The iPhone 16 is expected to inherit a major design characteristic from the iPhone 12, and we’ve now got our first glimpse at what this same-but-different iPhone might look like.
Apple rumor aggregator Apple Hub has posted (via X) a mock-up of the iPhone 16’s rear panel, which was constructed based on iPhone 16 reports received thus far. The phone in question bears apparent similarities to the iPhone X, iPhone 11, and iPhone 12.
This speculated iPhone 16 features a two-lens vertical camera configuration, replacing the diagonal setup found on every iPhone model since the iPhone 13. “It’s a mix of the iPhone X and 11,” Apple Hub reports, adding that the renders are displayed in iPhone 15 hues due to the fact that they “don’t know what [the iPhone 16 colors] will be yet.”
Naturally, we can’t confirm the accuracy of these iPhone 16 renders just yet, but they do correspond to leaked iPhone 16 schematics revealed by serial iPhone leaker Majin Bu. Furthermore, we first heard that the iPhone 16 would feature an iPhone 12-style camera bulge in May 2023, so we’re convinced that Apple is at least testing this type of iPhone 16 design.
If these design rumors are confirmed in September 2024, it will not be the first time Apple has drawn inspiration from its own product history. The business appeared to ditch the iPhone 4’s straight-sided style with the iPhone 6, but returned to it with the iPhone 12. The iPhone 15, on the other hand, had slightly curved edges, similar to the iPhone 11.
So we shouldn’t be surprised if the iPhone 16 features an iPhone 12-style camera hump. However, it appears to be a little lax on Apple’s part, especially given that the rest of the phone would supposedly include “no significant design changes.” That’s according to Apple source Ming-Chi Kuo, who argues in his most recent Medium article that the lack of Apple’s revenues could fall by 15% in 2024 as a result of innovation on the iPhone 16.
Kuo’s prognosis comes only weeks after Barclays released a similar analysis predicting that the iPhone 16 will be a complete failure. “We see no features or upgrades that are likely to make the iPhone 16 more compelling,” the business states in its report. Ouch.
By the sounds of it, the iPhone 16 may be one to avoid this year. The speculations around the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are a tad more hopeful, but don’t expect a game-changing new regular iPhone in 2024.
