That leaked iPhone 16 camera design finally makes sense

Rumours about the next generation of iPhone have been a little sparser than usual this year, but there's one thing that most leakers seem to agree on: the standard iPhone 16 model will feature a vertical camera layout. This has been compared to older iPhone models (it's taking us straight back to 2017), but it turns out there's a forward-thinking reason for the backward-looking design.

According to reports, the vertical camera layout is linked to Apple's VR headset, Vision Pro. Apple has made a big deal of Spatial Video, which essentially lets the user take 3D videos using an iPhone that can be viewed immersively on Vision Pro. (Looking for new kit? Check out the best iPhone 15 Pro deals available now.)

It's simple really – when filming horizontally, a vertical layout would become horizontal (yes, like a pair of eyes), which is required for filming Spatial Video. That's why the iPhone 15 Pro can do it – its 3 lens setup means there are two stacked lenses.

Currently, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are the only models that support filming Spatial Video. "After you record a spatial video," Apple's support page reads, "you can view it in three dimensions in the Photos app  on your Apple Vision Pro. You can also view spatial videos in two dimensions and share them just like regular videos on any of your other Apple devices."

Time will tell exactly what's in store for the iPhone line up in 2024 – for every leak in one place, check out our roundup of iPhone 16 rumours. And in the meantime, we're still trying to get used to seeing Vision Pro in public.