The iPhone 16 launch is just over the horizon, with Apple's launch event now officially confirmed for September 9. So we're firmly int that special time of year when you’ll want to figure out whether upgrading to the next iPhone is a good idea or not. Thankfully we’ve been hearing plenty of rumors about the phone and what Apple has in store for us.
If you haven’t been following those too closely then you’re in luck — because I have. While a lot of the more exciting upgrades seem to be coming to iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, there are still plenty of possible changes you should know about which affect the standard iPhone 16.
Whether we’re talking upgrades or things that are staying exactly the same, here are the 7 biggest iPhone 16 rumors you need to know about.
iPhone 16: Rumored specs
iPhone 16: New Action and Capture buttons
Last year, Apple scrapped the mute switch on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max in favor of a capacitive Action button. The idea was you could program this button to do one of many different things including, but not limited to, switching the phone into silent mode. Rumor has it that the iPhone 16 will be following that example, scrapping the iPhone 15’s mute switch for the more versatile Action button.
That’s not the only extra button coming to the phone, either. We’ve heard a lot about the inclusion of a Capture button, which seemingly lives on the bottom right edge of the iPhone 16. The idea behind this button is to make it easier and faster to open the camera app and control the shutter. No more having to tap your screen to control your camera. Or that’s what the rumors claim about this feature, which is apparently coming to all four new iPhone 16 models.
iPhone 16: No size increase
While the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are rumored to be gaining an extra 0.2-inches in screen space, the iPhone 16 doesn’t seem to be so lucky. Instead it’ll be sticking with the same 6.1-inch display that standard iPhones have had for multiple generations. Since the iPhone 16 Pro won’t be the same size, it means the cheapest iPhone 16 will also be the smallest.
We’re not expecting to see an iPhone 16 mini, after all, and while 6.1-inches is remarkably average where phone sizes are concerned, your only other option is the 4.7-inch iPhone SE 2022. Considering Apple’s mid-range phone is now 2 years old, and was hardly cutting edge when it was new, choosing the iPhone 16 means you have to make far fewer sacrifices.
iPhone 16: A18 chipset
The last few years has seen Apple split up the Pro and non-Pro iPhones with different chipsets. If that trend had continued the iPhone 16 may have come powered by the A17 Pro, which debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro last year. But apparently that won’t be the case, and the iPhone 16 could skip over the A17 entirely and come powered by the A18.
The rumors suggest that this won’t be the same A18 chipset that we’ll see in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. They’re expected to come with the more powerful A18 Pro chipset instead. It’s not clear how much of a difference there will be between the different flavors of A18, but we’re expecting them all to be manufactured with TSMC’s latest 3nm process — which should prove to be a benefit to both raw power and energy efficiency.
iPhone 16: Increased RAM and Apple Intelligence
The iPhone 15 was left out of the Apple Intelligence party, on account of it lacking the required 8GB of RAM. But it sounds like Apple won’t be repeating that oversight, with the standard model reportedly coming with the extra 2GB of RAM needed to run on-device AI.
We don’t know how well Apple Intelligence will run on the iPhone 16, especially compared to the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. But all the incoming features will be available when Apple Intelligence and iOS 18.1 launch to the public later this year. Features like the upgraded version of Siri, AI image generation, summarization in various apps and native support for ChatGPT.
iPhone 16: Spatial video recording
If you’ve seen any leaked renders or iPhone 16 dummy units, you may have noticed that the camera looks a little different. Rather than opting for a diagonal camera layout this year, Apple has opted for a vertical layout — with one camera lens stacked on top of the other. Why? It’s all so your iPhone 16 can record spatial video.
Spatial video adds a 3D element to your video, thanks to both cameras recording together in tandem. But to get the angling right, the lenses needed to be side-by-side when you’re recording — hence the switch. How popular this particular feature will be isn’t clear, since spatial video is only really useful if you’re viewing it through an Apple Vision Pro headset. But it means you have the option to record it, regardless of whether you have a standard iPhone 16 or a Pro handset.
iPhone 16: A bigger battery
iPhone battery life has come quite a way since the disastrous lifespan of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12, with the iPhone 15 lasting 11 hours and 5 minutes in our custom battery test. It’s not the best phone battery life, but it’s not bad either. The good news is that the iPhone 16 could see another battery life boost thanks to a larger internal battery pack.
According to rumors the standard iPhone 16 could have 3,561 mAh of battery capacity, which is a 6% increase over the iPhone 15’s 3,349 mAh. One extra rumor claims that Apple could promise over 30 hours of battery life in the iPhone 16 series. And while we don’t know how that will translate to real-world usage, the ability to store extra power is never a bad thing. Especially if the A18 chipset is noticeably more efficient than the iPhone 15’s A16 Bionic.
iPhone 16: Colors
Apple rarely keeps the exact same iPhone color palette each year, and it sounds like the iPhone 16 will be no exception. Though this may not be a bad thing, since it sounds like there will be a little more choice compared to the iPhone 15 — which was available in pink, yellow, blue, black and green.
The iPhone 16 is also expected to be coming in pink, yellow, blue, black and green, but with the added option or white or purple. It’s not clear if any of these colors will all be available at launch, or whether the returning colors will be exactly the same as last year’s hues. But there will at least be plenty of options to choose from.
Just don’t expect any titanium-tinted metal. Those are all-but guaranteed to be exclusive to the Pro models.
iPhone 16 outlook
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max rumors suggest both phones will be getting a bunch more useful upgrades, but there's still plenty of cool stuff coming to the iPhone 16. Including some of the features we already saw on the iPhone 15 Pro series, like the Action button and support for spatial video.
Crucially, the iPhone 16 will be playing it safe in terms of design and hardware, while still offering upgrades where it counts. So while the Pro models may be growing, and getting a bunch of extra camera features, the standard model should still feel as familiar as ever — all while reportedly packing in a better battery and performance package for everyone to enjoy.
