All the iPhone 16 Leaks That Were Actually Right
Apple has officially announced the new iPhone 16 lineup, and it's basically everything that we expected.
We already had a pretty good idea of what Apple had in store for us because of leaks and rumors that have been around the web pretty much since the iPhone 15 was first announced.
Of course, just because many people cover a rumor doesn't mean it's actually true. But at the end of the day, we get to see which leaks and rumors were legit and which ones were just plain wrong.
This year is no exception. There were tons of rumors about the iPhone 16 lineup, but only a handful of them came to pass. Read on for 8 things the rumor mill got right about this year's iPhone 16 lineup.
The Camera Control Button
One of the biggest rumors about the iPhone 16 was the addition of a new button. Leakers called this button a Capture button and predicted it would work as a physical shutter release to take pictures from any angle without touching your display.
While the name was wrong, the new button does exist. Apple introduced it as the Camera Control button, and it does more than just take pictures.
Pressing the Camera Control once will automatically open the Camera app. Press it again, and you'll take a picture. And if you press and hold it, you can record a video for as long as you keep the button pressed, just like the digital shutter on the Camera app.
However, the new button is called Camera Control for a reason. Besides being able to take pictures, you can use the new button to change specific settings in your camera. When you tap it lightly, you can access specific camera controls that you can change by swiping left or right on the Camera Control button.
For instance, you can zoom in and out of a subject, switch your lenses, change styles, and much more.
The best part is that this new Camera Control button is available on all iPhone models, so you won't have to spend more on the iPhone 16 Pro to use this new feature.
8 GB of RAM on All iPhones
It had been speculated that Apple would increase the RAM on the iPhone 16 models to improve its performance and support Apple Intelligence. Even though we've heard this rumor before, this year, Apple delivered.
Now, the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus come with 8 GB of RAM, which is a nice spec bump from the 6 GB of RAM or less we saw on previous iPhones.
Before, only the latest iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max packed in 8 GB of RAM, but now all iPhone 16 models carry the same RAM. An Apple exec confirmed this during an interview with YouTuber Geekerwan.
Unfortunately for pro users, Apple didn't increase the RAM on the iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max, but 8 GB is still more than enough for most people.
A New A18 Chip
Many rumors also suggested that Apple would discontinue the tradition that began with the iPhone 14 of using last year's iPhone Pro chips in the new base iPhone models.
While this was a pretty believable rumor, especially after Apple announced Apple Intelligence, we still needed the company to confirm it.
Luckily, this rumor was true. Apple announced that the base iPhone 16 models would not use an older A17 chip from the iPhone 15 Pro but instead would get the entirely new A18 Chip. While the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max still pack a more powerful A18 Pro version, the performance between the two is much closer than it's been in recent years.
Apple is combining the newer chip with the increase in RAM to make all the iPhone 16 models capable of handling Apple Intelligence, Apple's new AI technology that will be available with iOS 18.1 — at least to some extent.
The Pros Got Bigger
Apple has been looking for ways to differentiate its pro models from the base iPhone models. This year, many rumors suggested that Apple might increase the size of its high-end smartphones.
As the rumors predicted, Apple did, in fact, increase the size of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Instead of the usual 6.1 and 6.7 inches we're used to seeing on all iPhones, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Max now come with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively.
This is a welcome change for pro users who actually like bigger displays, and it's another step to make the iPhone Pro models stand out from the more casual models.
Vertical Rear Cameras
When it comes to design changes, rumors are a dime a dozen, but there was a small design rumor that we had been hearing for months before the iPhone 16's launch.
Rumor had it that Apple would change the layout of the camera system on the back of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. Instead of using the diagonal design from the iPhone 13, iPhone 14, and iPhone 15, the company would go back to a vertical design similar to what we saw on the iPhone 12.
As we now know, the rumor was, in fact, true, and both cheaper iPhone models got a new placement for the rear cameras. However, while we expected a design like the iPhone 12, Apple decided to go even further back in time and use a design similar to what we saw on the iPhone XS: a pill-shaped camera system with a flash next to the two cameras.
4K Recording at 120 FPS
Speaking of the camera, Apple also improved the video camera on the iPhone 16 Pro, just like rumors predicted.
It was kind of a last-minute leak, but rumors said that Apple would bring 4K video recording at 120 frames per second (fps). Before, the iPhone was capable of shooting 4K video, but it was limited to 60 fps.
Luckily for video enthusiasts, the rumors were right; the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max can both handle 4K video recording at 120 fps. Moreover, they can record these videos in slow motion and in Dolby Vision, which is the first time that any smartphone is capable of doing that.
5X Optical Zoom on the iPhone 16 Pro
Apple introduced 5X optical zoom last year as an iPhone 15 Pro Max exclusive feature. Apple's highest-end phone could achieve this thanks to its tetraprism camera technology.
But just like many exclusive features, rumors were expecting Apple to bring the 5x optical zoom to the cheaper iPhone 16 Pro, and they were actually correct this time around.
While this might seem like a small change, it was something that all photo lovers wanted, and it's still a useful change that will help you take better pictures without having to pay $200 more.
The Action Button on All iPhone 16 Models
This was one of those rumors that we basically knew was true, even if Apple hadn't confirmed it at the time.
In recent years, Apple has started to introduce older features to its new, cheaper iPhone models so they can stand out from the previous year's model.
We saw this with the Dynamic Island and expected it to happen again with the Action button. And now we know that we were right; Apple finally ditched the Silent switch on all iPhones and added an Action button on all iPhone 16 models.
This means the ring/silent switch is officially gone, and you'll only see it on the iPhone SE models from now on — and maybe not even those by next year when the new iPhone SE 4 arrives.
Newer iPhones will use the Action button, which lets you do pretty much anything you want, like turning on your flashlight or using it to trigger a specific shortcut.
Should You Believe All Rumors From Now On?
Just like every year, some of the rumors we heard before the iPhone 16 launch turned out to be accurate, but that doesn't mean all rumors are to be trusted. Unfortunately, for every true rumor, there were just as many incorrect or even outright fake rumors that didn't happen.
Sometimes, people make up rumors to stay relevant on the web. Other times, even Apple might change its mind before producing the new iPhone, which leads to rumors being wrong.
All this to say that, even if it's entertaining to learn what leakers and analysts hear about new Apple products, you should take all rumors with a grain of salt, no matter how plausible they may seem.