The iPhone 16 series could bring a MagSafe ring thinner compared to previous generations. Leaked images of alleged case molds suggest the tweak in the magnetic charging ring. It also reaffirms a new design for the camera module of the base and Plus models.
The source of the leak is ShopSystem, a supplier of cases for iPhone devices. Usually, the case manufacturers receive the molds months before the presentation of the new devices. This allows accessories to be ready in advance. Many times, design changes in new phones are leaked thanks to case suppliers.
Potential improvements in the iPhone 16 series MagSafe ring
According to the leaked images, Apple’s future smartphone series may integrate a thinner MagSafe ring. This can be seen when directly comparing the iPhone 15 Pro case mold with the alleged iPhone 16 Pro case mold. Apple would have managed to optimize its technology to take up a little less valuable physical space between the internal components of the device. This seems to be one of these cases.
The potential reduction in the size of the MagSafe ring will not cause incompatibility with previous-generation accessories. According to ShopSystem, your older MagSafe accessories will continue to work properly. This is because, beyond the lesser thickness, there are no deeper physical changes. The alleged new size of the iPhone 16 MagSafe ring appears to still fit well with existing MagSafe chargers.
That said, the improvements in the iPhone 16 series MagSafe ring could not just be aesthetic. TechRadar suggests that Apple could integrate support for faster magnetic charging technology. Currently, MagSafe supports a maximum charging power of 15W. So, an increase in speed would be quite well-received among fans of Apple devices. However, this is not yet confirmed, so take it with a grain of salt.
A new camera module may enable spatial video recording
The iPhone 16 series case molds also reflect a potential tweak in the camera module of the base and Plus models. Now, the sensors would be arranged vertically, similar to the iPhone 12 base and Plus. However, the module may adopt a pill shape instead of a square one.
Again, this change would not only be for aesthetics but could also add new functionality. TechRadar suggests that it could allow 3D spatial video recording on the most affordable iPhone 16 models. This would turn them into content creation machines for the Apple Vision Pro.
