Here’s Every iPhone 16 Pro Leak And Rumor We Know So Far…

Is it safe to say that Apple’s won the long-term smartphone war? Samsung had a decent Unpacked event last week, and so did Nothing, but none of them have even managed to match the cultural impact of Apple’s iPhone keynote that happens every September. In fact, even though the event happens on one single day, the news coverage before and after the event revolves around the iPhone too. After the phone’s announced, you’ve got first-impressions, reviews, and comparisons… but before the phone is announced, the rumor mill works hard to try and decipher what the upcoming phone will look like. We’re in July right now (two months before Apple announces its latest phone) and at this point, it does seem like we have a fair idea of what the new iPhone 16 Pro will look like. From hardware details to even internal components, the interwebz has worked tirelessly to deliver on leaks and credible speculations – so we decided to collect everything we know about the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max in one single place. Here’s everything we’ve heard so far…

Rendered by: AppleTrack

A18 Pro Bionic Chipset

After last month’s WWDC event, it’s pretty much taken for granted that Apple Intelligence will be at the forefront of the new iPhone lineup… and to make that happen, the new iPhones will need beefed up chipsets. A new report from Jeff Pu, an analyst at Haitong International Tech Research renowned for his reliable insights into Apple’s chip development, reveals that Apple is accelerating the production of the A18 Pro chip earlier than usual. This chip is being specifically tailored for advanced AI functionalities. These upgrades indicate that the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will feature a custom-designed A18 Pro chip, emphasizing on-device handling of intensive artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. Rumors are indicating that even the regular iPhone 16 phones may get the A18 Bionic chipset to handle these AI features.

Smaller Bezels = Bigger Screens

It’s 2014 again and bezels are public enemy number 1. Apple’s new phones will reportedly have marginally larger screens thanks to an impressive 30% reduction in bezels. This new display template, dubbed BRS or Border Reduction Structure, is thanks to Apple pushing Samsung to provide tighter circuit placement that can help shave off almost half a millimeter of bezel thickness. These reports seem fairly credible, coming from THE ELEC, a Korean industry media outlet. This effectively means the new 16 Pro and Pro Max will have screens measuring 6.3 and 6.9 inches diagonally, respectively.

The iPhone 15 Pro on the left and the 16 Pro on the right demonstrate the reduced bezel sizes

A New Capture Button For Enhanced Photography

Although rumors of a Capture Button have circulated for quite a while, actual details on its capabilities have only NOW become more evident. At first, this button was touted as simply a shutter button that could click photos without you needing to touch your screen, but indications show that this button will have a touch-sensitive surface and a two-stage press. The touch-sensitive surface will allow you to slide your finger from side to side to zoom in or out, while the two-stage press lets you press lightly for focusing, and then further for clicking the picture, sort of like most DSLR cameras. The capture button sits where the millimeter-wave antenna once featured on the iPhone’s body, but it seems like the antenna will just move over to the left side instead, making way for the new hardware feature on the iPhone 16 Pro.

Same Old Sensors, New Capabilities

Since cameras are a pretty massive part of the iPhone (some might say its highlight), talking about camera capabilities is also pretty crucial. Rumor has it that the new iPhone 16 Pro will still feature the 48MP main camera sensor from its predecessor with no change. However, the tetraprism telephoto lens from last year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max that could output 5x zoom will see even more zoom capabilities. Last year’s flagship iPhone had the zoom equivalent of a 120mm telephoto lens, but rumors indicate the new iPhone will push this to a 300mm lens equivalent. Now obviously, that seems absolutely bonkers, but it also makes sense to take such a rumor with a little pinch of salt. After all, stabilization while zooming in that far would probably be near impossible.

Thinner MagSafe Array

Yet another tweak, noticed by case-makers, is a refinement of the MagSafe array. Now the new MagSafe ring on the iPhone will feature thinner magnets all around, freeing up more space inside the phone without compromising on the magnet’s strength.

(Probably) A New Rose Gold Color Variant

The final rumor is that the iPhone 16 Pro series could see another color variant added to it. Apparently the famed Rose Gold colorway (made popular with earlier iPhone models and even the MacBook Air) could make a comeback – but this time in titanium. Yes, the new Pro-series iPhones will still have a titanium frame, but Apple will probably issue new color variants to set the different iPhone Pro models apart. Last year, the 15 Pro series saw natural, blue, white, and black finishes. It’s fairly conceivable that Rose Gold sees a resurgence this year.

