The reports on the device are very early-stage at this point. The design and key specifications have not yet been finalised, so some additional changes are always possible.
The iPhone 16 is expected to launch in fall 2024, like every previous iPhone launch in recent times. The details we will be sharing in this article are based on the pre-production model. The iPhone 16 Series has not been finalised yet. The device itself is not expected to come with major hardware changes.
Rendering of the iPhone 16 Series
Reportedly, Apple is experimenting with the placement of buttons and the rear-panel design for the baseline iPhone only. Check out the early pre-production render.
What’s going to be upgraded on the iPhone 16 Series?
The device will have some major shifts in design. Apple will increase the size to ten inches diagonally, which makes room for additional hardware.
- The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will be powered by the Apple A18, and the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will have an Apple A18 Pro manufactured by the TSMC N3E Second-generation 3nm process. This will be less expensive than the A17 N3B. The company has booked ~90% of the 3NM foundry. N3E offers 5% performance improvements while remaining 1.04x more chip dense.
- The company is considering replacing the copper heat sink with a graphene solution for the iPhone 16 Series, as it will offer superior thermal conductivity compared to copper.
- The iPhone 16 models will all have a Dynamic Island. The Action button will also add support for clicking pictures with the “Camera Shutter” button. However, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro may not be upgraded and will still have a 60Hz display. Samsung and LG have also suggested Apple use the Micro Lens array on the iPhone 15 to boost screen brightness and increase the battery life of the device itself.
- The microphone will have an improved signal-to-noise ratio to improve dictation, Siri voice commands, better audio in video recording, and many more benefits while also remaining water-resistant. The upgraded microphone will be supplied by AAC and Goertek. In comparison, it is much improved.
- Apple has begun trials with Under Display Face ID for the iPhone 16 Series. Patents indicate that Samsung Display is working with OTI Lumionics to manufacture an under-display camera with organic cathode patterning material for optimal clarity above the camera and sensor.
- The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max may have a 20:9 or 20.5:9 aspect ratio, which makes the device slightly taller, from 6.1″ and 6.7″ to 6.2″ and 6.8″, respectively, 0.2″ bigger than its predecessor.
- The upgraded Zoom camera, featuring a 48MP ultrawide-angle lens, is expected to offer a Tetraprism periscope with 5/6x optical zoom that is equivalent to a lens with an f/2.8, which might have a focal length of over 300mm. It will be supplied by Cowell E. Holding. Additionally, the iPhone 16 Pro will adopt the stacked-designed CIS (Sony’s high-end CIS capacity).
- Reports also indicate that the iPhone 16 Pro Series will get a 120mm zoom, quad-reflective zoom camera supplied by Largan, who also supplied the camera for the Huawei P70 Series in 2024.
- There will be Wi-Fi 7, a Qualcomm Snapdragon X75 5G Modem featuring 5G advance that combines mmWave and Sub-6GHz, taking 25% less space, and a capacitive action “Project Atlas” button, which is similar to the capture button similar to the Touch ID Sensor.
- The iPhone 16 Pro will have a 3,355 mAh (13.02 Wh) battery supplied by China’s Desay Corporation. The battery will feature J-shaped batteries similar to the iPhone 15.
- iOS 18, codenamed “Crystal,” confirms the model names of the iPhone 16 Series: iPhone 16 as D47, iPhone 16 Plus as D93, iPhone 16 Pro as D93, and iPhone 16 Pro Max as D94.
Apart from this, there will be more improvements in the display, Face ID sensor, haptic button, smaller dynamic island, and improved camera altogether.
Artificial intelligence
We can expect the iPhone to come with a wide range of AI features, as Samsung is said to come with Galaxy AI with the Galaxy S24 Series. This would be the key selling point of the iPhone 16 Series next year. Generative AI features give users the ability to summarise documents, translate in real-time for text and voice, and much more, like Google and Samsung.
More iPhones to be made in India
Foxconn increased its investment in India by 400%. Initially, it was $700 million, later doubled to $1.6 billion, and now it reportedly totals $2.7 billion for a 300-acre site in Bengaluru, which is said to be the 2nd largest manufacturing site for iPhones by 2025.
- More iPhone batteries are to be manufactured in India. Apple asked to scale up production, and Chinese suppliers asked to establish factories in India.
Apple is working towards reducing its dependence on China.
Camera
The iPhone 16 is expected to come with a vertically aligned camera, for which two designs have surfaced online.
- The camera module looks similar to the current generation but with rearranged lenses.
- Another design looks like the iPhone 12 vertically packed into the same-designed camera module.
This redesign will likely allow the iPhone 16 series to record spatial video that is supportable for Vision Pro.
