The iPhone 16 and its siblings will likely feature numerous improvements over the iPhone 15, but according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman (a long-time Apple journalist and leaker), these phones might not be a massive improvement over their predecessors overall.
To illustrate this prediction, Gurman has highlighted what he considers to be the six major upgrades that are apparently coming to the iPhone 16 lineup.
Below you'll find all six rumored updates, along with our (and Gurman's) opinions on whether or not they're significant.
1. One action button for all models.
One leak we've heard numerous times (and which Gurman also highlights) is that all four iPhone 16 models will apparently have an Action button.
This would be a customizable hardware key, although it is not actually a new feature, since the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max already have an action button. However, this would be the first time that the standard and Plus models have one.
Gurman notes, however, that Apple is adding more customization options to the Lock screen and Control Center with iOS 18, which could make the Action button less useful since you'll already be able to add multiple shortcuts to your phone.
It’s a fair point, but having shortcuts on a physical button is still arguably faster and better than having them on the lock screen or in Control Center. The bigger issue might simply be that, among Apple’s most popular phones (read: the Pro models), the Action button won’t be a new feature.
2. A capture button for Pro models
Another widely rumored iPhone 16 improvement is the Capture button, which would be something truly new since no current iPhone model has one.
Gurman reiterates a previous leak by saying that this capture button will work like a button on a DSLR camera, with a light press to activate autofocus and a harder press to take a photo. Swiping on the button, meanwhile, will zoom in and out. The capture button will also allow you to control the video camera, according to Gurman.
What's more interesting, however, is that Gurman suggests the Capture button could be included only on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, while many previous leaks suggested it would come to all four models.
We're not sure who's right, but it's probably a pretty significant upgrade for any phone that has it. How interesting it is, though, will depend on your passion for photography.
3. Bigger Pro Screens
We've also repeatedly heard that the iPhone 16 Pro will have a 6.3-inch display (up from 6.1 inches on the iPhone 15 Pro), while the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a 6.9-inch display (up from 6.7 inches on the previous model).
This should result in a noticeable increase that is useful if you want to watch videos on your phone or do other things where a larger screen is desirable, but will be less useful if you want a high-end phone that isn't too big.
4. Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence is the name of Apple's next set of artificial intelligence features, and it's not exclusive to the iPhone 16 lineup, as it will also work on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Despite that, and despite the fact that Apple Intelligence probably won't arrive until after the iPhone 16 series launches, this is likely to be one of the main selling points of the new phones.
However, Gurman is skeptical that Apple Intelligence's initial features will be of interest and says that on their own they probably won't be a reason to upgrade.
5. New colors
As always, there will surely be some new iPhone colors this year, and Gurman noted that the blue hue of the iPhone 15 Pro will be replaced by a rose gold option this year.
That’s something we’ve heard before, with previous leaks suggesting that iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro colors will include black, white, pink, and gray, while iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 colors will include black, green, pink, blue, and white. There’s a small chance we’ll see yellow and purple hues, too.
For the most part, though, these colors are similar to what you'll find on the iPhone 15 line, so it's not the most exciting selection.
6. More power
Lastly, Gurman notes that the iPhone 16 line will have a new A18 chipset. However, he doesn’t say whether all models will use that chipset, and we’ve heard elsewhere that the Pro models could use an A18 Pro instead.
Still, even if the base models only had a standard A18 (or even last year’s A17 Pro), that would still mean a power boost for all four models. All four phones will reportedly have 8GB of RAM as well, as this capacity is supposedly needed for Apple Intelligence to run. That would be a 2GB boost for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, but no change for the Pro models.
More power is always welcome, but current iPhones are already very capable devices, and beyond their respective AI features, it may be hard to tell much of a difference in performance between these upcoming phones.
A quiet year for Apple
With all of this in mind, Gurman might be right in saying that this year's iPhones might not hit record sales numbers, but next year could be a bigger year for the company, as both the iPhone SE 4 and iPhone 17 Air are said to be in the works to launch.
Still, if you currently have an iPhone that's a few years old or in less than ideal condition, then it might be worth purchasing a model from the iPhone 16 line.
