The subsequent main Apple occasion is scheduled for September 9, and we count on to see full particulars of the rumored iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max on the Cupertino-set showcase.
Many Apple followers can have their eyes on the subsequent technology of the iPhone Pro and Pro Max, and can already be weighing up whether or not it’s price upgrading from the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max.
In our iPhone 15 Pro overview and iPhone 15 Pro Max overview, we discovered Apple’s flagships to be class-leading telephones with distinctive efficiency, nice cameras, and lovely shows – which begs the query of what Apple can do to make this yr’s greatest iPhones even higher.
It’s additionally price remembering that Apple Intelligence is coming to the present technology of Pro iPhones, which means Apple’s newest killer function may not promote as many telephones as if it have been a next-generation unique.
So, if the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are to be worthwhile upgrades over the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple wants to supply customers some enhancements in a couple of key areas.
An even bigger battery with sooner charging
The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max will get you thru a day of regular use, however they aren’t precisely main the pack in relation to battery life.
Though Apple doesn’t share specifics in relation to battery capability, we present in our iPhone 15 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Max comparability that the iPhone 15 Pro has a capability of three,274mAh and the Pro Max has a capability of 4,441mAh. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are anticipated to extend these capacities very barely, to three,355mAh and 4,676mAh respectively.
Meanwhile, Apple’s opponents are flying away by way of battery capability – the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra holds a 5,000mAh battery, whereas Google brazenly estimates that the Pixel Pro 9 XL holds round 5,060mAh of cost. The Oneplus 13, by comparability, is rumored to launch with an unlimited 6,000mAh battery.
Apple’s A17 Pro chip is notably environment friendly, however neither the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max might beat the “astounding” battery lifetime of the lower-priced iPhone 15 Plus.
However, AI-centric workloads and options are recognized to be power-hungry, so Apple will both want so as to add extra battery capability or work out some slick optimization to verify Apple Intelligence doesn’t incur an excessive amount of of a screen-time penalty.
Capacity is just one facet of the story, although. Currently, iPhones assist an absolute most energy consumption of 27W, which means these batteries cost slower than these in rival telephones. For comparability, the Samsung S24 Ultra ships with a 45W charging brick, whereas the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL can deal with 37W.
If a quite sketchy Weibo leak is to be believed, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will certainly assist 40W quick charging. But it could be smart to carry celebrations till a extra dependable supply, or Apple itself, can verify the improve.
Noticeably sooner efficiency
As talked about, Apple Intelligence is coming to the current-generation iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, that are each outfitted with the A17 Pro system-on-chip.
For the rumored ‘A18 Pro’ to make its mark, we’ll have to see real efficiency positive aspects with regard to both new AI options or established benchmarks.
This might be a problem contemplating the superb efficiency of the present Pro iPhones. It’s laborious to level to particular points with their common efficiency, however sooner load instances, higher energy effectivity, and the flexibility to have extra apps open can be welcome.
Gaming is one space the place the iPhone nonetheless has house to develop. Apple has overseen the porting of console-native video games like Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Resident Evil Village to iOS, however framerates and graphics aren’t fairly on top of things with different platforms.
It can be loopy to ask the iPhone to run, say, Death Stranding as a PS5 would, however boosting gaming efficiency can be a sure-fire approach to showcase the facility of the brand new SoC, even when clients aren’t actually going for the iPhone-as-a-console premise.
Pro energy parity
When Google launched the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, the corporate coined the tagline “Two sizes. Same Pro”, which, given the telephones’ launch round a month earlier than the anticipated iPhone 16 reveal date, seems like one thing of a dig at Apple.
Last yr’s iPhone lineup noticed Apple grant the iPhone 15 Pro Max an objectively extra highly effective digital camera system than the smaller iPhone 15 Pro. Specifically, the iPhone 15 Pro Max sported a 5x telephoto lens in its Pro Camera System, whereas the common Pro carried the 3x lens ahead from earlier years.
It’s not a large distinction, however Apple could make it simpler for mid-size format followers to remain on-side by exhibiting its dedication to giving the smaller Pro iPhone the identical specs as its greater sibling.
As for the cameras total, we count on to see a brand new 48MP ultra-wide digital camera and another minor additions. Overall, the iPhone 15 Pro takes such incredible footage that we aren’t determined for upgrades, in addition to perhaps to the optical zoom attain.
Tough sufficient?
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max did obtain one main design replace with the change from an aluminum and stainless-steel building to a rounded titanium chassis. We discovered this made the telephone extra comfy and usable, however quickly after launch different sources started to share sturdiness issues.
FStoppers reported that the iPhone 15 Pro didn’t maintain up as nicely to scratches as its precursor, whereas YouTube reviewer JerryRigEverything put the iPhone 15 Pro by means of the channel’s notorious ‘bend check’, leading to a shatter throughout the again of the chassis.
YouTube channel AppleObserve carried out a collection of drop assessments for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro, and located that the glass parts of the iPhone 15 Pro have been sooner to interrupt throughout drops.
It’s necessary to notice that these aren’t standard utilization eventualities by any stretch of the creativeness, and that these experiments are extra experiential than scientific. Our testing course of for telephones doesn’t embrace excessive sturdiness assessments except we have to examine a declare made by a producer, akin to water resistance.
Still, it’s not an awesome search for a product to fare worse durability-wise than its predecessor, and Apple could also be smart to allay any issues by upgrading the iPhone 16 Pro’s chassis or publishing some new testing info.
We do not count on a revolution
As with many telephone households, the iPhone’s yearly upgrades have turn out to be extra incremental over time, although we nonetheless see main steps ahead sometimes.
Cast your thoughts again to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max and the introduction of the Dynamic Island, the triple-camera system of the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max, or the completely overhauled design of the iPhone X.
This yr’s iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro Max are much less prone to include such main modifications – we predict this yr’s revision shall be a measured replace, because the iPhone 13 Pro was to the iPhone 12 Pro.
Mind you, they’re nonetheless very prone to be contenders for the greatest telephones, coming loaded with high-end tech and new software program developments, and we’re keen to place them by means of our rigorous overview course of as quickly as attainable.
That mentioned, these ready for enormous design modifications or tremendously sooner internals might need to maintain out for a extra main revision, or look forward to a pair extra years of incremental enhancements.
We’ll have all of the information on the rumored iPhone 16 lineup because it’s introduced, so make sure you take a look at our iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max protection.
