Tired of your iPhone battery not lasting long enough? There could be good news on the way, as one prominent leaker has alleged Apple is working to boost the juice of its future phones. But despite that positive development, there’s a significant catch attached.
The news comes from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has built up a reputation for sourcing accurate information from Apple’s supply chains. This time, Kuo claims that future iPhone batteries will feature increased energy density. This means Apple could choose to either increase battery life and keep the current battery size, or offer the same battery life in a smaller package, thereby making room for other components inside its iPhones.
As well as that, Kuo states that Apple is planning to switch out the existing aluminum battery case inside its phones with a stainless steel replacement. While this is not quite as effective at heat dissipation compared to aluminum, it is “more robust and less susceptible to corrosion,” Kuo maintains. That could help to strengthen your iPhone and might provide similar protection as the metal bracket Apple has added to the interior of the 2024 iPad Pro.
There’s another potential angle to this, according to Kuo: regulation. As the analyst puts it: “The use of a stainless steel battery case also reduces the difficulty of removing the battery, which will help Apple comply with the European Union’s requirements for mobile phone batteries’ replaceability in the future.” No doubt that’s weighing heavily on the minds of Apple’s decision makers, although how far the company will go to make user-replaceable batteries is open to question.
iPhone 16 Pro Max priority
(Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Now, about that catch we mentioned earlier. Kuo’s report initially only mentions this year’s rumored iPhone 16 Pro Max getting the upgrades. It then goes on to explain that, if all goes well with testing and production, these features should be rolled out to every iPhone in 2025. That means you’ll have to wait an extra year if you don’t want to fork out for Apple’s flagship iPhone 16 Pro Max.
It’s a shame, but not entirely surprising. Apple often rolls out premium features in its Pro Max phones first as a way to differentiate them and justify their higher prices. And with the increased size of this year’s model – the iPhone 16 Pro Max is expected to have a 6.9-inch display, up from 6.7 inches – that gives more room internally for other components should Apple decide to shrink the battery’s footprint.
Elsewhere, a second report, this time from Display Supply Chain Consultants’ Ross Young, has claimed that Apple’s suppliers will start manufacturing screens for the iPhone 16 range this June, suggesting that everything is on course for the usual September release date. With that in mind, it means we don’t have long until we find out exactly what Apple has decided to do about the iPhone’s battery situation.
One thing we’ve heard numerous times about the iPhone 16 Pro Max is that it will apparently be bigger than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, with a massive-sounding 6.9-inch display in place of the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 6.7-inch one. That would make it one of the largest-screened phones on the planet, beating even the 6.8-inch Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, but in practice, this size bump might not make much difference.
Twitter user @ZONEofTECH (via Majin Bu and 9to5Mac) has shared photos of an iPhone 16 Pro Max dummy unit alongside the iPhone 15 Pro Max, so you can see clearly how these two phones compare, and when it comes to their sizes, there’s not much in it.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max dummy unit is noticeably bigger, but by such a small amount that it’s unlikely to feel much different in the hand, or to have much impact on how big the screen feels.
Source? I posted these https://t.co/H4tJmVGLlhMay 15, 2024
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That’s arguably a good thing, since the iPhone 15 Pro Max is already a large phone, and we’re not sure people have been crying out for a vastly bigger model. In fact, there’s a good chance Apple is only increasing the size at all so that it can better differentiate the Pro Max from the iPhone 16 Plus, which is expected to have a 6.7-inch screen.
Of course, we’d take these images with a pinch of salt, especially as the source doesn’t have much of a track record. But dummy units like this are often made by accessory manufacturers, to help them craft cases and other accessories before the phone is launched, so they do tend to be accurate.
We should find out exactly how much bigger the iPhone 16 Pro Max is than the iPhone 15 Pro Max in September, as that’s almost certainly when Apple will unveil this phone, alongside the standard iPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Plus, and the iPhone 16 Pro.
Stay tuned to TechRadar ahead of that, though, for all the credible leaks and rumors that emerge in the meantime.
