After so many surprises at WWDC, everyone eagerly waits for the upcoming iPhone 16 launch, which will most likely be held in September 2024. As we are only a few months away, rumors have started floating around. Every model in the expected iPhone 16 range may receive major modifications.
Pro versions are speculated to gain a Capture button, while regular models may receive an Action button. Additionally, experts are speculating on a powerful A18 Pro CPU to support high-end Apple Intelligence features. I have gathered all the rumors and expected features of the iPhone 16, including its release date, price, and specs.
When will iPhone 16 be released?
Looking at a decade’s history, Apple should announce the iPhone 16 series in September 2024. Apple did launch a few models or variants in October, but that doesn’t affect iPhone’s announcements.
Apple launched the new iPhone and Apple Watch series together, and the event took place on the second Tuesday of September. Considering that you can expect the iPhone 16 series to be announced on September 10, 2024, alongside the Apple Watch.
Following that, you can expect the pre-orders to start between September 13 and 15, and a few variants will start shipping from September 20 onwards, like we saw last year with the iPhone 15 lineup.
What is the expected price of iPhone 16?
The iPhone 15 series didn’t see a price increase, except Apple dropped the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 128GB variant. As a result, the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1199. It’s not a price increase, but you can consider it one.
Apple didn’t increase the prices of the iPhone 15 lineup, even though the component prices were increased by 16 percent. Although the surplus value was absorbed, it may or may not continue the same strategy with the iPhone 16 series to avoid revenue impact.
Currently, there are no rumors regarding the pricing of the iPhone 16 models. I can only assume that Apple will maintain the starting price of $799 for standard iPhone 16 variants and $999 and $1199 for the iPhone 16 Pro models.
If you see a price increase, it’d not be 16 percent, in my opinion. Nonetheless, prepare yourself for a price increase so you don’t have to wait until the iPhone 16 is revealed in September.
iPhone 16 specs and features
Per the rumors, the iPhone 16 lineup should bring substantial upgrades over the iPhone 15 series. According to Unknownz21, the iPhone 16 Pro will be wider, receiving a display size increase, which hasn’t happened in years.
Moreover, we’ll see a new A-series chipset, camera improvement, and a few design changes.
That said, here’s a roundup of every change the iPhone 16 can feature based on the current rumors. iPhone 16’s launch is afar, and Apple may turn the tables and change its decisions anytime before announcing them.
1. Improved display
As mentioned above, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also corroborated that the iPhone 16 Pro models will see an increase in their display sizes. The iPhone 16 Pro is said to feature a 6.27-inch display, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a 6.85-inch panel. Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young indicated the bigger display size may result in adjusted aspect ratio of 16.6:9.
The iPhone hasn’t seen an increase in display size in four years since the iPhone 12 series. On the contrary, the standard models of the iPhone 16 series won’t feature any screen size bump. Their display sizes will remain the same as their predecessors. To sum it up, here are the rumored display sizes of the iPhone 16 series:
- iPhone 16: 6.1-inches
- iPhone 16 Plus: 6.7-inches
- iPhone 16 Pro: 6.3-inches
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 6.9-inches
Besides the screen size, the iPhone 16 OLED panels could use the MLA (micro-lens array) technology to improve its brightness and reduce the battery drain. If you didn’t know, MLA uses billions of lenses in a uniform pattern to reduce internal reflection.
The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, according to Weibo leaker Instant Digital, may have displays with a maximum brightness of 1,200 nits, a 20% leap from the iPhone 15 Pro.
Additionally, the Pro models are expected to get an LTPO backplane for ProMotion and always-on display support. It may also facilitate a variable refresh rate. Reports from The Elec suggest that the iPhone 16 may have the thinnest bezels ever incorporating Border Reduction Structure (BRS) technology. However, it appears to be difficult for Samsung to achieve this in production because of the precise positioning of the circuitry.
According to leaker ICEUNIVERSE, the iPhone 16 Pro Max dimensions are expected to be 163mm x 77.5mm x 8.26mm with 1.15mm display bezels.
Apart from these changes, there’s no information about the screen resolution or the brightness of the displays in the iPhone 16 series.
2. Design
We don’t anticipate any major design changes to the iPhone 16 as Apple just improved the iPhone’s design last year. For example, the iPhone 15 Pro models have titanium frames. However, we could see new color options on the current matte finish color-infused back glass.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that he anticipates the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max coming in black, white or silver, gray or “Natural Titanium,” and rose. Therefore, the Blue Titanium option introduced in the iPhone 15 Pro will be discontinued and replaced with a new rose color.
This aligns with a previous rumor from Weibo, stating that the current Blue Titanium color will be removed from the lineup in favor of a new “rose” titanium color. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will reportedly be available in black, green, pink, blue, and white.
Moreover, TechNetBook shared some new pictures of alleged iPhone 16 cases. The images suggest the iPhone 16 will have a pill-shaped camera design with two vertically oriented camera lenses, like the iPhone X.
Researcher Majin Bu also shared images of the iPhone 16 prototype and cases, indicating the same rumor. The Wide and Ultrawide lenses are housed separately in the pill-shaped bump. The microphone will be placed adjacent to the lenses. But the camera flash will be outside the bump.
As per experts, this configuration was made to record Spatial Video for Apple Vision Pro from the iPhone 16 base models. For Spatial Video recording, the lenses must be positioned to resemble the horizontal alignment of human eyes.
Apple introduced the Action button with the iPhone 15 series but limited it to the Pro models. The Action button on iPhone 15 Pro replaced the mute switch to allow you to perform various tasks, including Shortcuts.
