Now that the iPhone 15 Pro isn’t new or exciting anymore, Apple must be delighted that the tech press is starting to get hyped about next year’s handsets, even if they’re likely 11 months away.
If you’re an Apple enthusiast keen to hold on for the next generation, it looks like your patience will be rewarded. According to 9to5Mac, analyst Jeff Pu of Haitong International Securities has informed investors that the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are due a decent set of upgrades to make it worth the wait (until, of course, you learn whatever super-duper plans Apple has in store for the iPhone 17).
Firstly, both models are due larger screens, going to 6.3in and 6.9in respectively. Hopefully that’ll mostly be eaten up by bezel reductions, rather than needing you to invest in larger pockets, but we’ll have to see.
Secondly, Pu says that Apple will continue its uneasy truce with Qualcomm by putting the company’s Snapdragon X75 modem in the handsets. That means you’ll get 5G speeds of up to a ludicrous 7.5Gbps and with Wi-Fi 7, speeds that could hit an even more ludicrous 46Gbps.
But the most interesting improvements are coming in the camera department. According to Pu, both Pro models will get an upgrade to their ultrawide lenses, which are set to go from 12 megapixels to 48. The Pro model will also inherit the 5x optical zoom camera that’s currently exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max — something that’s apparently only possible due to the slightly larger footprint of the phone. So maybe your pockets will need adjustment after all.
On top of these upgrades, you can expect the annual speed burst that comes with a new chip. And it would be enormously surprising if it wasn’t the Apple A18 Pro chip — though the improvements that it will offer remain underwraps for now.
There’s no upgrade to the 8GB RAM planned for the Pro models, and apparently the regular iPhone 16 handsets will draw level in 2024 with an upgrade of their own, taking them from 6GB to 8. They’ll also get Wi-Fi 6e for improved internet speeds — though clearly not as improved as the Pro models.
All of this sounds pretty promising, but it’s important to take it with a pinch of salt given we’re quite so far out from the iPhone 16’s September 2024 launch date. Plenty of time for iPhone 15 buyers to enjoy their still (hopefully) unscratched handsets…