With Apple's WWDC 2024 event and the accompanying iOS 18 reveal fast approaching, speculation is mounting about what kind of AI features Apple might introduce – and a new report gives us a few more major clues.
This report comes from the New York Times (via MacRumors), and says that an upgraded version of Siri is going to be central to iOS 18. Efforts to make Siri a more competent competitor to ChatGPT have apparently been underway for more than a year.
The new and improved Siri is going to be "more conversational and versatile", according to the NYT – and it'll be better at keeping chats going, rather than replying to one question at a time. It's said that Apple has shifted extra resources to Siri development, which was part of the reason the Apple Car was abandoned.
However, the report says Siri won't compete with the ChatGPT chatbot directly: instead, it'll get better at what it already does, including timers, calendar appointments, and lists. The digital assistant will also be able to summarize text messages (which we've heard hints about before).
AI ins and outs
This is the Apple AI strategy:A) On-device LLM (in house)B) Cloud-powered LLM (in house)C) Chatbot (OpenAI for sure, Google maybe). Apple isn’t building its own chatbot but knows the market wants it so it’s going elsewhere for it. It’s the same playbook as search. https://t.co/XQrv57jylYMay 12, 2024
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It's getting a little tricky to pick through all the different AI-related Apple rumors we're hearing in the run up to the Worldwide Developers Conference. All we know for sure is that Apple is keen on AI, and has some significant announcements in store.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, one of the more reliable Apple tipsters, has posted on social media about how these upgrades will work: Apple is developing its own in-house LLMs (Large Language Models) for local, on-device work, and for cloud processing, Gurman says.
It'll then integrate a third-party chatbot into its software: either ChatGPT from OpenAI or Google Gemini, as we've already heard. Gurman says "it's the same playbook as search" – so while Siri can search the web, Apple has a partnership with Google for doing the actual searching work. Expect something similar with AI.
There's quite a bit of overlap there, because if Apple is developing its own LLMs, it doesn't necessarily need extra help from OpenAI or Google – so it's not exactly certain where one service will start and another will end. Hopefully all will become clear at WWDC 2024, which gets underway on June 10.
This past week we've been fully focused on the new iPad Pro and iPad Air slates launched by Apple, but as the year goes on we'll be turning our attention to the 2024 iPhones: and a key detail of the iPhone 16 Pro has just leaked.
According to well-known tipster Instant Digital on Chinese social media site Weibo (via MacRumors), the iPhone 16 Pro is set to come with a typical SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) brightness of 1,200 nits, up from 1,000 nits on the iPhone 15 Pro.
Maximum HDR (High Dynamic Range) brightness, meanwhile, will stay the same at 1,600 nits. That's according to "current laboratory data", if Google Translate is to be believed. There's no word on whether or not the iPhone 16 Pro Max will see the same jump.
That standard SDR brightness has actually remained unchanged on the more expensive iPhone models since the iPhone 13 Pro launched in 2021. If it does come to pass, it should mean a noticeably brighter screen in everyday use.
The rumors so far
WWDC 2024 is getting closer (Image credit: Apple)
We haven't been short of iPhone 16 leaks and rumors over the last few months, even though the handsets aren't thought to be launching until September 2024 – assuming Apple sticks to its usual schedule for these devices.
We've recently heard that the iPhone 16 smartphones may miss out on the tandem OLED technology featuring in the top-end iPad Pros for 2024. However, the Pro and Pro Max may well come with a new polished titanium finish.
Other upgrades that are being talked about concern the cameras: a new camera lens coating for the Pro and Pro Max models to improve photo and video quality, and a new vertically aligned camera layout for the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.
The next big date on the Apple calendar is its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) for 2024, which gets underway on June 10. Expect to hear a whole lot about iOS 18, and a bunch of artificial intelligence updates that are in the pipeline.
We’re still months away from the presumed September launch of the iPhone 16 series, but a detailed leak has already revealed much about the iPhone 17 line – including that there will apparently be an iPhone 17 Slim in place of a Plus model.
