iPhone 16 rumors are plentiful, and although the iPhone 15 series may not even be out yet, Apple cannot escape the endless cloud of rumors that hangs over it. And if you’re an Apple enthusiast, it’s always good to look ahead and know whether or not future models are worth waiting for.
After all, why spend all your money on an iPhone 14 Pro Max when a significantly better iPhone 16 Pro Max will come out in a year? There are already reliable leaks on new camera configurations, design changes, some spec shifts and potentially a brand new model. So without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about the iPhone 16 and rumors involving release date, price, design and more.
iPhone 16 latest news (Updated: August 16)
- The iPhone 16 Pro looks set to get a 48MP ultrawide camera, and an upgrade to WiFi 7!
- The iPhone 16 Pro’s camera sensor is looking absolutely stacked thanks to this camera sensor upgrade set to carry over from the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.
iPhone 16 release date
iPhone 16 is likely more than a year out. Apple often releases a new iPhone in the fall — somewhere between September and October. We expect the release-date window to be the same for the iPhone 16 series in 2024.
Apple hasn’t missed this September to October time frame since it began the trend in 2011 with the iPhone 4S. The only exception here is the iPhone SE series, which often launch between March and April.
iPhone 16 price
iPhone 16 is quite a bit away, so even looking at iPhone 14 pricing, it’s impossible to make accurate predictions based on previous costs. The starting price of $799 on iPhone 14 has been consistent after iPhone 11, which started at $699. It could be time for the company to bump prices with the 16 models, with the iPhone 14 Plus ($899), iPhone 14 Pro ($999) and iPhone 14 Pro Max ($1,099) also potentially seeing an increase.
We may have an answer to this question this fall as there is a rumored iPhone 15 Pro price bump.
iPhone 16 design
iPhone 16 Pro series phones are rumored to receive an increase in display size from 6.1 inches on the iPhone 15 Pro to 6.3 inches on the iPhone 16 Pro. The iPhone 16 Pro Max will also receive a 0.2-inch bump, from 6.7-inches on iPhone 15 Pro Max to 6.9-inches on iPhone 16 Pro Max. This change will not only result in a bigger screen, but could potentially allow for an easier grip.
Rumors also suggest the iPhone 15 Pro’s heavily rumored solid-state buttons and new action button have been effectively canceled. These hotly rumored features are instead potentially going to be introduced in the iPhone 16 series after a reported delay.
If true, it will mean that the volume and power buttons will be replaced with a haptic feedback interface rather than a mechanical button. The sources on this rumor are reliable; Respected Apple leaker Mark Gurman himself claimed that the feature has been delayed to iPhone 16. Unless Apple delays it again, we’re expecting to see it come to light when the time comes.
iPhone 16 specs
The iPhone 16’s specs are mostly in the dark, but there is the potential for a very powerful version of the iPhone 16. This comes from a rumor which suggests that iPhone 16 will introduce an even higher end model than the Pro Max series called iPhone 16 Ultra.
Bloomberg’s Gurman claims that Apple is in talks for this to happen, with it potentially including a more powerful chip, superior camera, larger display, and reverse wireless charging. Apple also plans to stop using external modem chips and instead produce in-house, according to another leak from Gurman
iPhone 16 camera
The iPhone 16’s size bump isn’t just for fun. Apple needs more space for its new set of cameras, which include a new 48MP ultrawide, and a periscope lens that offers a massive shift in the camera landscape. It allows for an increased optical zoom anywhere between 5x to 10x.
Current Pro iPhones can only zoom 3x, so the inclusion of this hardware change across both of the Pro models of the iPhone 16 is massive. If you can’t wait until 2024 this same change is rumored to be available on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and rumors suggest it will reach both iPhone 16 Pro models..
Another design rumor claims that the vertical camera layout will be returning on the iPhone 16. Apple switched over to a diagonal camera layout with iPhone 13, but a leak from Twitter user @URedditor claims that a iPhone 12-esque design is in testing, with another style featuring a vertical camera layout also in testing. This rumor comes from a source with a dubious track record, so its validity is up in the air.
Someone with a far less dubious track record of revealing key iPhone features before launch is Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who recently reported on Apple planning to bring a stacked CMOS Image Sensor (rumored to feature in the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus) to iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models.
The new stacked CIS chip replaces the standard CIS found in Apple's smartphones since as far back as the iPhone 4 and brings with is a host of high-end improvements to image quality.
The stacked sensor design dramatically improves performance, allowing for faster auto-focus and image capture, greatly improved low-light capture with less noise, and greater power efficiency.
Bottom line
The iPhone 16 series is more than a year away, but the number of rumors we already have speaks to Apple’s manufacturing foresight. It’s clear that the company is already thinking about quite a few later iPhone versions before their latest one even launches.
iPhone 16 could boast some huge camera changes, new specs, a higher end model, the removal of mechanical buttons and far more. Now it’s just a matter of seeing if these rumors garner additional support as we get closer to the reveal of the iPhone 15.
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