We can have a good look at what the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max may look like thanks to newly published renders from MacRumors, which are allegedly based on Apple's prototype designs for the devices.
The most significant of these changes is that both phones will use larger screens than the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, at 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches respectively. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will be sticking with Apple's familiar 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch sizes though, the rumors have claimed.
Also new is the capacitive Capture button, an alleged video-taking shortcut key that'll be found on the right edge of all the iPhone 16 models, including the non-Pros. Aside from this addition, Apple should be using a similar layout to the iPhone 15 series for the other buttons, including the Action button.
Some other set-ups were apparently tried as well, which changed the size and style of the Action button. But going by the latest prototype, we shouldn't expect any big changes, such as the rumored all-capacitive button arrangement for the iPhone 15 that never arrived, to come to the iPhone 16 series.
A change due to come only to the iPhone 16 Pro is the addition of 5x telephoto zoom, replacing the iPhone 15 Pro’s 3x camera. This 5x zoom is the same one offered on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, so no change is expected for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. It's assumed that Apple can now fit the large tetraprism lens onto the smaller Pro model due to its increased size over the previous generation, as we talked about above.
The sides of the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are still due to be made of titanium, just like the iPhone 15 Pro. Currently, Apple's only been using the iPhone 15 Pro's silvery "White titanium" color when building the iPhone 16 Pro prototypes, so while there's apparently the promise of a new color for the iPhone 16 Pro, there's no clue yet of what it would be.
Changes to these designs could still happen, since they are only prototypes. We'd be very surprised if Apple decided to make any other drastic design changes to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max though.
We'll only know what the iPhone 16 series looks like for certain when it appears at its expected September 2024 launch event. But hopefully before then more designs, including some real-life photos, of the new phones will emerge to give us more of a clue.
