iPhone 16 Camera Control button: the most un-Apple Apple thing ever

Apple’s iPhone 16 series caught us off guard with a couple of things, specifically surrounding the Camera Control button. By this point, the joke that “Apple does not add buttons” has been driven to the ground, but there’s a reason for that — it’s been true for a while.

Just a few years ago, we were looking at concepts and listening to rumors about Apple thinking about a buttonless, portless iPhone. And, while they sound slightly absurd, they were pretty easy to believe because Apple has a history of removing “simple” hardware and over-engineering solutions, which arguably nobody asked for. In fact, I still believe that engineers at Cupertino were having very serious brainstorming sessions, and maybe projects on the subject of a buttonless iPhone.

But the past two iPhone generations graced us with quite the opposite.



Last year, we got a new Action Button. Now, it wasn’t too far out of the ordinary, as it replaced the mechanical Mute toggle and enhanced it to be programmable. It had the drawbacks of only being able to do one thing (and look good doing it, with fancy animations), and being exclusive to the Pro models.

What I am saying is that it still felt very Apple.

This year, though, we are getting yet another button in the face of the Camera Control on the right side of the phone. This is in addition to the non-Pro iPhones also getting the Action Button on the left side. If you put yourself in the shoes of a regular user, who only buys the base iPhone once every 3-4 years or so, you can see how this may be a bit of a stark change. All of a sudden, you have two extra buttons on your iPhone.

It’s not a big deal for techies, but Apple built its empire on making tech stuff simple, streamlined, elegant, and only complex behind the curtains.

Admittedly, it is not mandatory to use the new buttons — equating this change to the removal of the home button and introducing gesture navigation is not the right analogy. Navigation is at the core of using your phone, while if you choose to completely ignore the Camera Control and Action buttons, you can still use your iPhone as ever.

But they are there, and you should use everything you paid for, right? So, we spent the time with the Camera Control button and we have mixed feelings about it…

The most un-Apple Apple design

OK, so, on the surface, it feels incredibly “Apple”. The Camera Control button is over-engineered to the point of redundancy. Yes, it’s a mechanical click-in shutter control, much like Sony’s Xperia line has had since forever. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Then, it also has a capacitive surface area, which detects slide gestures. And, with the visual feedback, it looks and feels smooth and responsive.

Oh, did we say visual feedback? Yeah, but that’s not all — it also has its own, dedicated Taptic motor under that button, to ensure that you are getting clear and precise vibration. And that’s important, because it also registers half-presses.

So, you can see what I mean by saying “over-engineered”. I am not complaining, it feels clean and pristine — it feels very Apple.

On to what makes it awkward

And then, we have the simple question about positioning. And, to be more exact, my question is “Why?”.



Why is the Camera Control button so far into the frame? This is already an awkward positioning for the regular-sized iPhone 16, it is a bit too out-of-reach for an iPhone 16 Plus or iPhone 16 Pro Max. You need to grip the phone a bit more awkwardly, because if you cup the bottom, your hand will make full contact with the frame and block the microphone there. And, it doesn’t feel nice to slide over the button with your finger already stretched out.

You have to circle your hand around the front or the back, and all of that tech that makes the button feel good is rendered moot because the position of the button doesn’t feel all that comfortable or intuitive.