This information comes from Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu, in an investor note seen by 9to5Mac, and Pu claims that this new Slim model will have a 6.6-inch display (down from 6.7 inches on the iPhone 15 Plus). Though another leaker – Ross Young – has said in a new X post that it will be slightly smaller still, at 6.55 inches.
In either case, the fact that two different reputable leakers are talking about an iPhone 17 Slim means there’s a fair chance this is a real thing.
Design changes for every model
The iPhone 17 Pro Max could have a narrower Dynamic Island (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
As for the rest of the iPhone 17 series, Pu claims that the iPhone 17 will have a 6.1-inch screen, the iPhone 17 Pro will have a 6.3-inch display, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have a 6.9-inch one. That’s in line with the sizes we’re expecting from the iPhone 16 line, so it’s only the iPhone 17 Slim that might be getting a screen size change.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will, unsurprisingly, apparently be clad in titanium, much like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but interestingly, the other three models are said to have a “more complex” aluminum design. That could actually be a downgrade for the iPhone 17 Pro though, since the iPhone 15 Pro also uses titanium.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max is additionally said to have a “narrowed Dynamic Island”, while the other three phones will apparently stick with the Dynamic Island we're used to. This reduced size is supposedly due to a new “metalens” technology, which could shrink the size of the Face ID sensor.
More megapixels and RAM
The same report also points to the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Slim having 8GB of RAM and either an A18 or A19 chipset, while the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will apparently have 12GB of RAM and an A19 Pro chipset. For reference, currently the standard models have 6GB of RAM, while the Pro models have 8GB, and with the iPhone 16 line, it’s rumored that all four phones will have 8GB of RAM.
Finally, all four iPhone 17 models are said to have a 24MP front-facing camera, up from 12MP on the current phones.
So, it sounds like the iPhone 17 Pro Max could be the big winner here, with the largest screen, the smallest Dynamic Island, and possibly being the only titanium option in the line. But the iPhone 17 Pro sounds like a big upgrade too, with more RAM and a faster chipset than current models, and indeed the standard iPhone 17.
The iPhone 17 Slim could be an interesting addition, and given the name, it would presumably be thinner than the 7.8mm iPhone 15 Plus, but that remains to be seen.
Of course, it’s extremely early for iPhone 17 leaks, so even though this all comes from a credible source, we’d take such rumors with a significant pinch of salt for now.
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iPhone 16: release date speculation, latest leaks, price predictions and more
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There's been no shortage of iPhone 16 leaks already, ahead of an expected September launch, and the latest to emerge suggests that the MagSafe charging system used by Apple's flagship phone series might be getting tweaked this year.
This particular tip comes from ShopSystem (via Neowin), and involves molds used by third-party case makers so they can get their wares ready for the iPhone 16 launch. They usually give us a good indication of what the actual phones will look like.
In this case it's noticeable that the MagSafe rings on the back of the iPhone 16 models are thinner than those on their iPhone 15 counterparts. It's not the most dramatic of changes, but it hints that the wireless charging tech might be about to become more efficient and lightweight – perhaps with a reduction in charger sizes.
The iPhone version of MagSafe (as opposed to the older Mac technology) was launched in 2020 alongside the iPhone 12. It's probably due an upgrade, perhaps including a charging speed increase from the current 15W, but this might also mean the new iPhones will require a whole new set of accessories and cases.
Photos, videos, and AI
The iPhone 15 Plus (Image credit: Future)
These case molds also show a vertical camera alignment for the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus, which we've heard about before. Check out our iPhone 15 review and you'll see the two rear cameras are arranged in a diagonal pattern.
The thinking is that swapping the alignment of the cameras might enable the cheaper iPhones to record spatial video: that's the 3D video format developed by Apple that can be viewed on the Apple Vision Pro.
We've also heard rumors that the Pro and Pro Max are going to get slightly bigger screens this time around, but it's difficult to tell from these case molds. Given the way the industry has been going in the last year or so, it's likely that the iPhone 16 is going to go big on AI too, with the help of iOS 18.
