By Tim Hardwick
With much of the tech industry's attention focused on Apple's Vision Pro headset lately, you could be forgiven for thinking that iPhone rumors have been few and far between over the past few months. Fortunately, this is not the case. Rumors and leaks about the iPhone 16 series continue to emerge, and collectively, Apple's next-generation 2024 smartphone lineup looks like it could be a major upgrade.
To get you up to speed, we've summarized below the biggest iPhone 16 rumors we've already covered here on MacRumors. For more details, follow the links or dive into our dedicated reviews for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models, which are expected to go on sale in September.
1. Large displays
The largest iPhones ever
According to rumors, this year the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will receive a larger display size – up to 6.27 and 6.86 inches, respectively. By comparison, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max feature 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays, respectively. The new display sizes will be the largest ever for an iPhone.
2. Vertical camera position
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus
Apple's base iPhone 16 models will have a vertical camera layout with a pill-shaped convex surface, instead of the diagonal camera layout of the iPhone 15. The new camera bump has two separate rings for the wide and ultra-wide cameras. The vertical camera orientation is expected to enable spatial video recording, which is currently only available on iPhone 15 Pro models.
3. Battery Changes
All iPhone 16 models
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro Max are rumored to use larger batteries than their predecessors, but the iPhone 16 Plus may have a smaller capacity. The iPhone 16 is said to be 6% larger than the iPhone 15, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max is said to be 5% larger. In contrast, the iPhone 16 Plus is rumored to have a 9% reduction in capacity. On the other hand, Apple could also potentially use stacked battery technology to increase energy density and extend life.
4. Capture Button
New camera features
All iPhone 16 models will have a new “capture button” designed to trigger image or video capture. The button will add features such as the ability to zoom in and out by swiping left and right on the button, focus on an object with a light press, and activate recording with a harder press. The capture button will be located on the bottom right side of the iPhone 16 and will replace the mmWave antenna on US iPhone models, with the antenna moving to the left side of the device below the volume and action buttons.
5. Ultra Wide Angle Lens Update
iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max
The iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to feature an upgraded 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera lens, which This will allow you to capture more light, resulting in better quality photos when shooting in 0.5x mode, especially in low light conditions. This also means iPhone 16 Pro models will be able to shoot 48MP ProRAW photos in Ultra Wide mode. These photos retain more detail in the image file, allowing for greater editing flexibility, and can be printed at larger sizes.
5. Super telephoto lens
iPhone 16 Pro Max
The iPhone 16 Pro Max may be the first to feature a super-telephoto periscope camera with significantly increased optical zoom. A “super” or “ultra” telephoto lens usually refers to cameras with a focal length greater than 300mm. The current telephoto lens is equivalent to a 77mm lens, so if it's accurate the zoom capabilities could increase significantly. Super telephoto lenses are often used for sports and wildlife photography, but the extremely soft backgrounds they create also make them useful for portrait photography, provided there is sufficient distance between the subject and the photographer.
6. Supports faster Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7
Apple iPhone Pro 2024 models are expected to receive Wi-Fi 7 version Pro models supporting simultaneous data transmission in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands. This should result in faster Wi-Fi speeds, lower latency and more reliable connections. With technologies such as 4K QAM, Wi -Fi 7 will offer a maximum data transfer speed of over 40Gbps, which is 4 times faster than Wi-Fi 6E. Meanwhile, iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are rumored to support Wi-Fi 6E, which operates in Band 6 GHz, providing faster wireless speeds and reducing signal interference.
7. New AXX series chips
A17 and A18 Pro variants
The next-generation Apple A18 Pro chip is expected to be manufactured using TSMC's second-generation 3nm process, known as N3E. According to rumors, all four iPhone 16 models will be equipped with A18-branded chips. Meanwhile, another rumor refutes the claim that the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will use A17 chips made using a different manufacturing process than the A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro. The A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro is made using TSMC's N3B process, but Apple is reportedly planning to switch to the cheaper N3E process for the standard A17 chip coming out next year for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.
7. Qualcomm 5G modem
iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max
Apple is expected to use the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon X75 modem in this year's Pro and Pro Max models. Snapdragon X75 includes improved carrier aggregation and other technology advancements for faster 5G download and upload speeds compared to the X70 found in iPhone 15 models. The modem's combined mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G transceiver also takes up 25% less storage space. PCB and is claimed to consume up to 20% less energy. The standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are expected to retain the Snapdragon X70 modem.
8. Tetraprism Lens
iPhone 16 Pro
Both iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to come with 5x optical zoom, which is currently an exclusive feature iPhone 15 Pro Max. Apple's tetraprism lens system has a “folded” design that allows it to fit inside a smartphone, providing up to 5x optical zoom and up to 25x digital zoom. In contrast, the current smaller iPhone 15 Pro is limited to 3x optical zoom, which is the same as the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
10. Microlens technology
More efficient OLED
Apple is reportedly considering using microlens technology to maintain or increase the brightness of OLED displays on next year's iPhone 16 models, potentially reducing their power consumption. MLA works by using a uniform pattern of billions of lenses within the panel, which reduces internal reflections. These lenses rotate the path of light reflected back from the inside of the panel towards the screen, which can serve to either increase perceived brightness while maintaining the same level of power consumption, or to maintain brightness levels while consuming less power than conventional OLED panels at the same brightness .
11. Action button
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus
The iPhone 15 Pro models feature an action button, and the action button is expected to be expanded to standard iPhone 16 models in 2024. The action button used in the iPhone 16 line will be identical to the iPhone 15 Pro action button. The Action button, which replaces the traditional mute switch, can perform multiple functions such as activating the flashlight, turning on the camera, launching a shortcut, turning focus mode on or off, using translation, turning silent mode on/off, and more.
12. Generative artificial intelligence
Large language models
In iOS 18, Apple is rumored to introduce new features based on large language models (LLM), although additional advanced generative AI features may be limited to iPhone 16 models. Apple is developing a wide range of features, leveraging generative AI, including a smarter version of Siri, improved interaction between Siri and the Messages app, auto-generated Apple Music playlists, integration with productivity apps for AI-powered content creation, and more.
13. Upgraded microphone
Improved Siri
Apple is reportedly planning a major upgrade to the iPhone 16's microphone to benefit Siri's new AI-enhanced capabilities. Apple's AI ambitions for Siri will rely heavily on improved processing of voice input, and the new microphone is expected to provide significantly improved signal-to-noise ratio.
14. New thermal design
Reduce heat
Apple is rumored to be working on a graphene thermal system for the “iPhone 16” lineup, while the “iPhone 16” Pro model could add metal battery cases to reduce overheating. Graphene has high thermal conductivity, surpassing the copper currently used in iPhone heatsinks. Apple has been filing patents related to the use of graphene for thermal management for some time now. The move could be a response to widespread overheating issues with the iPhone 15 Pro, which Apple has addressed with a software update.
15. Extended storage
Both iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be available with double the maximum storage capacity compared to the iPhone 15 Pro According to one rumor , the volume of models increases from 1 TB to 2 TB. The move is said to be a result of Apple's move to higher-density quad-level cell (QLC) NAND flash for higher-memory models. Apple's use of QLC NAND could allow Apple to fit more memory into less space, and it's cheaper than the triple-level cell (TLC) NAND used in current iPhones. On the other hand, QLC has a comparatively lower read and write speed.
15. Increasing memory
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus
Apple's iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models are rumored to come with 8GB of RAM, which is more than previous versions. 6 GB of RAM in iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. More RAM should mean better multitasking performance on the iPhone.
Related reviews: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro[78 comments]
