Surprise! iPhone 16 tipped to feature new ‘Capture Button’, much cheaper A17 chip

Apple’s next flagship iPhone, the iPhone 16 series could feature a Capture button, as well as redesigned A17 chip, according to reports.

The iPhone 16 would feature a capacitive Capture button, as per the reports. (Representative Image) (Bloomberg)

Now that the iPhone 15 series is out, the focus is starting to shift to Apple's flagship for next year - the iPhone 16. Even before the iPhone 15 debut, we were hearing rumours about iPhone 16, and what it could offer. Leaks initially suggested that the iPhone 16 would be the one to feature an Action button, but Apple surprised everyone by bringing it out this year with the iPhone 15 Pro models. However, the Cupertino-based tech giant could bring yet another hardware change with the iPhone 16 series in the form of a new button that will make snapping photos much easier!

iPhone 16's new button

According to a report by MacRumors, the iPhone 16 series will get a new button which is being internally called the “Capture Button”, and it could become one of the main selling points of Apple's next iPhone series. While the report does not state the purpose of the button, it reveals that the Capture Button would be located slightly below the power button on the right side. Apple will reportedly move the mmWave cutout to just below the volume buttons next year.

This button, codenamed “Project Nova”, is expected to be a capacitive button and not a physical one. For months, we heard rumours about the iPhone 15 series potentially featuring solid-state haptic volume and mute buttons, but unfortunately, that did not happen. However, Apple indeed replaced the mute switch, albeit with a physical Action button.

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Although nothing is confirmed, we expect this Capture button to work similarly to the quick capture button that is present on many Sony smartphones. It lets users capture photos quickly without having to open the Camera app manually.

Unlike the Action button which is present only on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, this Capture button would be standard across the entire iPhone 16 lineup, as per the report.

Power boost

MacRumors also reported that the standard iPhone 16 models would feature an A17 chip that would be different from the current A17 Pro SoC that powers iPhone 15 Pro models in a bid to cut costs. This claim comes from a user on Weibo who accurately reported news about Intel's Pentium processors in June.

It claims that the A17 Pro is fabricated by TSMC using the N3B process. However, Apple could switch it up next year by making the A17 SoC using the N3E process which reportedly costs less. As per the report, it has lower transistor density and fewer EUV layers, which could potentially mean reduced efficiency.