iPhone 16 Pro: latest news, rumors, potential camera and AI upgrades, and everything we know so far
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We are now just hours away from the expected launch of the iPhone 16 family, with today (September 9) set for the next Apple event. And it's there that we expect to see the iPhone 16 Pro, which we hope will follow in its predecessor's footsteps by providing a phone that's great for everyone in terms of size and screen, but also has a suite of pro features.
If you want to follow along with the launch along with any last minute leaks, head to our iPhone 16 launch live blog, or to tune in, check out how to watch the iPhone 16 launch live.
In any case, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max might be the most flagship of Apple flagship phones, the iPhone 16 Pro will surely be the phone for people who want a premium iOS experience without a phone that really needs two hands to use.
Fortunately, we're expecting a decent mix of upgrades over the iPhone 15 Pro to come to the iPhone 16 Pro, so read on for what you need to know.
iPhone 16 Pro: what you need to know
The iPhone 16 Pro will surely be announced today (September 9)
Expect the iPhone 16 Pro to start at $999 / ￡999 / AU$1,849
Expect a similar design as the iPhone 15 Pro, but with a potential dedicated camera capture button
The iPhone 16 Pro will likely get the rumored A18 Pro chip
RAM will probably come in at 8GB, while storage will likely start at 256GB and go up to 1TB for the Pro phones
The iPhone 16 Pro could get the 5x periscope telephoto snapper of iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max is tipped to have big upgrades
Battery upgrades are predicted, with hardware changes tipped but we also forecast some software optimization
All the new iPhones will come with iOS 18
And all the iPhone 16 models could come with a new smarter Siri and potentially some early Apple Intelligence AI features
The iPhone 16 Pro could be available in Space Black, White, Gray and Rose
iPhone 16 Pro latest rumors and leaks
Bigger but slimmer screen
Tipped for a larger 6.3-inch display
… and so a taller and narrower frame
In general, we can expect the iPhone 16 Pro's design to follow closely with that of the iPhone 15 Pro. But the next-generation Pro phone has been tipped to get a small screen size boost to 6.3 inches, up from the 6.1-inch display previous iPhone Pros have sported.
However, that won't make for a larger phone, as Apple will apparently get that screen size boost by slimming down the bezels. So we could see an iPhone with some of the slimmest ever bezels seen on a smartphone. As a result we could see an iPhone Pro that's taller yet narrower than its predecessor.
Can you trust these rumors?
In general I'd say yes. The screen upgrade rumors mostly come from Ross Young, a fairly accurate tipster of iPhone information and a display expert.
Added to that, Apple is arguably due for a screen-size change for the non-Max Pro iPhone. And I for one would welcome a larger display that didn't do much to compromise the rather pocketable nature of the iPhone 15 Pro. For further potential external changes, take a look at our rundown of the iPhone 16 Pro design predictions and what we expect from the iPhone 16 Pro's colors.
Another button
While the iPhone 15 Pro brought in the Action button, the iPhone 16 Pro and the Pro Max have been tipped to get a new so-called 'Capture' button. The idea here is there'll be a dedicated hardware button for activating the cameras on the next-gen Pro iPhones.
While the Action button can be configured to do that, the logic behind this Capture button is that it will sense different styles of presses to trigger different actions; say a light touch to focus a camera and a harder one to capture the scene it's pointed at. Combined with smart features, such a button could be rather powerful. It's unclear if the button will be physical or capacitive, like the Force Touch trackpad found on MacBooks.
As an interesting tidbit, the Capture button could reportedly work with a case, even if it's covered. This would further suggest some capacitive rather than physical sensor action.
Can you trust these rumors?
I'm going to say take these rumors with a dose of skepticism. While I like the sound of a new button for the next-gen Pro, I feel like it would add complexity to the phone's overall design. And the rumors and their subsequent sources don't fill me with a huge amount of confidence.
Instead, I'd expect Apple to add more functionality into the Action button, and bring it to the standard and Plus iPhone 16 models. Check out our lowdown on the rumored iPhone 16 Pro features for more.
Zooming power
Improvements expected for telephoto and ultra-wide
Could inherit the iPhone 15 Pro Max's periscope lens
There's no expectation for the iPhone 16 Pro to follow in the footsteps of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and adopt an extra rear camera. But there are rumors it could get the 5x optical zoom periscope camera of the 15 Pro Max. As a fan of the iPhone 15 Pro Max's 5x zoom, and a lot more of the phone, I'm keen to see the periscope camera make it to the smaller next-gen Pro iPhone.
As for other iPhone 16 Pro camera predictions, it's likely the rear suite of snappers will stick with a 48-megapixel main camera and 12MP ultra-wide camera, though there's chatter the ultra-wide camera could get a boost to 48MP. That would be a nice upgrade, but I suspect the biggest camera boost will come on the image processing and software side.
Can you trust these rumors?
It's a tentative yes from me. The sources of the rumors are fairly robust, and Apple has form in bringing features from the Max iPhone to the Pro and less-expensive models.
I'm on the fence with the ultra-wide camera going to 48MP, as Apple tends to lean into sensor fusion rather than megapixels. I reckon we won't see a big ultra-wide upgrade this coming iPhone generation, but I'm prepared to be proved wrong. For more check out our predictions for the iPhone 16 Pro cameras.
