhile, the company seems to be less imaginative with the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, possibly replacing the current blue Pro with a bronze model that has allegedly leaked:

It’s true that most people will probably just put their shiny new iPhone 16 straight into a case that hides the color, but it will still be nice to see these changes.

We’re still hoping for a nice, bright red iPhone 16 Pro, but since Apple never gives its Pro phones bold colors and there was no iPhone 15 in “Product Red” for the first time in years, that dream might be on hold forever.

This last change is a big change that we don’t want, and there are very few solid rumors about it, but it’s a likely eventuality. In 2022, Apple launched the iPhone 14 series and in the US, the phones didn’t have SIM card slots. The same was true in the States for the iPhone 15, but so far the rest of the world has been spared this major iPhone change.

Apple could remove the SIM card slot from iPhones released in the UK, and it’s possible that this will happen with the iPhone 16 next week.

iPhones without a SIM card slot connect to your cellular network using eSIM technology. You can assign a SIM card to your phone during setup or later in the settings menu. It works the same but is much more confusing for consumers because you can’t transfer the physical SIM card from your old phone to your new one like you could before.

Instead, you’ll need to contact your carrier and ask them to port your number to the eSIM for your device. This also makes switching carriers more difficult and could discourage you from looking for a better deal.

On Monday 9 September we will find out if the SIM card holder is sticking around for the iPhone 16 series in the UK and if the four other, more likely rumors are true. You can read all about the latest iPhone 16 rumors in our rumor roundup article.