iPhone 16: Release date, price, specs, features, and other rumors
iPhone 16 rumors are heating up as the next-generation phone looms closer.
Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable
The iPhone 16 rumors are flooding in â and we’re curious about how it’ll be different from the iPhone 15.
Weâre hearing tons whispers about a RAM boost for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models.
The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the other hand, are reportedly getting some striking upgrades to the cameras that may dazzle the masses. Hereâs a compilation of everything we know so far about next year’s iPhone 16 line.
iPhone 16 release dateThe iPhone 16 release date is expected to be September of next year. After Apple has its whole shebang of an event showcasing the next-generation handsets, the iPhones typically ship about a week or two later.
iPhone 15
Credit: Apple
In the past, Apple has deviated from this cadence due to reported production hindrances (e.g., supply chain issues). For example, the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 14 Plus shipped in October, but typically, get unveiled some time during the first half of September every year.
iPhone 16 designLetâs dive into arguably the most important aspect of the iPhoneâs design: the screen.
There havenât been any significant changes to the display sizes since the iPhone 12, but according to reliable leaker Unknownz21, the upper-tier iPhone 16 models are going to be a little bit more unwieldy in your hands.
DisplayThe iPhone 16 Pro will reportedly have a 6.3-inch display while the iPhone 16 Pro Max will pack a 6.9-inch panel. You may be wondering, âWhat about the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus? Will they get a screen size bump, too?â The answer is likely no. The lower-tier models will reportedly have the same display sizes as their predecessors.
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iPhone 15 screen sizes
iPhone 15 – 6.1 inches
iPhone 15 Plus – 6.7 inches
iPhone 15 Pro – 6.1 inches
iPhone 15 Pro Max – 6.7 inches
iPhone 16 screen sizes (rumored)
iPhone 16 – 6.1 inches
iPhone 16 Plus – 6.7 inches
iPhone 16 Pro – 6.3 inches
iPhone 16 Pro Max – 6.9 inches
Ross Young, a well-known display analyst and Apple leaker, was the first to claim that the iPhone 16 Pro models will have larger screens.Â
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However, he offered slightly different numbers: 6.2 inches and 6.8 inches. What could be the reason behind the discrepancy? According to MacRumors, itâs “likely due to the difference between actual display area and viewable display area.”
Another rumor we’re hearing is that the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will continue to have 60Hz refresh-rate displays. This is a little disappointing considering other phones in the market at least have 90Hz screens, making navigating through the UI smoother, zippier and seamless.
Thinner bezelsThe iPhone 16 will also reportedly have slimmer bezels, according to a report from The Elec (h/t MacRumors). Apple is tipped to be using something called Border Reduction Structure (BRS) technology, which reduces the internal footprint of the circuitry inside, allowing for thinner bezels (without sacrificing anything important aspects like display performance, for example).
Thinner bezels means that the iPhone 16 series should yield more screen real estate for users.
Action ButtonA report from MacRumors claims that every single model in the iPhone 16 line will feature an Action Button â not just the iPhone 15 Pro variants. The current-gen iPhone 15 Pro models’ Action Button can be programmed to launch a range of apps and functions, including Flashlight, Camera, Silent Mode, Voice Memo, Focus, Magnifier, Translate (coming to iOS 17.2), and a range of accessibility features.
When iPhone 16 drops, however, the rumor mill states that Apple will add more functionality to the Action Button.
Capture ButtonThe Action Button was all the rage for the iPhone 15 series, however, according to MacRumors and The Information, a new Capture Button will be one of the biggest selling points for the iPhone 16. Reportedly placed slightly under the power button, the Capture Button is a camera-focused feature that can do the following:
Zoom in and out of photos/videos with swiping gestures
Allows users to focus on subjects
Activates the shutter button
While MacRumors and The Information both concur that Apple is testing a “capture button” on the iPhone 16, both aren’t on the same page on whether it’s a mechanical button or a capacitive one. MacRumors says it’s the latter, but the Information claims it’s both.
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Solid-state buttonsApple reportedly planned on introducing solid-state buttons with the iPhone 15 Pro models, but instead, we got a customizable Action Button. For the uninitiated, solid-state buttons arenât buttons per se â theyâre panels that feature haptic feedback sensations that simulate real button presses (Think of the iPhone SE series’ Home button). On the plus side, the solid-state buttons arenât totally out of the picture. According to respected Apple leaker and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is working on debuting solid-state buttons on the iPhone 16 Pro models instead.
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Kuo added that these solid-state buttons will add two additional Taptic Engines, which will help fire off tangible feedback to users. (If this is true, the number of Taptic Engines in the iPhone 16 will increase to three â up from one.)
According to a tip from Weibo (via MacRumors), the Action Button on the iPhone 16 Pro will be a solid-state button and sit flush against the chassis. To make room for this change, Apple will reportedly move the mmWave antenna to the left of the iPhone 16 Pro as opposed to the right. This Weibo tip comes from a leaker with the moniker “Instant Digital,” a bean spiller that reportedly has an accurate track record, according to MacRumors.
iPhone 16 rendersBased on all the design notes listed above (as well as some details from leaker Majin Bu), digital artist Aaron Carpenter gave us a good look at what the iPhone 16 could look like:
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As you can see, you’ll find the Action Button, which was left out of the lower-tier models on the current generation iPhone, now present on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.
iPhone 16 AIThe iPhone 16 will reportedly featured an AI-powered Siri.
