In September 2023, MacRumors revealed that Apple will equip the iPhone 16 models with a capacitive button called the Capture Button. As the name suggests, this button will be able to trigger a photo capture. In December 2023, the publication also revealed that the company could place this button on the right-hand side of the devices, replacing the mmWave antenna on US models.
The same month, Mark Gurman claimed that the button would also be able to trigger a video capture, and earlier this month, a report from The Information said that the button would be able to adjust focus when people press it lightly and zoom in and out of a subject when they swipe left or right on the button. Now, we have a new leak from China that backs some of the previous reports.
A post from Instant Digital on Weibo corroborates that the main function of the Capture Button will be to trigger a photo and video capture and that the button will be able to adjust focus when people press it lightly (via MacRumors). The latter will mimic the physical shutter button on dedicated digital cameras (DSLRs), where, if you press the button halfway, the camera adjusts the focus on a subject, and when you press it all the way down, it triggers a photo capture.
In addition to the Capture Button, Apple is also planning to replace the mechanical Action Button on the iPhone 15 models with a capacitive Action Button on the iPhone 16 models. That being said, Apple is still experimenting with these options. So, it is possible that the company might decide not to include these buttons on the iPhone 16 models.
