What the future iPhone: According to trustworthy Apple analyst Mark Gurman, the iPhone 16, the next model in Apple’s iconic lineup of iPhones, is expected to launch next month.
Gurman has provided some further predictions for the iPhone 16 and its models—the 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max—in his most recent piece on Bloomberg News. This is a quick summary of what is expected thus far. Please remember that Apple has not yet formally confirmed these details.
iPhone 16 debut date
According to Gurman, Apple’s next major announcement event is most likely to take place on September 10, with the iPhone 16 and its variants expected to launch “around the same date as last year”.
Furthermore, there’s a chance that the upcoming versions, which are probably going to be called iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max, won’t appear all that different from their predecessors. Apple is instead concentrating on a number of significant improvements, especially in AI capabilities.
iOS 18
Apple will include its most recent iOS 18 operating system with the new iPhone lineup, but consumers won’t be able to use Apple’s first round of AI capabilities, collectively called Apple Intelligence, until iOS 18.1 is released in October, a few weeks later.
According to Gurman, even though the new iPhone models come with iOS 18, the devices won’t be able to use Apple Intelligence—the company’s recently unveiled collection of AI-powered tools—until iOS 18.1, the operating system upgrade, is published, perhaps in October.
Apple Intelligence is limited to the iPhone 15 Pro versions at this time.
Design tweaks
Gurman predicts that the new iPhone models will feature somewhat bigger screens—the Pro going from 6.1 to 6.3 inches, and the Pro Max from 6.7 to 6.9 inches—as a result of design changes.
These models are also rumored to have a new pressure-sensitive camera button that resembles DSLR camera buttons. In addition to swiping the button to zoom while shooting, users will be able to push the button slightly to concentrate and harder to take pictures.
According to Gurman’s source, the aesthetics of the iPhone 16 Pro are anticipated to feature the return of the well-liked rose gold color, which will replace the current blue choice.
These devices will be powered by the new A18 chip, which is paired with 8 GB of RAM as standard on all versions. This is because that is the minimal amount of memory needed to operate Apple Intelligence.
The story goes on to say that the Action button, which was only available on the Pro models, will now be available to non-Pro customers on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. Though iOS 18 offers a more customizable Lock Screen and Control Center, the Action button might not feel as revolutionary as it did on the iPhone 15 Pro.
Although these improvements are significant, Gurman speculates that they might not be sufficient to cause an increase in iPhone sales. This is reflected in Apple’s “cautious” financial guidance for the current quarter since the company did not anticipate a large increase in iPhone sales.
However, he claims that the iPhone 16 should provide a good set of improvements for individuals who own previous iPhones, especially for those who are interested in AI and photographic breakthroughs.