Image Credits: FrontPageTech

The post Here’s Every iPhone 16 Pro Leak And Rumor We Know So Far… first appeared on Yanko Design.

The iPhone 16 might just be a snoozefest… History tells us why.

Historically, every three years, the iPhone’s design gets a ‘boring’ upgrade. Do you remember the iPhone 8 or the iPhone 13’s most exciting features? Neither do I.

The iPhone X and 11 had radical new designs with the notch, the iPhone 12 introduced 5G and MagSafe… but after two consecutive years of exciting features, the iPhone 13 barely had anything worth talking about (unless you consider ‘Cinematic Mode’ to be a game-changing feature). Skip to the next year and the iPhone 14 Pro had the Dynamic Island and Satellite Connectivity. The iPhone 15 had the Action Button, the USB-C port, and a titanium construction. All indications show that the upcoming iPhone 16 won’t really dazzle much. Aside from a few hardware upgrades and perhaps one or two extra camera features (probably tied to the Vision Pro), there isn’t any thrilling rumor regarding the upcoming iPhone 16’s design. Not that there needs to be – Apple’s entitled to taking a short break every few years and just focusing on fine-tuning the product rather than wowing people. If you’re thinking of upgrading to the 16 this year, I’d probably give it a miss and go for the 15 instead. The iPad, on the other hand, is due for a BIG refresh with rumors of a glass-back, MagSafe, and perhaps some more camera upgrades to support the Vision Pro.

The rumor mill for the latest iPhone often begins around a year prior to its release. Once a model of the iPhone launches, analysts and experts begin speculating what the next year’s model could look like. Speculations turn into rumors by January. Rumors turn into leaks by April or May. And renders emerge online by July or August, approximately a month before Apple announces its newest iPhone. So far, the rumors have been rather underwhelming at best, with some minor upgrades being touted for the iPhone 16.

So far, outlets like MacRumors haven’t specified any ‘game-changing’ new features for the iPhone 16. Sure, you have a chipset upgrade every year and the 16 Pro will run Apple’s latest A18 Bionic chip. Cameras get upgraded too, and there’s speculation that the Ultrawide camera could get a 48MP bump this year. The new iPhone 16 series will apparently have larger displays (so maybe smaller bezels), better 5G, WiFi 7 capabilities, and a new stacked battery architecture for better battery life. Visibly, the iPhone 16 might have a different camera layout, defaulting to the original vertical orientation seen with the iPhone 11 and 12 (although the bump around them may be capsule-shaped instead of square like older models). There’s also speculation about a new physical ‘capture’ button for clicking photos or recording videos… although all indications show that this might just be one of those rumors that end up staying a rumor. Apple’s famously trying to move away from buttons and ports, so adding an extra button to the new phone just doesn’t sound like something the company would do. Moreover, the volume buttons already work as capture buttons when the camera app’s active… so a dedicated capture button feels rather redundant.

The iPhone 16 Pro might see some extremely small incremental changes, with barely any visible differences. The rendering below shows a possible iPhone 16 Pro with a design that’s indistinguishable from last year’s 15 Pro model. Apple will almost certainly stick to titanium for the Pro series, potentially with newer colors to help differentiate them from last year’s models.

All eyes, however, are on Apple’s software development team this year. The company famously canceled its rumored Apple Car project, moving the entire Project Titan team to work for the in-house AI development department. Analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo speculate that Apple might announce AI-based features like a next-gen Siri powered by Apple’s own LLM, or other generative AI capabilities. These announcements, however, may just come with the iOS 18 debut during WWDC in June. To push the latest iPhone series, Apple may also limit these AI features only to the iPhone 16 range, forcing consumers to make the upgrade. However, until these speculations are confirmed, the iPhone 16 may just be worth a miss this year.

Images via MacRumors

The post The iPhone 16 might just be a snoozefest… History tells us why. first appeared on Yanko Design.

iPhone 16 Pro punch-hole camera cutout is still possible but 2025 is more likely

Ever since the iPhone X in 2017, Apple has stayed faithful to the notch despite numerous criticisms. Last year, however, it finally changed direction for the first time while still staying away from the dominant “punch-hole camera” design of most smartphones today. The Dynamic Island, which is unsurprisingly now being copied by other brands, presented a unique and interesting way to hide the presence of front sensors like the Face ID camera while still making that area usable and, well, dynamic. There are, however, whispers that Apple will soon go all-in on the prevalent design trend and will implement its first punch-hole design on the iPhone 16 Pro next year, though chances of that happening in 2025 might be a bit more realistic.

