iPhone 16 Pro — all the rumors so far

(Image credit: @MajinBuOfficial)

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Cheat sheet
Price and release
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iPhone 16 Pro cheat sheet: Biggest rumors

Release date prediction: September 2024
Price prediction: from $999
Design: Larger 6.3-inch display, capture button
Cameras: Bigger main sensor, 48MP ultrawide
AI features: Generative AI in several Apple apps, including Photos and Notes
Specs: A18 Pro chip, up to 2TB storage, Wi-Fi 7
Colors: Rose, Gray, Silver and Space Black
Battery: Larger battery
Software: iOS 18

iPhone 16 Pro: rumored price and potential release date

tim cook at apple event — (Image credit: Future)

With iPhone 15 models still a relatively redent release, we're not going to see any new smartphones from Apple until 2024. And barring the spring release of the iPhone SE 4, you'd figure that Apple's next smartphone launch will take place in the same time of year that its last one did — we're expecting a fall 2024 rollout for the iPhone 16 family, most likely in September.

It's much too early to talk pricing, though worrying about iPhone 16 costs is understandable, given the $100 price hike imposed on this year's iPhone 15 Pro Max. While it's always possible other models like the iPhone 16 Pro could see their prices go up, especially with component prices on the rise, it's pretty clear Apple likes having a Pro phone at the $999 mark. Something very significant would likely need to happen to knock the iPhone 16 Pro out of that price range.

iPhone 16 Pro: design rumors

iPhone 16 Pro Concept Video Science & Knowledge — (Image credit: Science & Knowledge/YouTube)

For the iPhone 15 Pro series, Apple switched to titanium for a lighter and more durable phone design. Expect that to continue with the iPhone 16 Pro, which is all but certain to also retain the USB-C port that Apple added to the current iPhone lineup. Perhaps this is year that the iPhone models take advantage of USB-C's faster charging speeds, though we've heard nothing in that regard.

The iPhone 15 Pro models did replace the mute switch with a new Action button, which is rumored to be heading to all iPhone 16 models, not just the Pros. It should be similar, if not identical, to the iPhone 15 Pro's button too, rather than reworked in one of the ways Apple has supposedly been experimenting with.

Another rumor has a Capture button coming to at least the iPhone 16 Ultra if not the iPhone 16 Pro as well, with at least one iPhone 16 prototype using the new button. This button would capture content using the phone's camera, and potentially focus the camera with a lighter press too.

One iPhone 16 Pro prototype apparently features under-display Face ID, with a single cutout for the selfie camera. But most people believe this design change won't materialize until the iPhone 17, including analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who says the capture button's addition is going to be the only major difference from previous models. This button's also believed to be capacitive rather than a physical button, with at least one capacitive key expected to appear on the Pro iPhones.

You can see how this all may look on the alleged dummy of the iPhone 16 Pro below, and how it compares to the standard model. There's even a closer look of how the iPhone 16 Pro compares in size and design to all the other versions in this set of leaked images of dummy units, or another pair here.

Alleged dummy of iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, from the back — (Image credit: Weibo)

A comparison of iPhone 16 Pro and Galaxy S24 renders by Phone Arena indicates that the upcoming phone from Apple will be larger and weigh more than Samsung's future flagship. We assume that the iPhone 16 Pro's rumored 149.6 x 71.45 x 8.25mm frame is meant to accommodate a bigger screen.

A tipster on X has given us our first clue of some potential color options coming with the iPhone 16 Pro. According to Majin Bu some of the potential options are Desert Yellow, aka Desert Titanium, and Cement Grey, aka Titanium Grey. However, the Majin Bu was adamant that there are no fully confirmed colors as of yet.

More recently we've heard that the iPhone 16 Pro could be offered in a choice of four colors, including a new Rose option. Gray, Silver and Space Black, seen on previous Pro iPhone generations, will also be on offer, according to one source. These colors will be applied with the same infused glass design seen on the iPhone 15 base models, the source later added.

iPhone 16 Pro: display rumors

As for the display, you might think Apple would stick with the 6.1-inch size for the Pro model that it's used for several years running. However, one rumor has suggested Apple might shift to larger screens — around 6.3 inches for the iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9 inches for the iPhone 16 Pro Max/Ultra. Prototype-based renders of the iPhone 16 Pro back this up. Due to the increase in size, it's likely it'll also pack a bigger battery as well.

Some analysts had expected Apple to use brighter Samsung panels for the iPhone 15 Pro, but that display change never happened. You'd think it might still be on the table of the iPhone 16 Pro, especially given that the new Pixel 8 models from Google feature much higher peak brightness limits (2,000 nits for the regular Pixel and 2,400 nits for the Pixel 8 Pro).

Samsung will reportedly supply displays for the iPhone 16, with a supply chain source suggesting the new OLED materials in those panels will replace blue fluorescent technology with blue phosphorescence technology. That would lead to a more power-efficient screen.

A display-building process called Border Reduction Structure could help give the iPhone 16 Pro thinner bezels. But currently it's reported that Apple's display suppliers are struggling to make enough of a high-enough quality.

iPhone 16 Pro: camera rumors

Cameras remain a big deal for mobile devices, which is why it may be surprising that few details about the iPhone 16 Pro's potential camera setup have emerged. However, the rumors that we have heard suggest some significant changes.