If Apple sticks to its usual schedule this year, then we should see the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max show up at some point during September. Before that happens, there's a big iPad event scheduled for tomorrow, May 7, where we're expecting several new tablets.
The iPhone 16 Plus probably won’t be the most popular phone in the iPhone 16 line. In fact, based on past form it will likely be the least popular, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max probably set to take the top spot in sales, but this could still be an exciting handset.
Thanks to leaks and rumors we already have a good idea of what to expect from the iPhone 16 Plus, even though it probably won’t land until September. So below you’ll find everything we've heard so far, including the rumored release date, price, design, and specs.
We’re sure to hear plenty more rumors about this phone ahead of launch though, and we’ll be collecting them all here. As such, keep checking back if you want the most complete possible picture of the iPhone 16 Plus pre-launch.
Cut to the chase
What is it? The larger-screen alternative to the iPhone 16
When is it out? Probably September 2024
How much will it cost? Likely at least $899 / £899 / AU$1,649
iPhone 16 Plus: expected release date and price
The iPhone 15 Plus (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Likely to be announced in the first half of September
Should ship before the end of September
May cost around $899 / £899 / AU$1,649
Based on past form, the iPhone 16 Plus will almost certainly be announced during the first or second week of September – probably on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
Pre-orders will likely open on the Friday, and the phone will probably ship on the following Friday, meaning that it will be in buyers’ hands before the end of September.
As for the price, the iPhone 16 Plus could cost a similar amount to the iPhone 15 Plus, which starts at $899 / £899 / AU$1,649. However, it could also cost slightly more, and there’s even a chance it will cost less.
We’ve also seen this design in leaked iPhone 16 prototype images, which you can see below. These show three designs that were apparently under consideration, of which the one in black is expected to launch, though all have vertical cameras.
The iPhone 15 Plus (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Reportedly a 12MP ultra-wide camera like last year
Probably the same 48MP main and 12MP selfie cameras too
Might be able to record spatial video
So far we haven’t head much about the iPhone 16 Plus’s cameras, but that’s probably because there might not be any real changes to them.
According to analyst Jeff Pu, the iPhone 16 Plus will have a 12MP ultra-wide camera, just like the iPhone 15 Plus does. They don’t mention the main snapper, but since that got an upgrade to 48MP last year, we wouldn’t expect further upgrades this year.
And nor do we expect any additional lenses, as leaks haven’t mentioned a third lens, and leaked imagery shows just two – so if you want a telephoto camera, you’ll probably have to pick one of the Pro models.
There’s no news on the iPhone 16 Plus’s front-facing camera either, but there’s a good chance it will be 12MP like last year, especially as even the iPhone 15 Pro Max only has a 12MP selfie camera.
There may be some upgrades to the camera software and functionality though, including the ability to shoot spatial video for use with an Apple Vision Pro. It's speculated that the rumored move to a vertical lens arrangement is to allow for this.
iPhone 16 Plus: expected specs and features
The iPhone 15 Plus (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
Rumored to have an A18 chipset
Could have 8GB of RAM
The battery might be smaller this year
There’s some uncertainty over what chipset the iPhone 16 Plus will have. The iPhone 15 Plus has the A16 Bionic, inherited from the previous year’s Pro models. So if Apple continues that pattern, then it would make sense for the iPhone 16 Plus to have an A17 Pro, which you’ll currently find in the iPhone 15 Pro line.
In which case, the iPhone 16 Plus could get a serious power upgrade over its predecessor – though it’s possible that there will be multiple versions of the A18. So, for example, the iPhone 16 Plus might get the standard A18, while the iPhone 16 Pro gets an A18 Pro. Either way though, this should be more powerful than the A17 Pro.
The iPhone 15 Plus (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)
This increase in RAM, storage, and power could in part be to help with AI, which Apple is expected to make a big play for this year, with major AI features likely to be announced as part of iOS 18 at WWDC 2024 on June 10.
