The iPhone 16 draws closer to release, and with each passing day more information escapes Apple Park to give us a closer idea of what we can expect when they're revealed later in the year.
Apple's annual iPhone release is one of the major staples of the tech calendar and a showcase of smartphone innovation. Last year's iPhone 15-series dazzled thanks to a fusion of premium materials and cutting-edge components, and Apple's iPhone 16-series appears ready to one-up it.
At Laptop Mag, we keep our finger on the pulse of iPhone 16 news, gathering the latest information from as many credible, reliable, and proven sources as we can. We monitor the opinions and claims from industry insiders and in-the-know journalists to reputable analysts and well-known leakers with proven track records—all to bring you the most up-to-date and accurate information surrounding the iPhone 16 that we possibly can.
With that in mind, always remember that the details listed here are not officially sourced from Apple and some claims made by sources may be incorrect, misinformed about finer details, or making assessments based on older information. As such, this information is subject to change from time to time.
This page is the culmination of those efforts, where we've compiled the most precise representation of Apple's upcoming iPhone 16. This page is a collaborative effort of our editorial staff and is regularly maintained to ensure its information is as up-to-date as possible. Below is everything we know about the iPhone 16.
iPhone 16 rumors: Latest news
Recent updates
Last updated: Apr. 25, 2024
- Click no more? iPhone 16 is rumored to have no physical buttons
- Leak suggests a huge upgrade is coming to iPhone 16 camera
- iPhone 16 Plus color leak will brighten your day
- iPhone 16 may finally offer this much requested upgrade
- Early iPhone 16, 17 Pro Max leaks see Apple chase the camera phone crown
- iPhone 16 and Galaxy S24 could be next to join Gen AI
- Forget the Action Button! iPhone 16 looks set to get ANOTHER new button
iPhone 16 rumors: FAQs
- When will the iPhone 16 be released?
We don't know the exact date, but Apple typically releases new iPhones in September. - How much will the iPhone 16 cost?
If pricing remains the same as the iPhone 15, the iPhone 16 will be available for $799, the iPhone 16 Plus for $899, the iPhone 16 Pro for $999, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max for $1,199. - Will the iPhone 16 look different?
Based on early information, the iPhone 16 will feature a redesigned camera island on the back of the device and feature frame-flush capacitive touch buttons. - Will the iPhone 16 have new buttons?
The iPhone 16 is rumored to bring the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max's Action Button to all models, as well as a brand new Capture Button for quick access to camera functions. - Will the iPhone 16 have AI?
Early reports point to Apple's new iPhone including a mix of onboard and cloud-based AI features. - Will the iPhone 16 have a 120Hz display?
The iPhone 16 is not expected to feature the long-awaited ProMotion 120Hz display, instead retaining the 60Hz refresh rate of the iPhone 15.
iPhone 16 rumors: Release date & price
Apple often releases a new iPhone in the fall, somewhere between September and October. We expect the release date window to stay the same for the iPhone 16 series.
Apple hasn’t missed this September to October window since it began the trend in 2011 with the iPhone 4S. The only exception is the iPhone SE series, which often launches between March and April.
Following the pattern of the last three iPhone models to release, the iPhone 16 is likely to arrive in September 2024.
We can't speak on the price of the iPhone 16 this early on. However, should Apple maintain the same pricing of the iPhone 15, then we would expect the iPhone 16-series to be priced as follows:
| Model | Price |
|---|---|
| iPhone 16 | $799 |
| iPhone 16 Plus | $899 |
| iPhone 16 Pro | $999 |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | $1,199 |
That being said, the iPhone 16 line includes several upgrades that could raise the production costs of Apple's handset, and those costs could be passed on to customers. As such, there's potential for the iPhone 16 to see a bump in pricing upon release.
iPhone 16 rumors: Design
From what we know, the iPhone 16 will retain much of the same overall design as the iPhone 15 that came before it. The same goes for the Plus, Pro, and Pro Max models.
However, there are a few notable changes. First of which is a slight difference in measurements for iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models—not only in dimensions and weight but also in display size.
Both the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models will be fractionally larger and heavier than their iPhone 15 counterparts, but they're also rumored to feature expanded OLED displays of 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches in size respectively.
| Model | Size | Weight | Screen size |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 16 Pro | 5.9 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches | 194 grams | 6.3 inches |
| iPhone 16 Pro Max | 6.4 x 3 x 0.3 inches | 225 grams | 6.9 inches |
Secondly, the iPhone 16 (and likely the iPhone 16 Plus) will feature a redesigned camera island, ditching the diagonal lenses for a horizontal camera array housed atop of an iPhone X-like pill-shaped block.
