The iPhone 16 will bring a series of upgrades, which will not only apply to the Pro and Pro Max versions, but the gap between the regular version of the iPhone and the Pro series will also be narrowed.
iPhone 16 series leaks summary
Thanks to various rumors and alleged leaks, we already know the design and key specs and upgrades of the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus (and possibly other models), iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max, and this time around, it looks like all the models will be getting some interesting updates.
iPhone 16: Possible price and release date
As usual, the iPhone 16 series will be released in September 2024, but it may be postponed. Apple has postponed it several times in the past few years, but it has never been postponed for too long.
As for the price, there are not many rumors about the specific price of iPhone 16. It was previously reported that the starting price of iPhone 16 is $799; the starting price of iPhone 16 Plus is $899; the starting price of iPhone 16 Pro is $1099; and the starting price of iPhone 16 Pro Max is $1199.
If the news is true, the starting prices of the iPhone 16 series and iPhone 15 series are basically the same. Only the price of the Pro version has increased by $100 (Note: the starting price of iPhone 15 Pro is $999).
It is worth mentioning that Apple plans to postpone the release of Apple Intelligence to October, but it seems that there are no plans to postpone the release of the iPhone 16 series. This means that users will have to wait until iOS 18.1 is released before they can use Apple Intelligence.
iPhone 16: Design
According to Apple supply chain expert Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 16 series will not have major changes in appearance, but there may still be some minor adjustments.
After the iPhone 15 Pro added an action button, it now looks like all iPhone 16 models may be equipped with a “shoot button.” It sounds like it could be a camera shutter button with a focus function. It can also zoom in and out by sliding. The new iPhones are not expected to have a fingerprint sensor.
Another report claims that the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will feature action buttons, with one source saying “there will be no functional difference from what we saw on the iPhone 15 Pro.”
The prototype design of the iPhone 16 has been released online, showing that the new camera adopts a new layout. Non-Pro iPhone 16 models may adopt a vertical camera layout, which enables them to shoot spatial videos.
In terms of colors, we may see Apple add a new rose gold option to the iPhone 16 Pro. What’s more, the space black and classic silver options from the iPhone 14 Pro may also return. As for the base model, all iPhone 15 colors may return in some form, along with new white and purple options, giving users the widest range of iPhone color choices to date.
However, Apple plans to cancel the yellow color scheme for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. A recent post by Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that the iPhone 16 will instead be available in black, green, pink, and white. They also said that Apple may rename some colors, and even shades with the same name may look different from current models.
For the iPhone 16 Pro series, the new phones may offer the same neutral colors as before: gray, white, and space black. In addition, leaked images of the purported iPhone 16 Pro Max show a new option – bronze – which looks to be a darker brown than any other color.
iPhone 16: Display
Rumor has it that this year’s iPhone 16 Pro models will be larger, with the iPhone 16 Pro having a 6.3-inch display and the iPhone 16 Pro Max having a 6.9-inch display.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also believes that the screen size of the iPhone 16 Pro series will increase. Gurman claims that the diagonal size of the iPhone 16 Pro models will increase by “a fraction of an inch”, making them the largest iPhones to date. Analyst Jeff Pu also reiterated this, predicting that the screen size of the new phone will increase by 0.2 inches.
However, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will maintain their current 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch sizes. They are also likely to maintain the 60Hz refresh rate of the iPhone 15, which is disappointing considering that most Android phones offer a 90Hz or higher refresh rate for smoother and more efficient scrolling.
But all four iPhone 16 models are expected to feature narrower bezels, which will make the new iPhone screens look larger. The latest rumors claim that the iPhone 16 Pro will have a 1.2mm bezel, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a 1.15mm bezel. For reference, the iPhone 15 Pro has a 1.71mm bezel.
The displays on the new phones may use new OLED materials provided by Samsung. According to rumors, the upgraded panels will replace blue fluorescent technology with blue phosphorescent technology – a move that will improve the energy efficiency of iPhone displays. A report from Asia states that the iPhone 16 Pro models will get advanced OLED panels provided by Samsung, and both phones will be 20% brighter than the previous generation.
iPhone 16: Chips
If Apple sticks to its current approach, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will inherit the A17 Pro chip from the iPhone 15 Pro series. However, more reliable sources show that all iPhone 16 models will be equipped with a 3nm process A18 chip, and the Pro models will get a more powerful version of the A18. However, another leak suggests that the A18 Pro may lag behind its competitors.