That said, the same sources say the other iPhone 16 models will have larger batteries than their predecessors; it would be odd if Apple would reduce just the Plus model’s.
Artificial intelligence is clearly going to feature heavily in iOS 18 and all the other software updates Apple is due to tell us about on June 10, and new leaks reveal more about what's coming in terms of AI later in the year.
These leaks come courtesy of "people familiar with the software" speaking to AppleInsider, and focus on the generative AI capabilities of the Ajax Large Language Model (LLM) that we've been hearing about since last year.
AI-powered text summarization – covering everything from websites to messages – will apparently be one of the big new features. We'd previously heard this was coming to Safari, but AppleInsider says this functionality will be available through Siri too.
The idea is you'll be able to get the key points out of a document, a webpage, or a conversation thread without having to read through it in its entirety – and presumably Apple is going to offer certain assurances about accuracy and reliability.
Fast and private
Expect to hear more about iOS 18 in June (Image credit: Apple / Future)
Ajax will be able to generate responses to some prompts entirely on Apple devices, without sending anything to the cloud, the report says – and that chimes with previous rumors about everything running locally.
That's good for privacy, and for speed: according to AppleInsider, responses can come back in milliseconds. Tight integration with other Apple apps, including the Contacts app and the Calendar app, is also said to be present.
AppleInsider mentions that privacy warnings will be shown whenever Ajax needs information from another app. If a response from a cloud-based AI is required, it's rumored that Apple may enlist the help of Google Gemini or OpenAI's ChatGPT.
Spotlight on macOS will be getting "more intelligent results and sorting" too, AppleInsider says, and it sounds like most of the apps on iOS and macOS will be getting an AI boost. Expect to hear everything Apple has been working on at WWDC 2024 in June.
We are now mere days away from the expected launch of the iPhone 16 family, with 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.
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 on September 9
Expect the iPhone 16 Pro to start at $999 / £999 / AU$1,849
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
(Image credit: 91mobiles/Apple)
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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
(Image credit: N/A)
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.
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
The iPhone 16 Pro will likely play host to Apple's iOS 18 upgrades (Image credit: Apple)
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
(Image credit: Future / Shutterstock / Primakov)
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 but a smaller 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.
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.
For a long time, the base iPhone models have tended to be the most popular, but in recent years that trend has changed, with Apple's Pro and Pro Max devices increasingly proving the biggest sellers.
That’s more true than ever right now, with the iPhone 15 Pro Max having a 23% share of iPhone sales in the US in March 2024, according Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP). Their report – spotted by Apple Insider – puts the iPhone 15 Pro in the number two spot, with a 22% share.
The standard iPhone 15 is way behind with a 14% share. And the iPhone 15 Plus? That has just a 9% share.
(Image credit: CIRP)
In March 2023, the Pro models had a similar share to this year, with the iPhone 14 Pro having a 22% share and the iPhone 14 Pro Max having a 24% share, so the shift towards Pro models had already started then. But what’s interesting is that the base iPhone 14 had a higher 19% share than the iPhone 15's 14% share this year, so the base models are continuing to drop in popularity.
As well as people choosing Pro models, this continued drop is down to buyers choosing older iPhones; right now, for instance, as many people are buying the iPhone 14 as the iPhone 15.
So, it seems people either want the best phone they can get their hands on, or they’re happy with something older (and likely much cheaper), with the middle ground of a new base model iPhone proving less appealing than it once did.
No love for the iPhone 15's upgrades
In some ways, this phenomenon is surprising, as the iPhone 15 is a substantial step up from the iPhone 14, adding things like a Dynamic Island, a 48MP main camera, and a USB-C port.
But then again, Apple’s insistence on sticking with a 60Hz refresh rate on the base models is increasingly ridiculous, and the recent switch to equipping these phones with year-old chipsets probably isn’t helping drive sales, either.
So, there’s certainly some logic to going Pro if you buy a new iPhone, and as CIRP notes, "we also suspect some economic pressure to reduce spending, when possible, and a generational trend toward sustainability and away from always wanting the newest thing." The firm concludes that "together, these factors put pressure on the newest base model and pumped-up demand for the one- and two-year old alternatives."