The biggest rumor regarding the iPhone 16 Pro's cameras contends that the tetraprism telephoto lens that debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro Max will find its way to the other Pro models in the iPhone 16 lineup. (Multiple sources from Apple's supply chain are now claiming this, as well as research firm TrendForce and Samsung Securities). That would likely boost the optical zoom on the iPhone 16 Pro to 5x just like it now is on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. There could be a new telephoto lens in store too, one that will increase the performance of the zoom camera while also reducing its weight and size.

We've also heard that the iPhone 16 Pro could see its ultrawide lens get an upgrade from the current 12MP sensor. Specifically, a rumor contends that all Pro models will get a 48MP ultrawide lens, matching a move Google just made with the Pixel 8 Pro. While spatial video capture has been reserved for the most recent Pro models, it looks as though Apple could be bringing the feature to other iPhone 16 models as well after molds and mockups were leaked.

Anyone looking for an iPhone selfie camera upgrade may need to look beyond the iPhone 16 series. Apparently the iPhone 17 will be the model series to upgrade Apple's current 12MP sensors to 24MP. Likewise, spatial video may no longer be exclusive to the pro models, as a rumored vertical camera layout to the standard iPhone 16 series could bring it to them as well.

One or more of these cameras may feature a new lens coating that Apple's tipped to be working on. This will hopefully improve the appearance of lens flares in photos, something that iPhones can't deal with as well as some rival phones.

iPhone 16 Pro: performance and specs rumors

Apple A17 Pro chip schematic — (Image credit: Apple)

With the Pro models getting the best of Apple's mobile silicon for two upgrades running now, we'd look for that pattern to continue with the iPhone 16 Pro. Specifically, analyst Jeff Pu expects all the iPhone 16 Pro models to feature the upcoming A18 Pro system-on-chip, which we've heard that could offer some very impressive performance benchmark scores.

Interestingly, Pu also predicts that the standard iPhone 16 will also run on a 3nm A18 chip, but it will be a less powerful version of that chipset. But at least one version of the chipset may come with more die space to allow more transistors and specialized hardware that could boost on-device AI performance.

Apple only introduced its first 3nm chip last year with the A17 Pro inside the iPhone 15 Pro. However, the upgrade to a more compact and powerful 2nm chip may come quickly, with the iPhone 17 expected to use the process for its own chips.

The performance of the A18 Pro may be a little underwhelming though. Alleged Geekbench CPU tests show improved results compared to the A17 Pro chip, but lower scores than what's been tipped for next-gen Snapdragon or Dimensity chips.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max became the first Apple phone to ship with 256GB of storage space. It's possible the iPhone 16 Pro might follow suit, and word is that AI demands may see that minimum storage come to all iPhone 16 devices this year. Either way, a rumored new memory type could allow the iPhone 16 Pro to offer up to 2TB of on-board storage, double what the current highest capacity iPhone offers. But this could come at the cost of memory speed.

One thing that's unlikely to happen, according to leaker @Tech_Reve is a boost in memory for the iPhone 16 Pro, allegedly to help on-device AI processing. If true, that would mean the new phone would stick with 8GB of RAM.

On the connectivity front, the iPhone 16 Pro is expected to add support for Wi-Fi 7, which uses three bands to move around data for faster connections. It's pretty clear that the iPhone 16 Pro won't feature a modem that Apple builds in-house; Qualcomm's already announced it will supply modems to Apple through 2026.

iPhone 16: Battery

There's only been a single rumor about the iPhone 16 Pro's battery so far. But it's a fairly straightforward one: the battery size could increase by 2%.

That likely wouldn't enough by itself to cause a massive shift in the phone's battery life compared to the iPhone 15 Pro. But hopefully with other updates we'll get a little more daily use out of this model than we did from its predecessor. Perhaps even up to 30 hours total battery life, going by one claim.

iPhone 16 Pro: software

Apple should introduce iOS 18 later this year, and that will be the software we expect the iPhone 16 Pro to run. And thanks to a new Apple Store tool, the new iPhones may come pre-updated to the latest version of iOS 18 even before you unbox one.

We expect iOS 18 to take center stage at WWDC 2024, with a preview of the new features during the June 10 opening keynote. We expect iOS 18 to focus on AI-powered features, including generative AI, with on-device AI a strong possibility for the iPhone 16 models. Older iPhones may need to turn to the cloud to power some AI capabilities. Here's our look at the AI rumors surrounding the iPhone 16 models.

For those AI features, Apple may be offering the surprising upgrade of a new microphone for the iPhone 16. This is apparently because Apple expects users to interact with these features via Siri, and the new mic will make voice commands clearer to the digital assistant.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has stated in his Power On newsletter that iOS 18 could be the biggest software update in iPhone history. He wrote, "I’m told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates — if not the biggest — in the company’s history.” He also mentioned that he plans to share more specific details about iOS 18 and the planned changes in the future, so hopefully we'll learn more about what makes the update so big soon."

Another report from Mark Gurman stated that the upcoming iOS 18 will have more customization options for iPhone home screens as well as potential new AI features. While we do not know the full details, it will likely include better widget placement options and new options for layout at least.

iPhone 16 Pro: outlook

We've got a ways to go before the iPhone 16 Pro becomes a reality, which means a lot more time for new rumors to emerge about Apple's potential plans. Check back frequently to see updates as we learn more about what could be coming to Apple's higher-end smartphones and whether the gap between the Pro model and the standard iPhone will continue to grow.

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Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.