Apple has sent out invites to an event on Monday, September 9, which means the rumored iPhone 16 will likely be announced then. But don’t expect the new iPhone to look much different than the iPhone 15, according to rumors, reports, and leaks. Still, the iPhone 16 could feature some physical changes that could prove particularly useful, such as an Action button on the regular model and larger screens on the iPhone 16 Pro devices.
None of these reports have been confirmed or acknowledged by Apple.
The iPhone’s design has remained largely the same over the past few years, aside from the iPhone 15 Pro’s titanium construction and the iPhone 15’s color-infused glass. Apple also removed the SIM card slot from new iPhones in the US starting with the iPhone 14 in 2022, meaning buyers of new iPhones will have to rely on electronic SIMs. But arguably the biggest overhaul in recent history came in 2020, when Apple changed the shape of the iPhone by giving it flatter edges, starting with the iPhone 12.
Even more significant design changes could be in store for next year’s iPhone. According to a 9to5Mac report citing analyst Jeff Pu, Apple is reportedly working on an iPhone 17 Slim for 2025. Bloomberg and The Information also report that a thinner iPhone could be in the works for next year, after Apple unveiled its slim iPad Pro earlier this year.
Here’s what we expect from the iPhone 16.
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The iPhone 16 may get a new camera bump
According to MacRumors, Apple could change the camera arrangement on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. The cameras on both phones will reportedly be stacked vertically, similar to the iPhone 12.
Australian tech commentator Trevor Long claims to have received a dummy iPhone 16 unit, which he unboxed on his YouTube channel EFTM. These “dummy” units are not real iPhones; they are models designed to help case makers figure out the size and dimensions of new phones before their release. The alleged iPhone 16 dummy in Long’s video shows vertically aligned cameras, just like the ones mentioned in the MacRumors article.
Sonny Dickson, a tech blogger who has published iPhone leaks before, also posted an image on X showing alleged mock iPhones, according to MacRumors. The devices in this photo also have vertically stacked cameras.
It is unclear why Apple would change the positioning of the cameras on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus specifically. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, on the other hand, are expected to have the same camera bump design, according to 91Mobiles, which has reportedly obtained drawings of the phone design.
When Apple switched from a vertical arrangement to a diagonal one starting with the iPhone 13, the company explained that this made it possible to fit a larger module into the device, as noted in CNET’s review. It’s possible that the cameras no longer need to be positioned in this way to accommodate the iPhone 16’s sensor, but that’s just speculation at this point.
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Action and camera recording buttons for the iPhone 16
Expect your next iPhone to have more buttons.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the iPhone 16 will get a dedicated camera button, although it’s unclear if it will be available on all phones or just the Pro models. This button could trigger autofocus with a light press, similar to a DSLR, Gurman reports. However, a more recent report from Apple Insider suggests that the camera button will indeed be available on all new iPhone models and will be compatible with photography apps.
At the same time, Apple is expected to extend the action button to all iPhone 16 models, Bloomberg also reports. Both buttons will be capacitive, according to MacRumors. The action button, which can be used as a shortcut to launch the camera or activate Do Not Disturb, among other things, is currently exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. In addition to extending the action button to the standard iPhone this year, I also hope that Apple expands the functions. As my colleague Patrick Holland writes, for example, the ability to trigger different actions by pressing multiple times could open up a number of possibilities.
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Larger sizes for the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max
The iPhone Pro’s screen size has remained the same for years, but that could soon change. Both the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are expected to have larger screens, according to reports from Bloomberg, well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, CEO of MacRumors and Display Supply Chain Consultants Ross Young.
The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max currently measure 6.1 and 6.7 inches, respectively. If Young and MacRumors’ reports hold true, the Pro’s screen could measure 6.2 or 6.3 inches, while the Max’s could be 6.8 or 6.9 inches.
A Social media photo Well-known leaker Sonny Dickson posted a video that allegedly shows mockups of the next iPhone. Two of these models had labels indicating that they have 6.3- and 6.9-inch screens, further fueling speculation that Apple will give its Pro-level iPhones a larger screen size.
The jump from 6.1 to 6.3 inches may not sound like a huge difference. But for a device as small as a phone, even a fraction of an inch can make a big difference.
Another alleged leaked photo claims to show how the iPhone 16 Pro Max compares to the iPhone 15 Pro Max in terms of size. Daniel Rotar of tech YouTube channel ZoneOfTech posted a photo on X of an alleged dummy unit of the iPhone 16 Pro Max next to last year’s Pro Max. Based on this photo, the iPhone 16 Pro Max could be slightly larger than its predecessor.
A leak from an X-user who goes by the pseudonym Ice Universe and is known for frequently releasing details about unreleased Samsung phones suggests that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a significantly thinner bezel, leaving more space on the front of the phone to increase the screen size.
Apple hasn’t updated the screen size of its Pro Max iPhone since 2020, when it introduced the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max to replace the 6.5-inch iPhone 11 Pro Max. The Pro model also got bigger this year, growing to 6.1 inches compared to the 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro.
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iPhone 16 Possible Colors
If the rumors turn out to be true, Apple could have a few new color options in store for the iPhone 16 Pro. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max could come in Space Black, Gray, Pink, and White, according to a leak that surfaced on the Chinese social network Weibo. The rumor was spread by a well-known leaker with the pseudonym ShrimpApplePro on X. Bloomberg also reports that the blue version of the Pro will be replaced and the Pro will also be available in a rose gold color option this year. This would be different from the color options of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, which include natural titanium, blue titanium, white titanium, and black titanium.
The regular iPhone could be available in pink, black, white, green and blue, according to Dickson’s photo and Kuo.
All in all, the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro sound like they’ll be an incremental upgrade to the iPhone 15. Check out our full preview of what we expect from the iPhone 16 to learn more about what to expect from the camera and other key areas.
