Remember a few years ago when rumors and leaks predicted that Apple would remove all buttons from future iPhone models ? Well, it's 2024 and the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro show that nothing could be further from the truth. Apple added the Action button last year to the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max , replacing the noble and convenient mute/silent switch. And this year the customizable shortcut button now appears across all pro and non-pro models of the iPhone 16.
Now more of us can order a coffee from Dunkin' with the Action button . And Apple didn't stop there, adding yet another physical iPhone button: The Camera Control button which is essentially a shortcut key for the camera that also lets you dial in photo settings. But even for a camera nerd like me, there's something off about the iPhone's new Camera Control button.
Its compromised location on the lower end of the iPhone's side makes it awkward to use which puts it at odds with its role as a vital tool for taking photos. And while having minute control over the exposure or tone mapping is right at home on the Pro models, it seems like an odd fit for iPhone 16 and 16 Plus owners. The truth is that it feels like Apple designed the button primarily to turn on Visual Intelligence, the iPhone's answer to Google Lens, and that all the camera functionality (for taking photos and switching images settings on the fly) was meant to be a nice-to-have – not the button's main function.
Beyond what Apple's true intention behind the Came.