The price is right
Likely to cost at least $999 / ￡999 / AU$1,849
All signs thus far point towards the iPhone 16 Pro sticking to the same pricing cadence as the iPhone 15 Pro. Expect it to start at $999 / ￡999 / AU$1,849.
But here have been hints that a price hike could happen as the iPhone 16 Pro’s camera lenses might cost more to make. Yet I'm not convinced Apple will pass on that cost to its customers this generation.
In terms of an iPhone 16 Pro release date, well Apple has nearly always launched new mainstream iPhones in September, and with the 'It's Glowtime' event set for today (September 9), that's when we expect to see the iPhone 16 range. Expect iPhone 16 pre-orders will to open that Friday (September 13), with the iPhone 16 Pro release date likely being the following Friday, September 20.
The event starts at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST on Monday, September 9, which is 3am on September 10 for those in the AEST time zone, and you can tune in online. If you'd like to, here's how to watch the iPhone 16 launch event live. Or you can simply follow along with our Apple event live blog.
Can you trust these rumors?
I reckon so. I'd buy a hat and eat it if we don't see new iPhones on September 9. And I'd be surprised if Apple ups the price of the mainstream iPhone Pro; I'd not be angry, but disappointed.
A more powerful chip
Tipped for an AI-focused A18 Pro chipset
8GB RAM likely
If you've seen our iPhone 16 Pro specs predictions article, then you'll know the big specs boost tipped is the move to an A18 Pro chip; that's the rumored successor to the A17 Pro. Last year's Pro-only iPhone chip brought in buckets of power and the ability to just about run modern console-quality games. And there was a whole load of power for smart workloads and image processing.
Expect the A18 Pro to build upon this, but hopefully with the power to really run games well. More pertinently, we can expect such a chip to be tuned well to run AI workloads, most notably powering phone-centric tools from the Apple Intelligence suite. And image processing with a smart slant to it could also be on the cards.
Furthermore, there are hints that the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max could both come with 8GB of RAM in order to power Apple Intelligence workloads. For why this matters, check out our explainer on why RAM is so important for new phones.
Can you trust these rumors?
Yep. As sure as night follows day, Apple will upgrade the chips of its next-generation iPhone Pros. Cupertino's crew has form on doing this; the only wrinkle is what chip it'll give the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.
My raised eyebrow comes in the form of how useful all this power will be, unless Apple leans hard into AI tools.
A whole lot of AI
Expect to see a smarter Siri and Apple Intelligence features
Apple's iOS 18 is already set to bring a smarter Siri to the next-gen iPhones, with it hopefully able to make and answer messages, email, and more for you, as well as use generative AI to come up with more than just answers to queries; think plans for holidays based off your calendar.
And with the aforementioned potential for a performance boost, I'm hoping Apple Intelligence will feature heavily on the iPhone 16 Pro for it to tackle the Google Pixel 9 Pro in the smart, smartphone stakes.
I'm expecting the iPhone 16 Pro to come with the ability to summarize webpages, proofread text, use the Clean Up feature to erase unwanted objects from photos, summarize notifications, and smartly capture audio recordings from calls. The wrinkle here is that while the iPhone 16 Pro may be ready for such features, they may not arrive until 2025.
Can you trust these rumors?
Not so much rumors as my own predictions... I'm hoping the iPhone 16 Pro comes with a host of smart features to make it properly exciting; iPhones have become so iterative in recent years.
Still, I fully expect the iPhone 16 Pro to be ready for Apple Intelligence as and when its features get integrated into iOS.
A battery boost
A slightly bigger battery is on the cards
With the exception of the Plus, all iPhone 16 models have been tipped to get a bigger battery. And the iPhone 16 Pro has been tipped to get a 3,355mAh battery, which is a small upgrade on the 3,290mAh battery of its predecessor. But combine that with a potentially more efficient chipset and that could lead to a Pro iPhone that lasts longer without gasping for power. Indeed, we've now heard that the iPhone 16 Pro might have noticeably better battery life than the iPhone 15 Pro.
Sadly, there's no word on any charging upgrades. I reckon charging will remain much the same as the iPhone 15 Pro.
Can you trust these rumors?
A slightly bigger battery for the iPhone 16 Pro seems well within the bounds of reason. As Apple does not list its iPhone battery sizes it'll be hard to know this for sure. But battery life has always been rather good in iPhones so we don't expect this to change much with the iPhone 16 range.
My analysis
If the above rumors prove to be correct, then the iPhone 16 Pro could have enough to make it a reasonable upgrade over the 15 Pro and a notable one over the iPhone 14 Pro. As ever, I feel the people who'll benefit here are those with older iPhones on a two-year or longer upgrade cadence.
As an iPhone 15 Pro Max user, I see no compelling reason to fork out for an upgrade, but if Apple leans hard on AI features my mind could be changed.
Given the exosystem and consistent experience iPhones have offered for years, I see no reason why the iPhone 16 Pro won't be a contender for a spot on our best phones. However, I don't see it being the most exciting phone of 2024.