Regardless, Apple is apparently ordering a large number of chips, as many as 100 million units, because Apple expects high demand for the iPhone 16 series.
Rumors also claim that the iPhone 16 will support WiFi 6E for faster and more reliable home connections. The iPhone 16 Pro models may support Wi-Fi 7. This will allow the iPhone 16 Pro series to send and receive data over the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands simultaneously when connected to some Wi-Fi 7 routers.
In terms of storage, the basic, Plus, and Pro versions of the iPhone 16 models are likely to start at 128GB, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max will offer a minimum of 256GB of memory like the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The Pro model will have up to 2TB of storage space, thanks to a new type of memory, although the read and write speeds of this memory may be slower than the current iPhone.
Don’t expect an Apple-developed modem this year. Apple has reportedly been struggling to develop a production-ready chip, but Qualcomm will continue to provide modems for the iPhone until 2026. Jeff Pu claims we’ll get a Snapdragon X75 modem with the new “5G Advanced” standard, which will be capable of speeds of up to 7.5 Gbps.
iPhone 16: Battery
Leaked information suggests that the battery capacity of the iPhone 16, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max may increase. The battery capacity of the iPhone 16 Plus will be reduced by 6%.
It is reported that the battery capacity of iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will increase to 3577mAh and 4747mAh respectively. In comparison, the battery capacity of iPhone 15 Pro is 3274mAh and the battery capacity of iPhone 15 Pro Max is 4422mAh. There are also reports that 16 Pro Max may adopt a more conservative battery upgrade to 4676mAh.
The new iPhones will likely have a battery life of more than 30 hours, which is pretty remarkable considering the iPhone 15 series only supports a day of battery life, although this may be exclusive to the Max version.
Rumor has it that after some complaints about overheating in the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple is looking for new ways to disperse heat in the iPhone 16. One possible solution is that Apple will use a brushed metal casing and a new battery connector in at least the iPhone 16 Pro Max. In addition, higher battery density may also appear, with more capacity in the same volume.
Separately, Apple is reportedly considering ways to make the iPhone 16 battery easier to replace.
iPhone 16: Camera
If it weren’t for the rumors, we’d assume the iPhone 16 would have roughly the same camera setup as the iPhone 15, likely a 48MP main camera paired with 12MP ultra-wide, selfie, and telephoto (Pro models) cameras. While both the regular and Pro iPhones are likely to have the same 48MP pixels, the sensors on the Pro models are likely to be larger, giving them a bigger advantage in photography.
However, it is reported that the size of the 48MP main camera of the iPhone 16 series may be upgraded, and the size of the new sensor will be upgraded to 1/1.14 inches instead of the current 1/1.28 inches. A larger sensor can bring brighter and richer images.
The Pro version’s ultra-wide camera will likely feature a second 48MP sensor, offering the same benefits, and perhaps even enabling full 48MP ProRes capture at the iPhone’s widest 0.5x magnification level.
Meanwhile, the standard iPhone 16 may return to the vertical camera arrangement we last saw on the iPhone 12. This may be a change to support Spatial video recording on Vision Pro and other headsets.
Both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped with improved telephoto cameras, and there are multiple rumors that the iPhone 16 Pro will use a quad-prism telephoto lens with 5x zoom capability. The telephoto and main cameras may also be equipped with higher-quality lenses. This may mean that the camera module on the iPhone 16 Pro will be larger.
The iPhone 16 selfie camera is expected to be the same 12MP as we saw on the iPhone 15. One source said that Apple will not use a 24MP sensor for the front camera until the iPhone 17 series, and there will not be much change before then.
While the basic specs may not change much, Samsung may be the supplier of camera sensors for Apple this year, rather than Sony, so even if the resolution doesn’t change, we can still expect improvements due to the use of Samsung’s latest technology.
Summarize
Longer zoom (at least for the Pro models), a larger body, an upgraded display, and the usual annual power and performance boosts would all be a step up from what the iPhone 15 offers.
Does this mean waiting until the fall to buy an iPhone? If you need an iPhone now, then buy it. But it’s clear that the launch of the iPhone 16 will bring some major changes in both hardware and software.
