iPhone 16 feature rumors: The biggest upgrades we expect
At this point, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. While Apple hasn’t revealed anything yet (and likely won’t until September), there have been a lot of leaks and rumors surrounding the iPhone 16 lineup.
We’ve heard details about almost every aspect of the upcoming phones, from iPhone 16 colors to likely iPhone 16 pricing, design, specs, and more. As usual, the feature rumors are a mix of old and new, but in this article, we’ll focus on the biggest new things you can expect from the iPhone 16 lineup.
Below, you’ll find the key iPhone 16 features we’ve discussed so far that aren’t yet present on the iPhone 15 series.
A new ‘Capture’ button
Perhaps the biggest upgrade we’re expecting to see on the iPhone 16 line is a new button. Unlike some of the features below, this is a button that will reportedly be present on all four iPhone 16 models.
The ‘Capture’ button, as it’s said to be called, would be used to take photos and videos. However, according to a report, it wouldn’t be a quick way to control the camera, but rather you could swipe it to zoom in or out, press it lightly to focus, and press it hard to take a photo or start recording.
That could make this button a powerful addition to the camera, and a lot more effective than simply setting the Action button to take photos, which you can already do with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, as the Action button lacks all of the swipe-and-light-press capabilities of the rumored Capture button.
According to reports, the Capture button will be placed below the power button on the right side of the iPhone 16. There will also still be an Action button on the left side. According to reports, it will be offered across the entire lineup this time around, rather than just on the Pro models.
There are still some questions surrounding the Capture button, with previous reports suggesting it might be for video only rather than photos. There’s also some disagreement over whether it’ll be a mechanical or solid-state button. So it’s possible Apple could surprise us at the iPhone 16 launch.
Larger screens for the Pro models
One big – literally – feature that’s been whispered specifically for the Pro models is a larger screen. The iPhone 16 Pro is said to have a 6.3-inch display (up from 6.1 inches on the iPhone 15 Pro), and the iPhone 16 Pro Max is said to have a 6.9-inch display (up from 6.7 inches on the iPhone 15 Pro Max).
In both cases, the phones would be 0.2 inches larger than their predecessors. Perhaps more notably, this increase would make the Pro models larger than the non-Pro models. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are reportedly set to remain 6.7 inches in size.
This larger screen size could further widen the gap between the Pro and non-Pro models, but if you like compact phones, it means your options are going to shrink further.
Still, a larger screen will likely make the iPhone 16 Pro models better for watching video, and you’ll also have more room to interact with apps and games. If the bezels are also shrunk (as rumored), the overall footprint might not be all that much larger than the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
Camera upgrades
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will be getting any significant camera upgrades, but the Pro models may.
There are many rumors suggesting that the iPhone 16 Pro will get the same 12MP camera with 5x optical zoom as the iPhone 15 Pro Max. This would be an improvement over the iPhone 15 Pro’s 12MP camera with 3x optical zoom.
Additionally, the iPhone 16 Pro will reportedly get a 48MP ultra-wide camera, instead of the current model’s 12MP sensor.
But the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s cameras might be getting an even bigger upgrade. The phone is also reportedly getting a new 48MP ultra-wide camera, and possibly a new main sensor as well. It stays at 48MP, like last year’s, but should still deliver better photos.
There’s a chance the iPhone 16 Pro Max could even get a new telephoto sensor, with some leaks pointing to a “super telephoto” lens that could offer 10x zoom or more. Recent leaks haven’t mentioned this specific upgrade, though, so we wouldn’t count on it becoming a reality.
But even if only the main and ultra-wide cameras on the Pro Max get improved and the telephoto and ultra-wide cameras on the Pro get upgrades, these new models could still be worth buying for photography enthusiasts.
A fast new chipset
The last big new feature we’ve heard about (for the iPhone 16 Pro models, at least) is an A18 Pro chipset, which will likely offer a big power boost over the A17 Pro inside the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. This chipset could also be key to powering some of the iPhone 16 line’s AI features.
While the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will almost certainly get an A18 Pro chipset, there’s a good chance the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will get a lesser A18 chipset instead, or carry over the A17 Pro from last year’s Pro models.
In both cases, these would be an upgrade over the A16 Bionic chipset used by the current base models, but they would still lag behind the Pro models in terms of performance.
