Months before Apple unveiled the iPhone 15, we had already seen the first iPhone 16 rumors claiming the 2024 models would be bigger than their predecessors. The iPhone 16 Pro was rumored to feature a 6.3-inch display — a fifth of an inch larger than the screen Apple routinely uses for the smaller Pro model. The iPhone 16 Pro Max will get a similar bump with a 6.9-inch display.
Back then, I said that I didn’t appreciate the size increases even though I saw the rationale. Apple might give the smaller Pro a periscope zoom lens similar to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The larger overall footprint of the iPhones would also let Apple use larger battery packs.
A few months later, the iPhone 16 rumor mill is churning at full speed, and we have a new report detailing the purported dimensions of the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. I hope the figures are accurate, as they’re very close to the current iPhone 15 Pro dimensions.
MacRumors recently obtained details concerning the size and weight of the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, as well as the base models.
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will be nearly identical to their predecessors, but they’ll be 2 grams heavier than the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. Both iPhone 16 models should also feature a redesigned rear camera. The two lenses will feature a vertical setup that Apple used until the iPhone 12 series. The iPhones will also feature two capacitive buttons, the Action and Capture buttons.
Only the iPhone 16 Pro models will increase in size. But, as you’ll see in the table below, the 2024 Pro iPhones will be about 3 mm taller and less than 0.9 mm wider than the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.
The iPhone 16 Pros will be slightly heavier, however. According to this leak, the iPhone 16 Pro will weigh 194 grams. That’s 7 grams more than the iPhone 15 Pro. The next-gen Pro Max will see a weight increase of only about 4 grams compared to the current Pro Max model.
That tetraprism lens might cause the weight difference. The iPhone 15 Pro Max weight already has it factored in, that is. But I’m just speculating.
The screen size increase is consistent with previous rumors. We’re looking at 6.3-inch for the iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9-inch for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The thinner bezels introduced with this year’s iPhone 15 Pro models might help Apple increase the screen sizes of the next-gen iPhones without significantly enlarging them.
All this information is far from being final. A lot can change between now and next summer, when the iPhone 16 series will hit production. But as someone who has skipped the iPhone 15 series and might upgrade to an iPhone 16 model, I like these dimensions.
I might upgrade to the base iPhone 16 rather than the Pro next year and keep using the same screen size I’ve used for years. But even going for an iPhone 16 Pro makes sense from a size perspective. Even if it’ll be slightly more voluminous than my iPhone 14 Pro, it should still be lighter because of that titanium frame.
I’ll also point out another potential benefit of Apple’s slightly larger iPhones that I couldn’t see back in May. Apple might want to add better cooling to the iPhone 16 Pros than the iPhone 15 Pros. And it would need extra space internally for such components.
