Apple is about to reveal its latest products in a keynote on Monday, September 9. The iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will surely be unveiled, and they’re thought to go on sale on Friday, September 20. So you don’t have to wait for the keynote, here’s everything we know so far about the more affordable phones in the range, the iPhone 16 and its larger sibling, iPhone 16 Plus.
Apple iPhone 15—how will iPhone 16 be different?
iPhone 16 And iPhone 16 Plus Design
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will at first glance resemble the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, at least from the front. Turn them round, though, and the most noticeable change seems set to be a re-orientation of the two rear cameras, which will probably be vertical, not diagonal. This will mean, among other things, that users can shoot spatial video, that gorgeous 3D format you can play back on the Apple Vision Pro. Right now, only the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max can tackle this.
Then there’s the Action Button, which will replace the mute/ring switch that has on every iPhone up to the iPhone 15, apart from the 15 Pro and Pro Max. The Action Button is configurable so it can be used for different purposes, not just muting the ring.
On the opposite edge, there may be an all-new Capture Button, designed to snap photos and shoot video. It looks like it will be a capacitive button so you can use it to zoom in and out of shots, for instance. Some analysts think it could be for the iPhone 16 Pro only, but I think Apple will put it on the 16 and 16 Plus, too.
The display sizes are likely to match the current 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screens but may adopt a new OLED material that’s more power-efficient.
And the colors will doubtless change, as well. The keynote invite has yellow, pink, blue, black and white in its animation. These could be the colors.
Some reports have suggested a change to the battery technology which could result in longer battery life or, more likely, the same battery life despite more capabilities demanding more energy.
iPhone 16 And iPhone 16 Plus Cameras
No change here, the next iPhones are expected to have cameras similar to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, that is, one 48-megapxiel sensor and a 12-megapixel ultrawide. There’s also a telephoto image created by cropping the central 12 megapixels on the 48-megapixel sensor.
iPhone 16 And iPhone 16 Plus Processor
While current models have different processors for the Pro and non-Pro handsets, it looks like Apple will put the A18 chip in all the class-of-2024 phones.
That’s because of one of the big advances this year: Apple Intelligence, which needs a fast chip to work.
It’s also thought that the next chips will double down on avoiding thermal issues and overheating, which—briefly—dogged the current iPhone 15 Pro.
Release Date
Things will be confirmed on September 9, but expect the new iPhones to be on sale on Friday, September 20, with pre-orders opening a week before.