The latest iPhone 16 Pro camera rumor comes with an image that shows a radically redesigned lens module. It looks like a fidget spinner, or an 18th-century tricorn hat seen from above, and would represent a striking departure from Apple’s current design language.
If the iPhone 16 Pro actually looks like this, it would instantly put to bed perennial complaints that the new iPhone looks just like the old one.
iPhone 16 Pro camera rumor: A radical redesign?
Photo: Majin Bu
Every year, Apple refreshes the iPhone lineup. The smartphone has changed radically from its original 2007 design. But the last several iterations all looked remarkably the same, with just small variations. And every year, reviewers moan that the new iPhone didn’t change much in the design department.
This doesn’t seem to affect sales of the new handsets, which keep selling in astonishing numbers. But perhaps it bugs Apple’s executives and industrial design team to hear the same complaints year after year.
That might explain this radical new design — if the latest iPhone 16 Pro camera rumor proves true.
Majin Bu, a leaker with a mixed track record, posted an image Saturday on X claiming to show a new look for the camera module on the iPhone 16 Pro.
“Based on the information I was able to obtain it seems that the new iPhone 16 Pro will have a new design for the camera module, this should be very similar to what Apple is currently testing,” wrote Bu on X.
The leaker posted two amateurishly Photoshopped images of the current iPhone made to look like the upcoming iPhone 16, which will almost certainly be released in the fall.
Based on the information I was able to obtain it seems that the new iPhone 16 Pro will have a new design for the camera module, this should be very similar to what Apple is currently testing pic.twitter.com/wjdOcZ1lKb
— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) February 17, 2024
Similar but not identical
In the comments on the X post, Bu clarified that the images are just mockups based on insider information, not the final design.
“… it’s similar but not identical,” Bu wrote. “This concept I made is much uglier. In the future I hope to be able to bring official diagrams in order to understand if all this is actually true.”
This is the first iPhone 16 Pro camera rumor that we know of claiming the handset will feature such a striking new design.
Bu recently claimed the regular iPhone 16 — not the Pro models — also would get a new camera design. That rumor pointed to a pair of lenses stacked vertically, not diagonally as in the current design. This, presumably, would make the upcoming phones better for shooting spatial video for Apple’s Vision Pro headset.
Majin Bu’s mixed record on Apple rumors
As mentioned, Bu’s record on Apple rumors is mixed, with many websites labeling them as “sketchy.” However, Bu delivered some definite hits in past years.
In 2022, Bu leaked “floating windows coming to iPad,” which correctly predicted Stage Manager in iPadOS 16. Plus, Bu was among the first to correctly leak that Apple would ditch leather cases in favor of its new FineWoven material.
And, weeks before the iPhone 15 launched with USB-C replacing Lightning, Bu leaked images of the new port.
However, Bu also predicted that:
- iPhone 15 cables might come in different colors.
- Apple would change the name of the iPhone 15 Pro to “iPhone Ultra.”
- The high-end iPhone 15 would feature dual front-facing cameras.
Bu appears to rely on Weibo and other Asian social media websites for most of these leaks, and may or may not possess legit, inside sources. However, Bu certainly attracts a lot of attention (including more than 40,000 followers on X) with these leaks and rumors.
This would represent a crazy change for Apple
The reaction on Bu’s latest iPhone rumor thread is mixed. Some readers like the idea of a redesign. Some hate it. Most sound quite skeptical. Many called out just how radical the design looks — and how big of a departure it would represent for Apple’s design team.
“Wow that looks Android as hell, like some of those gaming phones that have very alien-like designs,” wrote X user Brian (@iambrianoconnor). “Not that it isn’t necesserily [sic] a good look, it’s just not industrial and simple like Apple usually is, highly doubt that this is even being considered.”
Definitely take this one with a big pinch of salt, but it’s exciting if true.
Everyone loves a radical iPhone redesign.