The reason for this change could have much to do with another Apple product released earlier this year, the Vision Pro. We've already seen that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max can use their vertically stacked cameras to capture Spatial Video, ready for playback on Apple's mixed-reality headset. This new layout could be lining up the lenses of the iPhone 16 (and iPhone 16 Plus) to do the very same.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models will also inherit the Action Button previously found in iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max handsets.
The Action Button is a new key that replaces the Ring/Silent switch of older iPhones. Interestingly, you can customize the Action Button to perform a variety of tasks, meaning it's entirely up to you exactly what the "Action" in Action Button is.
Some of the more common use cases include:
- Turning Silent mode on or off.
- Opening the Camera app.
- Turning the flashlight on or off.
- Starting the iPhone's speech translation function.
- Opening an app or activating a shortcut.
However, it's reported that the iPhone 16's action button will differ from the one found on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models. In fact, all of the buttons on each of the iPhone 16 models will differ from the ones that came before it, because the iPhone 16-series is set to feature a full suite of capacitive switches.
Capacitive switches ditch the mechanical component of a regular button, meaning these switches act in much the same way as the iPhone's touchscreen, or the trackpad of a MacBook.
The iPhone's adoption of capacitive buttons was a key rumor circulating ahead of the launch of the iPhone 15. However, it would seem that Apple needed a little longer to iron out some of the kinks, especially when it came to the Taptic Engines that generate haptic feedback on presses in place of the tactile bump from the actuation of a physical switch.
In celebration of this new tech's implementation, every iPhone 16 model will also feature a Capture Button, a capacitive switch intended for multimedia capture said to recognize swiping gestures and varying pressure levels to interpret different shortcuts to camera functions.
This time around, it would seem that are Apple is fully prepared to go full steam ahead with capacitive switches. Meaning the entire iPhone 16 line will be wholly free of mechanical buttons.
iPhone 16 rumors: Display
Before the iPhone 15 launched, we got early word that Samsung Display was onboard to provide the iPhone 16 with new OLED panels featuring Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology.
MLA is a screen technology more commonly found in OLED TVs. It replaces the over-coating layer with a blanket of microscopic lenses (or lenslets). How microscopic? Well, LG Display claims that up to 5,000 of these lenslets can fit within a single pixel.
The benefits of switching to this technology for the iPhone 16 include a clearer, brighter picture with improved HDR performance without needing to increase the brightness of the pixels in the OLED panel (making it much more efficient) and without any increased risk of screen burn-in—an issue the iPhone 15 has had its fair share of run-ins with.
Certain iPhone 16 handsets (likely the Pro models) are also set to feature far thinner bezels through Border Reduction Structure (BRS), which uses a more efficient layout of the display's circuitry to trim down the need for a more spacious border.
iPhone 16 rumors: Specifications
While we don't have an official look at the spec sheet or available configurations for Apple's upcoming iPhone 16, we have heard a fair amount of chatter about how its internal components may be improved.
Firstly, each iPhone model is reportedly set to don an A18 Bionic chipset, with the Pro and Pro Max handsets likely candidates for a more technically-capable A18 Pro processor that may feature an upgraded NPU to aid with any on-device AI capabilities Apple intends to platform in iOS 18.
It's these AI capabilities that may also push up the base configuration for Apple's iPhone 16. Recent rumors indicate that Apple's on-device AI plans will require each iPhone 16 model to feature 8GB of RAM at a minimum and that efforts to make use of NAND flash to run its local models could push the base storage capacity of each handset to 256GB.
There's no telling if this means Apple plans to raise the base offering for either RAM or storage selectively, or both. However, if Apple were to elevate both then this may be something exclusive to iPhone 16 Pro models to take full advantage of the A18 Pro processor with its upgraded NPU.
In addition to potential RAM and storage improvements, the iPhone 16 is also rumored to feature Wi-Fi 7 connectivity and a built-in 5G modem—however, it's unlikely to be the rumored in-house option currently being designed by Apple.
iPhone 16 rumors: Cameras
The iPhone 16's camera array could include a new 48MP ultrawide, with the Pro Max's 48MP wide lens adopting a glass-plastic hybrid lens that allows up to 20% more light into its iris, resulting in much better low-light photography.
It's also possible that the 5x Telephoto lens of the iPhone 15 Pro Max could feature in both Pro models of the iPhone 16.
Apple will also use Atomic Layer Deposition coating on its lenses for the first time, which can counteract lens flare issues and better preserve image quality.
Outlook
The iPhone 16 has plenty of promise, and Apple is pretty consistent at delivering a quality handset year-in-year-out. There are a few key design changes to look out for, more than in previous years to be sure, and the new A18 processor promises even more potential when it comes to performance.
All in all, we could be in for a real treat, especially if Apple's iOS 18 update is able to deliver on the feature front.
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