The iPhone 16 Pro could fix a major camera lens problem – as new design hints leak

More rumors around Apple’s next flagship

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

There’s no sign of theiPhone 16leaks drying up (and they’re unlikely to, between now and September) and now a couple of fresh reveals have appeared online, focusing particularly on theiPhone 16 camerasand the design of the upcomingApplehandsets.

To begin with, well-known tipsteryeux1122(viaMacRumors) says that a new camera lens coating – using atomic layer deposition (ALD) – is being used on the iPhone 16 Pro andiPhone 16 Pro Maxmodels this year, according to a supply chain source.

ALD means more control over the thickness and composition of the coating, because it’s applied one atomic layer at a time, and the source says that should help fine-tune the camera lens stack without adding bulk.

In practical terms, expect improvements in terms of reducing artifacts like flare and halos, when the sun is shining directly on the lens. ALD should also reduce ghosting on fast-moving objects, as well as adding extra protection to the camera lens.

Camera layouts

Hope this helps. pic.twitter.com/LWblp71ANaApril 16, 2024

So that’s one camera upgrade for the Pro and Pro Max models – what about the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus?The rumor isthat these models are going to adopt a vertically stacked dual-lens design, in part so they can film using the 3D spatial video format.

More evidence for this comes in the form of leaked schematics provided by the usually reliableShrimpApplePro: the schematics show both the 6.1-inch iPhone 16 and the 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus with two cameras stacked on top of each other.

There are nowseveral leakscorroborating this design change, which takes us back to the look of theiPhone 12launched in 2020. The layout of the three cameras on the back of the Pro and Pro Max models, meanwhile, isn’t expected to change.

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

Before we get to see the new iPhones, we’ll be hearing a lot more about theiOS 18software that they’re going to come with. Mark your calendarsfor June 10, which is when Apple should present iOS 18 to the world atWWDC 2024.

You might also like

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

A newly reported iPhone phenomenon could be bad news for both cops and robbers

The iPhone 18 series could include a variable aperture, ‘significantly enhancing’ the camera

New fanless cooling technology enhances energy efficiency for AI workloads by achieving a 90% reduction in cooling power consumption