According to a MacRumors report, the Action button will be expanded to the standard models and feature capacitive touch functionality. If that wasn’t enough, a Weibo leaker named Instant Digital claimed that there’s a high chance that the iPhone 16 will feature an additional button.
It’s rumored to be the Capture button will be on the same side as the Power button, replacing the space occupied by the mmWave antenna in the US. Meanwhile, the mmWave cutout will move to the left side of the iPhone.
You may also see the Capture Button cutout on the alleged iPhone 16 case mentioned earlier. According to The Information reports, the button is expected to react to touch and pressure. You may be able to focus on an object with a gentle push, start a recording by pressing and holding the button, and zoom in and out by swiping left and right on the button.
4. Better cameras
The iPhone 16 Pro models will feature improvements to the 48MP camera, taking better images in low lighting conditions. The 48MP wide-angle iPhone 16 Pro Max lens will reportedly have an eight-part hybrid lens (two glass and six plastic elements).
The 16 Pro Max could have 5x capabilities in the telephoto lens and could feature a periscope camera for better optical zoom. This information is from a Digital Chat Station, a reliable source, but it still needs backing from other reliable sources.
For pro models, Apple may upgrade the Ultra Wide Camera’s sensor to provide far better spatial video recording and Portrait mode. This also implies crisper photos in the 0.5x and macro modes.
A rumor from Naver Blog suggests that the iPhone 16 Pro cameras may get a new coating to lessen flares and enhance image quality. The lenses will be covered in a layer a few nanometers thick by the Atomic Layer Deposition anti-reflective technology.
The cameras in the iPhone 15 series are adequately good for now. And you’ll only see subtle improvements to the ultra-wide and the primary lens. iOS 18 already brought AI-based camera features like Clean Up tool for advanced photo editing.
4. Chipset and hardware improvements
While Apple surprised us by including the Pro series chipset in the iPhone 15 Pro models, we can expect to see it following the same trend. As a result, one can expect that the iPhone 16 models will feature an A17 chip while the 16 Pro models will feature an A18 Pro chipset.
However, analyst Jeff Pu thinks Apple will use A18 and A18 Pro names for the new chips. Both will feature TSMC’s N3E process and more Neural Engine cores to boost on-device AI features and machine learning performance. The A18 Pro might feature more GPUs to complement the iOS 18 Game Mode.
It’s rumored that after seeing the overheating issues of the 15 Pro Max models, Apple plans to work on a new thermal system for better heat dissipation. Currently, Apple is using copper for thermal conductivity, but it could be a graphene thermal system for the iPhone 16 models.
Furthermore, the RAM on the non-Pro iPhone 16 models could see an upgrade to 8GB from the 6GB in the iPhone 15. I don’t know why Apple is decreasing the difference between Pro and non-Pro models, but you’ll see 8GB of RAM throughout the iPhone 16 series.
The iPhone 16 Pro models could feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X75 5G mode, which allows faster and more efficient 5G connectivity. It’ll also improve carrier aggregation, taking 25 percent less space on the circuit board and consuming 20 percent less power.
In contrast, the non-Pro iPhone 16 models will feature Qualcomm’s X70 chip, the same as the iPhone 15 models. As reported by Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is expected to start using its own modem chip in 2025, meaning we won’t see it until the iPhone 17 series.
Lastly, you’ll see iPhone 16 Pro models adopting the Wi-Fi 7 technology for better speeds, low latency, and reliable connectivity. On the contrary, the iPhone 16 will feature Wi-Fi 6E models, supporting the 6GHz band. The USB-C port will see no changes, and the iPhone 16 lineup will adopt the same.
5. AI features
Regarding the software part, it should be obvious that Apple will introduce the iPhone 16 models with iOS 18. At WWDC 2024, iOS 18 introduced many AI features especially Apple Intelligence, RCS (Rich Communication Services), and new accessibility features.
According to Apple’s announcement, Apple Intelligence features will be rolled out to iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max due to their hardware capabilities. We hope to receive AI features throughout the operating system, including Siri, Messages, Apple Music, Voice Notes, and other Apple apps in all iPhone 16 models.
Although the iPhone 16 series will come pre-installed with iOS 18, and previous iPhone models may receive an update later, Apple Intelligence could not be available until early 2025. So, bigger updates are on the horizon.
6. Increased battery life
Rumor has it that the iPhone 16 Pro models will use stacked batteries, resulting in higher capacity and longer battery life. These are common in smartphones, electric vehicles, and medical equipment.
Another prediction from Ming-Chi Kuo is that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have the longest battery life of 4,676 mAh. The battery is rumored to have a higher energy density while keeping the battery cell’s present dimensions. Moreover, he stated that Apple may have plans to encase the battery in stainless steel to prevent overheating.
Additionally, the battery will have a new design and an updated connector. The best part is that Apple could “finally” allow a faster 40W wired and 20W MagSafe charging.
Is iPhone 16 Ultra confirmed?
Rumors were floating around stating that Apple would launch an Ultra model. But I don’t think it’s happening anytime soon, as no traces of it were found in the early iOS 18 code.
Looks like Apple is sticking to the four-models lineup like always, meaning the iPhone 16 series would consist of iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max models. A report from MacRumors also indicates the same. Again, these are early leaks, and this information can change in the future when more rumors are released.
Are you planning to buy the iPhone 16?
We haven’t seen a big overhaul of the iPhone since the iPhone 12 series. But it looks like the iPhone 16 series will not follow the same path as the AI buzz is going gaga. Again, these are early rumors; we can’t be sure of them as they could change.
If you’re waiting to get the iPhone 16, these substantial upgrades will make a big difference if you come from iPhone 13 and older phones. What features do you want to see in the iPhone 16? Let me know in the comments below.
Video: iPhone 16: Leaks, rumors and everything you need to know
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