This iPhone 16 leak suggests a big Apple Vision Pro-inspired camera change is coming

The Apple iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are not expected to be announced until this coming September but there are already rumors about what the new handsets will have to offer and which features buyers can look forward to. The iPhone 15 and iPHone 15 Plus have only been on sale for a few months, but that was never going to stop the rumors from circulating

One of those rumors suggested that Apple would choose to change the layout of the back of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus to put its two cameras into a vertical orientation. The change would mean ditching the familiar diagonal setup, but it's a switch that is about more than aesthetics and a new leak appears to have confirmed the change is coming.

A new part leak by the X leaker Majin Bu appears to show the chassis that the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus cameras will be mounted in and sure enough, they have a vertical orientation. But what makes that so important is the fact that it would put the two cameras in a horizontal orientation when the iPhone is turned on its side - just like the Pro iPhones.

The reason for the change is thought to be to add support for capturing spatial videos just like the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Spatial videos are videos that appear in 3D when viewed on the new Apple Vision Pro, a headset that has been on sale for a couple of weeks and starts at $3,499. Apple's decision to make it easier for people to capture home movies that can then be watched as spatial videos on an Apple Vision Pro makes plenty of sense, and it was always going to happen. There's no reason for Apple to keep this as a Pro-level feature.

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are both expected to be announced later this fall alongside the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Previous leaks suggest that the new handsets will gain the iPhone 15 Pro lineup's Action button, while a new Capture Button has also been leaked in previous reports as well. It's important to remember that there is no guarantee that any of this si going to come to fruition of course, and Apple's plans can and do change as products work their way through the development cycle. Whether that will happen in the case of this camera changes remains to be seen but we can expect more leaks in the coming weeks and months.