Designer: Apple (via Majin Bu)

Although the smartphone industry seems to have settled on what is described as punch-hole or hole-punch cutouts, the debates have never really stopped on what is the better design. The old iPhone notch, in addition to being seen as stale, also took up too much precious screen real estate that could otherwise be used to display things. The smaller circle does minimize the footprint but still leaves a lot of room for improvement in terms of elegance and functionality. The Dynamic Island introduced last year is Apple’s creative and ingenious solution to combine the best of both worlds, but it seems that even design-conscious isn’t done changing things.

According to rumors, Apple is already testing a punch-hole design that could make its way as early as next year’s iPhone 16 Pro. The insider tip even shows a render with a rather large hole at the top of an iPhone’s display. The cutout is noticeably larger than most punch-holes on Android phones that have been trying to make that design less conspicuous. There’s a good reason for that, which is the same reason Apple couldn’t completely abandon the notch and why it created the Dynamic Island design. Face ID hardware is more than just a simple front-facing camera, and Apple will need to make room for those sensors in such a constrained space.

Even if Apple does change to a punch-hole camera design, expect it to be unlike what you see on Android phones so far. We could see a redesigned Dynamic Island implemented for this kind of cutout that takes advantage of the smaller space. Or we could see Apple completely revise iOS 18 to have a different interface now that there’s more room for icons and whatnot up there.

That said, even the tipster admits that there is a bigger chance that this design change will happen with the iPhone 17 series in 2025 instead. All that depends on what the company decides in March next year when it finally decides on the iPhone 16 design. Truth be told, there is very little reason for Apple to make another change so soon, with Dynamic Island still in its infancy. After all, Apple isn’t one to simply jump on trends, so it might be a while before we see it changing its direction again.

The post iPhone 16 Pro punch-hole camera cutout is still possible but 2025 is more likely first appeared on Yanko Design.

iPhone 16 Pro renders surface online with staggered 4-lens camera system

Even though we’re still 4 months away from the iPhone 15 being announced, the tech rumor mill is hard at work trying to decipher what future iPhone models will look like… and can you blame them? 8 out of 10 of the best-selling phones of 2022 were iPhones! While we’ve pretty much got some solid intel on what the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro will look like, designer Ivano Frankivsk put together a concept for what the 16 Pro model should look like. Marking a major deviation from the 13 Pro and 14 Pro models, this concept features a 4-lens camera system, and a double camera bump that’s staggered for some visual dynamism (as well as to make place for the Periscope Lens). The phone looks unapologetically Apple-like… but the staggered camera bump feels visually refreshing. It also makes enough space for a flash and a LiDAR sensor, allowing the iPhone 16 Pro to have perhaps the most advanced camera system we’ve ever seen on a smartphone!

Designer: Ivano Frankivsk (@vovalenard)

Details on the 16 Pro at this moment are scarce, but as far as we know, the iPhone is definitely going to get a USB-C model this year, given strict EU regulations that kick in in 2024. Since Apple’s phones sell for roughly 2 years before being discontinued, it makes sense for the company to make their USB-C model now, so that it doesn’t need to be pulled off the shelves next year in one of Apple’s biggest global markets. Suffice it to say, the 16 Pro will still have a USB-C, although Apple seems to really be gunning for a port-less iPhone in the somewhat distant future. It’s rumored that they even tried solid-state capacitive buttons, before reverting back to physical click buttons for the 15 Pro.

Frankivsk’s iPhone 16 Pro concept showcases a rather unique-looking camera bump, although to keen eyed enthusiasts, it’s just two iPhone X camera units placed one beside the other. This staggered design gives the phone enough space for each lens and sensor array, especially allowing Apple to cram a larger 48MP sensor into the cameras as well as that rumored Periscope Lens, which will be capable of impressive levels of optical zoom.

As far as the front goes, it still looks like the Dynamic Island will play a significant role in defining the front of the iPhone. Debuted just last year, the Dynamic Island was considered a welcome change after 6 full years of having a notch in the upper part of the bezel. It doesn’t look like under-screen cameras or fingerprint readers will be coming any time soon, although Samsung did reveal their latest Sensor OLED display on Monday, with the ability to read heart rate and blood pressure right through the screen’s touch interface.

The iPhone 16 Pro won’t arrive before September of next year, but credible leaks in the early days of 2024 will help us understand what the new phone will really look like.

The post iPhone 16 Pro renders surface online with staggered 4-lens camera system first appeared on Yanko Design.