iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro marketing image leak is bogus [u]

An alleged leak of promotional images for the iPhone 16 popped out over the weekend, but they are fakes.

As time draws closer to when we expect the September Apple Event to happen, the rumors start to include marketing material leaks. In one post to X, a leaker claims this has happened for the iPhone 16 series.

The four images posted on Saturday by Lakhwinder Singh have the appearance of marketing materials intended for China, based on the currency visible in one shot.

The first image is a brief spec list for the iPhone 16, shown with the vertical camera alignment. It is described as having a 6.1-inch display with an aluminum and glass body, with an Action button on the side.

A 48-megapixel camera that can shoot video for Apple Vision Pro is also supposedly included, along with the A18 chip, and a USB-C connection.

Another image showing the back of the iPhone 16 Pro highlights the Ultra Wide camera gaining a 48-megapixel resolution sensor. The Tetraprism lens arrangement is also mentioned, along with the A18 Pro chip's capabilities when it comes to computational photography.

Two more images show group shots of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16, in a variety of colors.

The leak does seem to have the appearance of Apple's typical online marketing materials, but there is no guarantee that this is genuine. There are still a few weeks before Apple introduces the new models, and Apple is also extremely conscious about maintaining secrecy for hardware like the iPhone.

Though many of the mentioned specifications seem plausible and have been raised in earlier rumors, that doesn't mean the images are the real thing. Anyone who can pull some renders of iPhones from previous reporting can create their own marketing materials and present them as genuine.

Furthermore, there is no real track record of accuracy for the leaker when it comes to Apple products. If there was a history, there would be a bit more provenance for the images.

As always, there's no guarantee that rumors or leaks are factual until Apple formally launches its new products.

As it stands, this shows the kind of rumors you can expect to float on social media over the coming weeks.

Update August 20 1:28 PM EDT: Proving the questionable nature of the leak, it has since been discovered that image of the collection of iPhone 16 Pro units was previously aired by AppleTrack.