Only a few days left until Apple’s special event where the company is expected to unveil the new iPhone 16 models. There are many rumors about the new phones, but now 9to5Mac has heard more details about what’s changing with the new hardware. When it comes to cameras, users can look forward to improvements like 4K 120fps video and more.

New camera features for the iPhone 16 Pro

Reliable sources familiar with the matter have provided us with evidence of what’s new about the iPhone 16 Pro’s camera. As previously rumored, the new Pro models will receive a new 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor, and our sources confirm this information. In addition, the camera system will be exactly the same on the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max.

This means that both Pro models will feature the tetraprism lens for 5x optical zoom, while in the current generation it is reserved for the Pro Max model.

But what about the new features? As for video, the iPhone 16 Pro will record video in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second for the first time (the iPhone 15 is currently limited to 4K 60 frames per second). When connected to external storage, users will be able to record ProRes 4K at 120 frames per second. In addition, Apple is upgrading QuickTake from 1080p to 4K.

Interestingly, we’ve also seen evidence that Apple has tested 8K video recording with the iPhone 16 Pro. Since an 8K image is about 35 megapixels, both wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lenses would have enough resolution to record 8K video. Of course, the new A18 Pro chip also seems to be ready for 8K.

However, it’s unclear whether Apple has decided to enable 8K on production devices, especially since the zoom lens would still be limited to 4K. Apple could save 8K for next year’s iPhones, which are rumored to have a new, higher-resolution zoom lens.

Other goodies include support for the JPEG XL format for taking lossy and lossless photos, the ability to pause and resume video recording in the Camera app, the removal of wind noise in videos, several new photographic styles with better machine learning to preserve skin tones, and a new mode for taking spatial photos that can be viewed in 3D on Apple Vision Pro.

More details about the camera button

The iPhone 16 models are also rumored to get a new dedicated camera button, and our sources have given us more details on that as well. Internally referred to as the “camera button” (the marketing name may vary), it will be a touch-sensitive button that can perform different actions depending on the press or swipe.

A simple press will open the Camera app or a third-party app selected by the user. This feature is powered by the same iOS 18 API that allows users to replace Apple’s Camera app on the lock screen.

Pressing the camera button lightly triggers autofocus. Pressing firmly takes a photo or starts recording a video. Sliding your finger across the surface of the button adjusts zoom or exposure.

Latest news about the iPhone 16

The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are expected to keep the same design but have larger displays. The new phones will also have a faster chip.

The Apple event takes place on Monday at 10 a.m. PT. You can follow full coverage of all the announcements here: 9to5Mac.