We’ve officially reached the time of year when you definitely want to wait to buy a new iPhone until the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are announced. There’s probably only a few weeks left until Apple’s big September event, where all the new iPhone models will be unveiled and they might include the kind of upgrades you care about.
I’ve been following iPhone 16 rumors since before the iPhone 15 came out last fall, so let’s talk about what to expect and what to look forward to, especially when it comes to the Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models.
| Header cell – column 0 | iPhone 16 Pro | iPhone 16 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.3″ | 6.9″ |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Housing design | titanium | titanium |
| processor | A18Pro | A18Pro |
| Apple Intelligence | Yes | Yes |
| Ultra wide angle camera | 48 megapixels | 48 megapixels |
| Optical zoom | 5x | 5x |
| Wireless connectivity | WiFi 7 | WiFi 7 |
| Battery size | 3,355mAh | 4,676mAh |
| Storage capacities | 256GB/512GB/1TB | 256GB/512GB/1TB |
| Base price | $1,099 | $1,199 |
Screen sizes of iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max
The Pros are growing. Apple has really big plans this year as there have been several rumors that Apple will be making the iPhone 16 Pro phones bigger. The regular iPhone 16 Pro is said to grow from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches, making it more of a mid-size phone.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max, meanwhile, is said to be 6.9 inches, which would be a pretty big jump from the 6.7 inches of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. For comparison, the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Google Pixel Pro XL are both 6.8 inches. So the new iPhone 16 Pro Max would be the largest flagship in the US that isn’t a foldable device.
This makes me a little nervous though – I like the size and weight of the iPhone 15 Pro Max and it’s pretty massive when you put a case on it. I’m definitely curious to see what buyers think of the sizes if these rumors end up being true.
iPhone 16 Pro Colors
While we’re talking about design, I have some news about the colors of the iPhone 16 Pro.
Apple is reportedly ditching the blue titanium model in favor of a new color called Desert Titanium. Think bronze or dark gold, which looks just about OK in leaked photos. Desert Titanium would join the returning black, gray, and white options.
Personally, I will miss the blue when it goes away and I hope the new shade looks better than the leaked photo.
A18 and Apple Intelligence
While all iPhone 16 models are expected to get Apple’s new A18 chip, we’ll likely still see a split between the regular and Pro phones. I expect the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max to get an A18 Pro chip with more GPU cores.
But the biggest processing upgrade will likely come with the Neural Engine, which is expected to have significantly more cores and offer more powerful AI and machine learning performance. So what will you be able to do? Strictly speaking What to do with all that power? Think of things we teased with Apple Intelligence along with iOS 18 — like creating images on the fly with Image Playground, getting transcripts of phone calls and voice memos, and help with writing.
As exciting as all this sounds, I think Apple needs to show at least some Apple Intelligence features that are exclusive to the new iPhone 16 Pros.
iPhone 16 Pro record button
Probably the biggest design change we’ve heard about is the addition of a brand new record button on the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. I admit, we’ve heard conflicting rumors about it, but it’s clear to me from dummy models and early case samples that Apple is adding what it calls a record button this year. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, this dedicated camera button would work just like a real camera shutter. When you press the button halfway, you activate autofocus, and when you press it all the way down, you take a photo. This would mean that your action button could be assigned to another function or a button combination, while giving you a dedicated way to quickly capture photos and videos.
But that’s not all. Apparently, you could zoom in and out when taking photos and videos by swiping your finger over the record button. It makes a lot of sense now that this button is exclusive to the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, much like the action button was this year, but some rumors suggest it could land on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus as well. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Camera upgrades for iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max
And what about the cameras themselves? Both the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are said to come with a 48MP ultra-wide-angle camera, compared to the 12MP on the iPhone 15 series. This means you can expect sharper ultra-wide-angle shots and more flexibility when cropping, too. The new sensor should also let in more light for brighter images, especially in low-light conditions.
More importantly, we’ll see zoom parity on both the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. They’re expected to get the same tetraprism zoom lens, so we’re talking at least 5x optical zoom and 25x digital zoom, which would be a pretty significant upgrade.
Better battery life
If you read our iPhone 15 Pro review, you’ve probably heard us talk about how last year’s phone scored very well for battery life in our tests, but you can never have too much endurance. Apple is expected to use stacked battery technology for the first time on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, which would likely allow for more capacity. As a result, the iPhone 16 Pro could have one 3355mAh battery and the iPhone 16 Pro Max could have four 4676mAh batteries, according to leaked specs.
Rumor has it that the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will get 40W wired charging and 20W MagSafe charging. That would be a nice – and long overdue – upgrade from 27W wired and 15W wireless. Honestly, even if the battery life isn’t better but we can charge faster, I think that’s going to be an upgrade a lot of people have been waiting for.
Prices for iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max
The prices of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max could increase slightly this year. According to a leak on the iPhone 16 specifications, the price of the regular iPhone 16 Pro could increase from $999 to $1,099. However, the base storage would increase from 128GB to 256GB, which would be in line with the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro Max would start at $1,199 like last year. That would be good for Apple to maintain the brand, as the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra starts at $1,299.
outlook
There are many more upgrades coming to the iPhone 16 Pro, according to rumors, including a new thermal design to prevent overheating, a new 5G modem, and new Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. But if you’re thinking about upgrading, the rumors above are the most important ones you need to know.
For more information, check out our September Apple events hub, as well as the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max hubs, as we’ll be updating those pages frequently between now and the big launch day.
