Whatever do you, do not buy an iPhone in the next few hours.
If you're in need of a new smartphone, hold off a little while longer. That's because Apple is poised to kickstart its annual September event at its spaceship-like headquarters in Cupertino, California.
Apple mailed out invites to the major launch event earlier this summer, with the tagline It's Glowtime.
CEO Tim Cook is widely-tipped to unveil four new models:
With the arrival of the new models, Apple is expected to do a top-to-bottom refresh of its lineup — with seven products discontinued from the Apple Store. And what about the iPhone 16 models? Whispers from inside the ludicrously secretive company, worth $3.2 trillion, suggest we won't see any significant design, so expect a pretty similar look to last year. That means there'll likely be an all-screen design, with toughened glass, and a USB-C port for charging. There's a Dynamic Island at the top of the screen to showcase live information from inside your apps.
Apple introduced the Apple button — a programmable button that replaces the traditional Mute switch — with the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max
APPLE PRESS OFFICE
The Action button, which replaced the mute switch on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max last year, is expected to be rolled-out across all iPhone 16 models. This customisation button — that sits above the volume buttons — lets you quickly switch between several functions, like launching the camera, turning on the torch, or activating Do Not Disturb mode.
Speaking of buttons, a new Capture button could be coming to the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. This would function like a traditional shutter button on a camera, depressing the button halfway to focus. Some whispers suggest it will be touch-sensitive, so you stroke to zoom.
New Ultra Hybrid T (magfit) case It's absolutely fantastic, it's currently the only unofficial Apple case to support the new iPhone 16 capture button features without the need for a hole.
— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) September 6, 2024
Thanks to @SpigenWorld for sending me a preview pic.twitter.com/pYN2QATIrU
Provided Apple sticks with the same pricing structure as last year, these are the prices to expect...
Of course, these prices are just estimates and the actual costs could vary.
All models are set to feature a new A18 chip, with the standard versions boasting 8GB of RAM, up from 6GB in previous iterations. This is one of the requirements to support Apple's incoming AI features, dubbed Apple Intelligence. The pair of Pro models will likely include a more powerful A18 Pro system-on-a-chip for improved performance.
Colour options for the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are rumoured to be: blue, green, pink, white, and black. Some tipsters suggest Apple will move away from the pastel colours used in recent generations for something more saturated.
Meanwhile, the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will stick with the new titanium frame introduced last year, with a new gold colour set to replace the blue model from last year. The final lineup is tipped to be: White Titanium, Black Titanium, Natural, Titanium, and Gold Titanium.
While the standard iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models will stick with the same screen sizes as last year, 6.1- and 6.7-inches, for the Pro models, those are expected to increase. The iPhone 16 Pro may feature a 6.3-inch display, up from 6.1 inches, whilst the Pro Max could grow to 6.9 inches from 6.7 inches.
— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) April 28, 2024
iPhone 16 and 16 Plus might not be getting any bigger, but these handsets are rumoured to sport a redesigned camera bump with vertically aligned lenses, reminiscent of the iPhone 12 design. This tweak will enable Spatial Video recording, creating immersive three-dimensional content for Apple Vision Pro.
iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are more likely to maintain their current camera arrangement, since the triple-camera system was already capable of recording this future-proofed video format, which can also be viewed on Meta Quest VR headsets. Both Pro models are expected to include the 5x optical zoom Telephoto lens, something that was previously exclusive to the larger iPhone 15 Pro Max.
For the pair of new Pro models, a significant upgrade to the Ultra Wide camera is likely to be the biggest shake-up. Reports suggest a jump from 12MP to 48MP — promising a substantial boost in image quality for the 0.5x lens, which can be used to squeeze the tallest skyscrapers and largest friendship groups into the viewfinder.
Apple Vision Pro lets you view Spatial Videos, which shifts perspective as you move around, like peering through a window. It's possible to capture this unique footage from the Vision Pro headset itself, as well as any iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max
APPLE PRESS OFFICEVideo capabilities may also see enhancements, with the iPhone 16 Pro potentially offering 4K resolution recording at 120fps, up from the current 60 frames-per-second limit.
Wi-Fi 7 support is expected for both of the pricier Pro models, alongside improved thermal design and larger batteries. We could also see support for the next-generation of 5G networks, like the one introduced by EE in the last week.
And of course, both of these handsets will arrive with iOS 18 out-of-the-box — with software features that millions will miss out on.
When will you be able to get your hands on these new models?
If Apple follows its usual schedule, pre-orders for the iPhone 16 lineup could begin on September 13, with a release date of September 20. Previous models will stick around in the Apple Store, with a significant discount.
As always, it's worth noting that these details are based on rumours and leaks. Official confirmation will come at Apple's It's Glowtime media event on September 9. GBN will have all of news, updates, and opinion on the announcements in a few hours — so stay tuned.
