iPhone 16: All the Biggest Rumors About Apple's Next Device
camera lenses James Martin/CNET
The iPhone 15 has only been around for a few months, but already rumors for Apple’s next-gen handset — likely to be named the iPhone 16 — are coming in.
Based on the latest buzz, it appears we might have to keep waiting for an Apple foldable iPhone (if it’s going to happe at all). Even though virtually every major phone-maker — from Google to Oppo to OnePlus and Samsung — have launched their own bendable handsets, Apple has been characteristically quiet about whether there will ever be an iPhone Flip or an iPhone Fold.
Instead, there are whispers about the iPhone 16’s features, which are said to span from a new power-efficient display to larger screens, better zoom lenses and, perhaps not surprisingly, a suite of new generative AI-powered features.
However, the iPhone 16 is still presumably 10 months away and nothing will be confirmed until Apple’s iPhone event next fall. Still, these rumors could give us an idea of what to expect from the next iPhone. And we’re not holding our breath for a foldable iPhone right now.
Here are the most credible rumors for the iPhone 16.
iPhone 16 Pro models to get bigger screens?
Apple has maintained the two screen sizes for iPhone Pro models since 2020 when it launched the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro and the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. However, that’s rumored to change with the iPhone 16 Pro models, which might get bigger screens.
Display analyst Ross Young suggested earlier this year that the iPhone 16 Pro models will have larger screens, putting the sizes at 6.3 inches for the iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9 inches for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. That rumor was later corroborated by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who said the iPhone 16 Pro models could grow by “a couple tenths of an inch diagonally.”
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models are believed to be sticking with the current 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch sizes. If the size increase is accurate, it would be yet another move from Apple to distinguish its Pro iPhone models from its regular ones.
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
Rumored iPhone 16 screen sizes
- iPhone 16: 6.1 inches
- iPhone 16 Plus: 6.7 inches
- iPhone 16 Pro: 6.3 inches
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 6.9 inches
iPhone 16 gets more AI tricks
One of the most salient selling points of Google’s Pixel 8 was its souped-up AI tips and tricks, and it wouldn’t be a major shock if Apple went in the same direction. According to Gurman’s Power On newsletter, iOS 18 will feature generative AI technology that “should improve how both Siri and the Messages app can field questions and auto-complete sentences.”
According to a September report from the Information, Apple plans to use large language models, a crucial part of generative AI, to make Siri smarter. The report said this feature is expected to be released with an iPhone software update next year.
iPhone gets more power-efficient display?
Another change that could make its way to iPhone 16 displays is greater power efficiency. Samsung Display is apparently developing a new material set, dubbed M14, specifically for Apple, according to a TheElec report, which says the new technology should arrive on iPhones launching next year. M14 will replace the blue fluorescent technology that’s used now with blue phosphorescence technology, creating an even more power-efficient screen than the current LTPO ones used on Pro models, the report says.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
iPhone 16 gets better zoom?
Both the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max could both have 5x telephoto lenses next year. According to Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo, a tetraprism lens will make its way to both Pro models next year, as opposed to just the Pro Max model. Apple equipped the iPhone 15 Pro with a 12-megapixel 3x optical zoom, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 12-megapixel 5x optical zoom camera, which is the equivalent of 120mm lens on a full-frame camera.
If this rumor is true, it could mark a breakthrough in design. When Apple launched the 15 Pro Max with its 5x telephoto lens, it cited the phone’s bigger body as to why the Pro Max had it but the Pro didn’t.
iPhone 16 processors: A18 chip for all models?
In a break with the past two years, all four iPhone 16 models will get a next-generation Apple chipset, which will all receive A18 branding, According to a MacRumors report citing Jeff Pu, an executive analyst for Haitong International Securities, all four models will have an A18 series chip with Pro iPhone models getting an A18 Bionic Pro and base models getting a regular A18.
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus currently have an A16 Bionic, which debuted on the 2022 iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, while the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max run on the A17 Pro processor. Pu says the A18 chip will be manufactured with TSMC’s cutting-edge 3 nanometer process.
Tim Cook unveiling the iPhone 13 in 2021. Screenshot/CNET
iPhone 16: Launch and release timeline
Apple holds its annual iPhone event in September almost every year, so we’d expect the timeline to remain the same for the iPhone 16. New iPhones typically get released shortly thereafter, usually the Friday of the following week. Sometimes Apple will stagger release dates for specific models, especially when introducing a new design or size. So it’s possible that the iPhone 16 lineup will have more than one release date.
What we know so far
Apple tends to hold its events on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. The iPhone 15 event was held on Tuesday, Sept. 7. The iPhone 14 event was held on Wednesday, Sept. 7. And the iPhone 13 event was held on Tuesday, Sept. 14.
iPhone release dates are typically a week and a half after Apple’s announcements.
In general, new iPhones are released on a Friday, around the third week of September. For the iPhone 13, preorders began Sept. 17 and the phones went on sale Sept. 24.