Consomac: iPhone 16: the main new features expected

2024-01-02 10:24:00

Like every year, Apple will unveil its iPhone 16 range in September 2024. Even if all the details are not yet known, we already know what the main developments of these future models will be. Here’s what to expect!

Visual by MacRumors

New screen sizes

On the iPhone 15 range, Apple currently uses two screen sizes with the iPhone 15 (6.1″), the iPhone 15 Plus (6.7″), the iPhone 15 Pro (6.1″), 1″) and the iPhone 15 Pro Max (6.7″). With the future iPhone 16 range, Apple should keep four models but with slightly larger diagonals for the Pro models. The screens should gain 0.2″ only in the height direction. We would therefore have the iPhone 16 (6.1″), the iPhone 16 Plus (6.7″), the iPhone 16 Pro (6. 3″) and the iPhone 16 Pro Max (6.9″). The Dynamic Island should remain unchanged.

iPhone 15 Pro Max & iPhone 16 Ultra, visual by 9To5Mac

New cameras

This increase in the screen size of the iPhone 16 Pro to 6.3″ would allow Apple to accommodate the bulky tetraprism of its 5x telephoto lens without having to affect the battery capacity. Today, the iPhone 15 6.1″ Pro makes do with a 3x telephoto lens, the more powerful model being reserved for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Another important development would await the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max this year, with the arrival of a 48 megapixel sensor on the ultra wide angle which today makes do with a 12 sensor megapixels. For the 48 megapixels on the telephoto lens, we would have to wait for the iPhone 17 Pro in 2025.

Like every year, Apple should also update the main wide-angle of all models but rumors have been rather discreet on this subject until now. The design of classic models should change to return to a vertical (and no longer diagonal) positioning of the cameras, as on the iPhone 12: this return could be due to the possibility of recording spatial videos for the Apple Vision Pro headset.

Two prototypes considered — Visual by MacRumors

New buttons

Introduced by the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max last year, the action button replacing the ringer switch is expected to be rolled out across the entire iPhone 16 lineup this year. This button continues by default to control the toggle between Ring and Silence modes, but it can be configured to perform multiple other actions.

Some rumors mention the move to a capacitive button and no longer mechanical: the new version of this button could thus be sensitive to pressure and offer new types of interactions within applications. This development could also concern the volume buttons.

Another button could also appear, this time on the right edge, at the bottom of the chassis: it would be a “capture” button which would be mainly dedicated to the Camera application. Here too, it is a question of a capacitive button and not mechanical.

The capture button, on the right, by The Apple Hub

The A18 chip for everyone?

Today, Apple has two generations of chips coexisting: only the Pro models are entitled to the most recent model while the classic models are satisfied with the chip from the previous year. Thus, the iPhone 15 Pro integrates the A17 Pro chip while the iPhone 15 has recovered the A16 Bionic chip. The arrival in 2023 of an A17 chip with the “Pro” suffix suggests the existence of a “not Pro” chip and the return to the use of different chips but of the same generation on future models.

For the iPhone 16, there was once talk of an A17 chip on the classic models and A18 Pro on the Pro models, but the latest rumors rather count on an A18 chip on the classic models and A18 Pro on the Pro models. . This would therefore be a significant leap forward for entry-level models which would benefit from the latest advances, while the Pro models would undoubtedly stand out with additional cores and more generous RAM.

The A18 chip should still be engraved by TSMC at a fineness of 3 nanometers, but with an improved process which could allow a slight gain in autonomy. We do not know the other improvements that will be made by this future chip, apart from the usual power increases. It’s possible that Apple will go all out on artificial intelligence technologies — rumors anticipate a whole new version of powered Siri that might need the A18 chip to process requests locally.

Connectivity

iPhone 16 could be the first to support Wi-Fi 7, which can deliver speeds up to 2.4 times faster than Wi-Fi 6 in the same environment, all while improving connection robustness and reducing latency.

Another notable development, the integration of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X75 5G modem could be reserved for Pro models. On the program, various improvements in connection robustness, performance and energy efficiency, with a new neural engine optimizing flow rates in complex situations, improved geolocation and power consumption reduced by 20%.

Other new features

Other more minor developments will probably be on the agenda. For the moment, we have heard of a new microphone which would be much more efficient in isolating the voice from ambient noise, and new batteries with more capacity and more solid. Other elements will certainly be added to the list as rumors continue in the spring and summer.

Concerning prices and storage capacities, you will have to wait until September to discover Apple’s future price list. Like every year, we must in any case expect a shift in the range: the iPhone 13 should retire, replaced by the iPhone 14 at the entry level, while the iPhone 15 will see its price drop and that the iPhone 15 Pro will disappear.

Rendered by The Apple Hub

Buy now or wait?

This year, there should not be a development as major as the adoption of USB-C in 2023, but some new features may speak to you more than others, such as the 5x telephoto lens on the iPhone 16 Pro or the A18 chip which will improve its durability if you plan to keep your new iPhone for many years.

As always, Apple knows perfectly how to anticipate the wait-and-see phenomenon which increases as the year progresses: promotional operations on the iPhone 15 range should thus become more generous in the spring, even if it Don’t expect huge discounts on Pro models which are rarely on sale. If you decide to invest without delay, you can follow our good deals and discover the best prices in real time on our price comparison.


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