Apple unveiled a number of new products at its recent Wonderlust event, including the new iPhone 15 lineup, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch Ultra 2. We also got a small update to the AirPods Pro with a new USB-C port on the charging case, all consistent with the new iPhone line.
There’s a lot to love about this year’s iPhone 15, as it’s a much bigger upgrade than its predecessor. We now have Dynamic Island, USB-C charging, a 48MP camera, and a beautiful display that’s twice as bright as the iPhone 14 at 2,000 nits. It also includes the A16 Bionic chip that was introduced in the iPhone 14 Pro.
The iPhone 15 Pro now uses titanium instead of stainless steel, thinner bezels, and the A17 Pro chip. Additionally, the mute switch is now an action button. And the iPhone 15 Pro Max features a new tetraprism telephoto camera that can provide 5x optical zoom instead of the iPhone 15 Pro’s standard 3x optical zoom.
While the improvements on the standard iPhone 15 model and the Pro model are definitely impressive, there may be some who aren’t quite convinced and are on the fence between buying the iPhone 15 or waiting another year for the iPhone 16. If you’re in that group, here’s where you’ll find the arguments. We give you below 5 reasons pass from iPhone 15 and wait (better) for iPhone 16.
New solid state buttons
When the iPhone 15 rumor cycle began, there was a lot of talk about Apple changing how the volume buttons work. There were rumors that instead of physical buttons, they would become solid-state buttons. This is similar to how the Home button on older iPhones has evolved over time from a real button to glass that provides haptic feedback, simulating the feel of pressing a button.
At some point, there were reports that Apple was facing some technical difficulties as it would require more haptic motors inside the case. Apple has abandoned its plan to release the iPhone 15 because all models retain two physical buttons. But the Action button has appeared on the iPhone 15 Pro models.
Just because it’s been canceled for the iPhone 15 doesn’t mean it’s canceled forever. Apple has simply delayed the inevitable, and we could very well see a move to solid-state buttons for the iPhone 16 Pro models in 2024.
And since Apple loves adding Pro features to standard models, we wouldn’t be surprised to see an Action button on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.
Possible Face ID under the screen
For years, many people have been waiting for Apple to implement an in-display fingerprint sensor, or Face ID. While a fingerprint sensor probably won’t arrive any time soon, the Face ID sensor will be a more suitable option for the more expensive iPhone 16 Pro models if we’re lucky.
Ming-Chi Kuo, a respected Apple supply chain analyst, has hinted in the past that Apple could start introducing under-display front camera technology as early as 2024. island.
But of course, other analysts like Bloomberg’s Ross Young and Mark Gurman have questioned this and claim that this technology could be possible as soon as 2025, so if you want it, you’ll have to wait until the iPhone 17 launches.
More RAM and better performance
It’s a fact that the iPhone 16 will undoubtedly have a better chip (obviously) the A18, at least in the Pro models. But Apple is bringing the previous generation Pro chip to standard models, so the A17 should hit the market next year. iPhone 16 and A18 should come with iPhone 16 Pro.
But there’s more to it than just the chip inside. While the iPhone 15 still has 6GB of RAM (which has been standard on iPhones for the past few years), the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have 8GB of RAM. This is due to the A17 Pro chip, a big upgrade for 2023.
However, with the iPhone 16, we saw that the increase in RAM extended to the base models as well. Then again, the A17 Pro chip from the iPhone 15 Pro will likely appear in the standard iPhone 16 next year, so increasing the RAM would make sense.
More RAM means better performance and efficiency, and it will be a win-win.
The beginning of the iPhone Ultra era
In the weeks leading up to the iPhone 15 unveiling, there were a lot of rumors about a possible name change for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, with Apple renaming it “iPhone Ultra.”
And while that hasn’t happened, it could happen with the iPhone 16. There have been some reports that the iPhone 16 Pro models could even increase in size, with the largest model expected to measure around 6.9 inches, while the standard Pro size could go up to 6.3 inches. This would be a good way to introduce the iPhone 16 Ultra to the public.
New telephoto lens for Pro
One of the disappointing elements of the iPhone 15 Pro lineup is that only the iPhone 15 Pro Max features a tetraprism telephoto lens that offers 5x optical zoom. For people who don’t like giant phones, the iPhone 15 Pro’s telephoto lens is once again stuck at 3x optical zoom.
But that could change with the iPhone 16 Pro lineup. Rumors seem to indicate that since Apple may make the iPhone 16 slightly larger, there could be room for a periscope camera on both Pro models. One of the reasons why the Tetraprism Telephoto Lens is only available on the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year is due to the physical size of the device.
For those who like big phones, the iPhone 16 Pro Max may also come with a “super” periscope that offers even greater optical zoom. It would be great to see an iPhone with a zoom range as good as the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, for example.
We’ll have to wait and see
The iPhone 15 lineup has only been on sale for a few days, but after a little research, it seems like the iPhone 16 could be even better and worth the wait. Of course, none of this information has been confirmed and these are just rumors and speculation. However, if any of these rumors are true, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro could prove to be very powerful.
Many would love to have a smaller iPhone Pro that could pack the power of its big brother, especially in the photography department: having a better camera in a smaller form factor. The last time Apple used different cameras on the Pro models was with the iPhone 12.
If the iPhone 16 Pro solves this problem, as well as everything else we could see, it’s safe to say that 2024 should be an exciting year for the iPhone.
Source: Digital Trends
