Any excitement at this iPhone 16 Pro rumor suggests the phone era has ended!

iPhone 16 with shutter button simulated image being used to take photo
(Image credit: Future)

The latest iPhone 16 rumor I read about was not an exciting new camera, I was not a new feature, the ability to fold, or perhaps a holographic projector. It was not even a new button (though that has been talked about for the iPhone 16 series). No, it was that the lens will have a coating which will reduce lens flare. If that is the sort of exciting new feature we can expect in a generation of phone then perhaps the time has come to stop being excited about new Apple phones at all.

There are lots of iPhone users, and there are lots of people devoted to sharing information about the next products from Apple. There is a claim posted on a Korean blogging service Naver, which says "Apple is said to be testing a camera lens with a new coating technology for use in the next iPhone Pro model.* Additional introduction of new ALD atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment. This is expected to improve photo quality, including reducing flare."

This is attributed to "a related company source" and has been reported in Apple Insider, but there is nothing terribly exciting about coating a lens to prevent unwanted reflection. The first lens with the ARC coating was created in 1935 by Carl Zeiss and ALD might sound exciting because it has the word atomic in it, but we're looking at is a slightly thinner version of the same concept, as explained by creators of the tech Beneq.

Is there anyway this information could be considered exciting? According to Apple inside is reading of the situation, the reduction of flair increases the possibility the tetra prism like the one in the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which allows for longer zoom lens (the benefits of which I'm actually uncertain) can't be fit it into the standard iPhone 16 Pro, as well, presumably, as the iPhone 16 Pro Max. So, 5X zoom in a slightly smaller headset with slightly less blur on it.

Even this, which is at least a physical feature, even if it is just a change of optical zoom level in one model in the range, is quite a long way short of exciting. He's coming to something when the potential for a new shutter button is the exciting thing.

Perhaps the Humane Ai Pin really is going to replace the phone forever – at least it's a bit different.

Check our guide to the best camera phones.

Adam Juniper
Managing Editor

With over 20 years of expertise as a tech journalist, Adam brings a wealth of knowledge across a vast number of product categories, including timelapse cameras, home security cameras, NVR cameras, photography books, webcams, 3D printers and 3D scanners, borescopes, radar detectors… and, above all, drones. 

Adam is our resident expert on all aspects of camera drones and drone photography, from buying guides on the best choices for aerial photographers of all ability levels to the latest rules and regulations on piloting drones. 

He is the author of a number of books including The Complete Guide to Drones, The Smart Smart Home Handbook, 101 Tips for DSLR Video and The Drone Pilot's Handbook