Latest Apple Leak Offers the Best Look at the iPhone 16’s Vertical Camera Stack

Google kicked off the week by debuting the Pixel 9, which means now we can go back to speculating about what’s next for the iPhone. A set of alleged iPhone 16 dummy units has started circulating social media, and they offer the best look yet at what Apple is expected to launch next month. There’s also some video of the new iPhone 16 colorways.

Per Reddit, a Weibo user posted alleged photos of models that purport to be the iPhone 16. They seem on par with what the gossip pages have been latching on to for the past year. The iPhone 16 depicted by the render models shows a dual vertical-stacked camera system rather than the rear-facing stovetop design it had going for the past five generations. The double-stack will also help the iPhone 16 more easily record spatial videos to playback on the Apple Vision Pro.

Comments on both Reddit and Weibo seem divided. On Weibo, one user remarks that the back of the dummy iPhone 16 looks “too much like the Nothing Phone.” On Reddit, one of the top comments is from a user proclaiming the iPhone 16 dummy looks “like an updated iPhone X.” The iPhone X was the last time Apple used the stacked aesthetic. The iPhone 11 was the debut of the stovetop design.

Android Authority points out an interesting design choice by Apple. The LED flash on the rear camera module hangs off to the side, outside of the space encapsulating the two camera lenses. It’ll be interesting to see how Apple explains that one during the design explanation portion of its keynote presentation.

There’s also been a video making the rounds that shows the iPhone 16 dummy units in various colorways. The reveal comes from a YouTube video from ZolloTech, which claims to have access to models in all five colors. They include blue, teal, pink, black, and white, with brushed, matte backings. The models also apparently confirm Apple’s move from the Volume switch to an Action button.

Nothing is for certain, in life and with iPhone leaks, unless it comes from the mouth of Tim Cook at an Apple presentation. We expect Apple to have more to say in September when it opens its Cupertino campus to journalists and analysts to preview the iPhone hardware.