Siri is about to get a whole lot smarter.
Credit: Apple
In other words, Siri is maturing into a more sophisticated digital assistant. According to Kuo, this means that Siri will bring new hardware to the iPhone 16, including updated microphones with better water resistance and an improved signal-to-noise ratio.
iPhone 16 camerasApple debuted a new zoom lens with a “tetra-prism” design on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which simply means that engineers found a way to “fold” the shooter so that it still has telephoto capabilities without taking up too much space. This new camera increases the Pro Maxâs optical zoom from 3x to 5x.
iPhone 15 Pro
Credit: Apple
However, according to Digital Chat Station (DCS), a bean-spiller on the Chinese social media site Weibo, both the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max will get the new tetra-prism telephoto camera.
DCS also added that the iPhone 16 Pro Max specifically is getting the Sony IMX903 sensor, an upgrade from the Sony IMX803 sensor. This means that the iPhone 16 Pro Max wide lens will have a larger sensor size, allowing for more light gathering for better photos and videos in low-light conditions.
Credit: John Keeble/Getty Images
According to Jeff Pu, a tech analyst from Haitong International Securities (a Hong Kong investment firm), the ultrawide cameras are getting a boost, too.
Pu stated tthe iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models will also feature a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera with better light gathering. As such, camera performance in dimmer environments should improve. As it stands now, the iPhone 15 Pro models have a 12MP ultrawide camera.
The ultrawide camera is perfect for taking landscape photos, allowing you to capture more scenery. However, compared to the main camera, the ultrawide lens tends to deliver a slight drop in crispness and sharpness. If this rumor is true, the new 48-megapixel ultrawide camera may ameliorate this minor foible.
Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple will upgrade the rear cameras on the iPhone 16 Pro models, introducing a stacked design. What will a stacked design do? According to Apple Insider, it increases light capture and provides wider dynamic range, so Night Mode should get a sweet boost.
Finally, it’s worth pointing out that the iPhone 16 Pro, as we reported in April, will allegedly tackle lens flare and ghosting issues by using anti-reflective coating on the cameras.
iPhone 16 battery sizesAs we reported in early April, a Weibo leaker by the name of “OvO Baby Sauce OvO” seemingly unveiled the new new battery sizes across the iPhone 16 lineup:
iPhone 16: 3,561mAh
iPhone 16 Plus: 4,006mAh
iPhone 16 Pro: 3,355mAh
iPhone 16 Pro Max: 4,676mAh
All the iPhone 16 models have some sort of increase from two to six percent except for the iPhone 16 Plus, which reportedly has a reduction of nearly nine percent compared to the iPhone 15 Plus.
Keep in mind that an increase in battery size doesn’t necessarily mean that the device will deliver longer battery life. And in the same vein, a battery size reduction doesn’t necessarily lead to shorter runtimes. There are other aspects at play (the display’s efficiency, for example). So we won’t know for sure how battery life is affected until we get the phones in our hands.
iPhone 16 specsThe iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are equipped with 8GB of RAM while the lower-tier models, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro Max, are stuck with their predecessorsâ 6GB of RAM. If that bums you out, donât worry. According to Pu, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are expected to join the 8GB of RAM bandwagon, too.
iPhone 15 lineup
Credit: Apple
StorageAccording to news aggregator account “yeux1122” from Naver, a Korean blog, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will feature options that offer 2TB of storage.
That is double the current max storage capacity of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
ChipsetIn recent years, Apple has followed the trend of putting last year’s chip into the two entry-level models while the Pro models, the Pro and the Pro Max, get the new-generation chip. For example, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus got the A16 Bionic chip, the same inside the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. However, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max got outfitted with the new A17 Pro chips.
If this pattern continues, it should follow that the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus get the A17 Pro while the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max get the A18 chips. Pu hinted that this is how it will be for the iPhone 16 line, hinting that the A17 Pro will reportedly be less efficient. In other words, the iPhone 16 models equipped with this chip may take a battery life hit. This is because the next-generation chip will offer tremendous performance gains at the expense of power efficiency.
However, another rumor tells a different story.
According to an alleged iOS 18 code leak from MacRumors, the entire iPhone 16 line will get an A18 chip. However, thereâs a chance that Apple will use a âProâ identifier name to differentiate from the standard and Pro models (e.g., A18 chip and A18 Pro).
The iPhone 16 Pro models will also reportedly support Wi-Fi 7 (current models support WiFi 6E). Wi-Fi 7 should offer zippy transfer speeds that exceed 40 Gbps, quadrupling what WiFi 6E can do.
According to Pu (via 9to5Mac), the iPhone 16 Pro will come with Qualcommâs Snapdragon X75 modem, which can reach a 5G download rate of up to 7.5 Gbps.
Weâll periodically update this rumor hub as new iPhone 16 leaks trickle in, so be sure to bookmark this page.Â
Kimberly Gedeon is a tech explorer who enjoys doing deep dives into the most popular gadgets, from the latest iPhones to the most immersive VR headsets. She’s drawn to strange, avant-garde, bizarre tech, whether it’s a 3D laptop, a gaming rig that can transform into a briefcase, or smart glasses that can capture video. Her journalism career kicked off about a decade ago at MadameNoire where she covered tech and business before landing as a tech editor at Laptop Mag in 2020.