There’s a chance, though, that this will change with the iPhone 16 line, at least partially, as leaks suggest the base iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will have an entirely new chipset, rather than being stuck with last year's version. They might also gain both the Action button (a feature that the iPhone 15 Pro already has) and a new Capture button (which no iPhone yet has).
So, Apple might not reserve quite as much for the Pro models this time around. That said, all signs point to the iPhone 16 still having a 60Hz refresh rate, and it’s likely that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will have better cameras. So buyers who simply want the best will still, of course, pick a Pro.
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iPhone 16: release date speculation, latest leaks, price predictions and more
One of the more notable design features of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus is color-infused glass, which, as the term suggests, fully embeds the colors into the glass, leading to a matte finish with quite pale colors. It's an effect that’s unlike anything you’ll find on other phones. Well, at least until the iPhone 16, as the latest leak suggests that this phone will use the same technique.
According to a leaker on Chinese social network Weibo (via Apple Insider), one of the upcoming iPhone models will come in a color-infused green shade. Now, they don’t say which model, but previously this leaker – who goes by Fixed Focus Digital – claimed the iPhone 16 Plus will be available in seven shades, including green.
The standard iPhone 16 will almost certainly be available in the same shades based on past form, and since we haven’t heard about a green iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max option, they’re probably talking about the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus here.
In any case, they sound impressed by this green shade, describing it (via Google translate) as “beautiful.”
That’s not surprising, because we were quite taken by the color-infused glass on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. In our iPhone 15 Plus review, we described it as “one of the best-looking iPhone finishes in recent memory.”
Seven color-infused shades
So, this is a promising leak, especially because, if the green shade is color-infused, it’s likely that the other iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus colors will be too. These shades, for reference, are rumored to include pink, yellow, blue, black, white, and purple.
It’s less clear whether the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will use color-infused glass. Another Weibo leaker claims that they will, though their predecessors didn’t, so we wouldn’t count on it.
These phones have previously been rumored to land in Space Black, White, Gray, and Rose shades. So, color-infused or not, you’re likely to have less choice with Apple’s top phones.
Of course, we’d take all of this with a pinch of salt, especially the information from Fixed Focus Digital, as they don’t have much of a track record yet. But all should become clear in September, as that’s when all four rumored iPhone 16 models are likely to be unveiled.
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With Apple set to announce iOS 18 (and a whole lot more) at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 10, it's rumored that the company is in talks with ChatGPT developer OpenAI to help with a major AI upgrade for the iPhone.
This comes from the usually reliable Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, who says discussions between Apple and OpenAI have been "renewed" and are now intensifying, according to unnamed people "familiar with the matter".
Last month Bloomberg reported that Apple was speaking to Google about using the Gemini chatbot inside iOS 18, so this hasn't come completely out of the blue: Apple is clearly looking for a partnership with someone for its next big software upgrade.
What this latest report suggests is that OpenAI might have emerged as the frontrunner in the race, which means tools like ChatGPT and Dall-E (also developed by OpenAI) might find their way into the iOS 18 update, expected to be rolled out around September time.
To be confirmed
Siri could be in line for an upgrade (Image credit: Apple)
Gurman says that Apple hasn't made a decision yet: it might decide to work with Google, or with OpenAI, or with both companies. What is certain is that iOS 18 is going to be focused very much on artificial intelligence – Apple has already confirmed it.
We can expect iOS 18 to come with some kind of local, device-based AI too. Apple has already been showing off some new large language models (LLMs) that are small enough to be stored and run from a smartphone.
Exactly what we'll get remains to be seen, but some kind of AI text and image generation seems likely, plus a substantial upgrade to Siri. There have also been rumors of features like AI-powered playlist generation in Apple Music.
All eyes are now on WWDC 2024 in June, when everything Apple has been working on should be revealed – for iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, visionOS, and more. Public betas of these updates will then follow, before the final versions get pushed out.
