6 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 16 & 5 Reasons Not To
iPhone 16 rumors are hinting at some significant upgrades and that might have some shoppers thinking about waiting for Apple’s 2024 iPhone.
Many people will be perfectly fine buying an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro or another model right now or in the weeks ahead. On the other hand, some people might want to wait and see what the company has up its sleeves for 2023 and beyond.
The current iPhone lineup and upcoming iPhone 15 series are certainly worth considering, but others may want to take a rain check and wait for the 2024 iPhones, also known as iPhone 16.
Despite the launch being over a year away, iPhone 16 rumors have swirled for much of 2023 and they’ve outlined some intriguing changes which may, or may not, include an extremely high-end iPhone model dubbed iPhone 16 Ultra.
This new iPhone Ultra could be positioned above the iPhone Pro line as a powerful, and expensive, alternative to Apple’s iPhone Pro models.
Of course, we’re still more than a year away from Apple’s announcements which means the company’s plans can, and probably will, change as development progresses behind the scenes.
That being said, what we’ve heard about the iPhone 16 puts those of you in the market for a new device in 2023 and 2024 in an interesting position: Buy now or wait?
In this guide we’ll take you through the best reasons to wait for the iPhone 16 and the best reasons to go with another device long before the 2024 iPhones arrive on shelves.
Wait for the iPhone 16 Ultra
As of right now, the iPhone Pro Max is Apple’s highest-end iPhone model. That could change in 2024 according to a source who is almost always accurate with his information.
In his
Power On newsletter
,
Bloomberg’s
Mark Gurman says Apple might add an even higher-end iPhone Ultra above its Pro models in 2024.
Apple might release a new iPhone 16 Ultra next year.
It’s unclear how Apple might do this exactly, but Gurman believes it might come down to the iPhone 16 Ultra having an even faster chip, an even bigger display, additional improvements to the camera, and possible even a port-less design, meaning, no USB-C or Lightning ports.
Apple already does this with the
Apple Watch Ultra
, its high-end Apple Watch, which offers additional improvements at an added cost.
This is all clearly still in flux which means we may not see this change until 2025 or later. That being said, if a really high-end, premium iPhone is something you’d be interested in, you might want to skip the iPhone 15 series and hold onto your current device until next year.
Wait for a Big Camera Upgrade
According to a
source on Weibo
who’s been accurate with leaks in the past, the iPhone 16 Pro Max will come with a “
super/ultra
” telephoto camera meaning the device would have enhanced optical zoom.
The same source also claims the device will have a 12% larger main camera sensor which would lead to improvements to low light photography.
Ming-Chi Kuo
believes
all of Apple’s iPhone 16 models will utilize a stacked rear camera sensor setup, similar to the setup that’s supposedly coming to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max later this year.
Wait for Bigger Screens
According to display analyst Ross Young, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will have larger displays. If true, they will be the largest ever for an iPhone.
Young
believes
the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will come with 6.27-inch and 6.86-inch display sizes, respectively. The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have 6.12-inch and 6.69-inch displays.
Young says these changes will be exclusive to the Pro models and the lower-end iPhone 16 models are expected to keep the same screen sizes (6.1-inches and 6.7-inches). A well-known leaker on Twitter
backs up
Young’s claims.
He also believes Apple will also change the aspect ratio on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max which will make the devices a bit taller than their predecessors.
You can get a sense for these potential changes via these CAD images of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max/Ultra from
9to5Mac
.
So, if you’ve wanted an even bigger display on your iPhone, you might want to hold off on an upgrade this year and wait for the iPhone 16 series.
Wait for Solid State Buttons
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo
believes
Apple’s working on a “solid-state button design” that’s similar to the home button design on the company’s iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone SE 2, and iPhone SE 3. It would replace the current mechanical button design.
Kuo says “Taptic Engines located on the internal left and right sides to provide force feedback to make users feel like they are pressing physical buttons.”
Bloomberg’s
Mark Gurman
also believes
Apple is working on haptic volume buttons.
Initially, it looked like these features were coming on board the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. but Apple’s plans have changed.
According to Kuo, these features have been pushed back due to unresolved technical issues. Kuo believes the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will both have traditional buttons.
Another source who has been accurate with information in the past
also says
these features have been cancelled for the iPhone 15 Pro models.
Gurman
says
Apple has been “wavering” on the change, but that as of right now, it’s likely coming on board the iPhone 16. Analysts Jeff Pu
believes
there’s a only a slight chance the feature makes it to the iPhone 16.
Supplier Cirrus Logic says it has “limited knowledge” of Apple’s plans at this time which suggests the change isn’t guaranteed to come next year.
Wait for Performance Improvements
Expect the iPhone 16 series to come equipped with a new processor, but performance improvements will likely go beyond that.
According to
Ming-Chi Kuo
, Apple might have support for Wi-Fi 7. According to the
Wi-Fi Alliance
, the standard could provide speeds up to 30Gbps.
It also says it will “support reduced latency and jitter for time sensitive networking applications including AR/VR, 4K and 8K video streaming, automotive, cloud computing, gaming and video applications.”
Wait for More iPhone 16 Info
If you’re on the fence about whether to buy a new device this year or wait for iPhone 16, you may want to wait for the fog to clear a bit.
As of right now we don’t a whole lot about the iPhone 16 series. As we noted before, Apple’s plans often change during the development process so feature you hear about now may not make the cut into the final product.
We expect to hear a lot more about the iPhone 16 throughout the year.
As the year goes on, we’ll start to hear more about the iPhone 16’s other specs and perhaps get a much clearer picture about what to expect from the 2024 iPhone models.
So if you aren’t in a hurry, it might be in your best interest to hang back and follow both iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 rumors. They will help you set proper expectations and help you make a well-informed decision regarding your next phone.
Don’t Wait If You Can’t Wait Until Late 2024
Apple won’t launch an iPhone 16 in 2023. The company will instead launch four iPhone 15 modes (iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max) in the fall.
While the iPhone 16 series is exciting, its arrival on shelves is more than a year away. Assuming Apple sticks to protocol, you can expect the iPhone 16 models to arrive in September, 2024. If you can’t wait that long, you’ll want to start thinking about buying/waiting for another smartphone.
We may see Apple launch a new iPhone SE 4 in early 2024 to bridge the gap between the iPhone 15 series and iPhone 16 series. The iPhone SE series serves as Apple’s budget line.
Don’t Wait for Under-Display Face ID
Apple’s reportedly working to embed Face ID underneath the iPhone’s display. If true, this change would give the iPhone a bigger display area for users to work with.
We’ve heard about this change numerous times in the past. And while it will probably miss the iPhone 15 Pro models, we could see it emerge on board the high-end iPhone 16 variants.
In a
tweet
, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says he thinks a “real full-screen iPhone will come in 2024. High-end iPhones in 2024 would adopt an under-display front camera alongside the under-display Face ID.” Korean publication
The Elec
also believes the iPhone 16 Pro will come with embedded Face ID.
Unfortunately, not everyone thinks these changes will come next year. While display analyst Ross Young initially believed the technology would come in
2024 on the iPhone 16 Pro models
, he’s changed his stance and now says the feature has been
pushed to the iPhone 17 Pro
.
Bloomberg’s
Mark Gurman
believes
Apple will eventually “fully embed Face ID and the front-facing camera into the display itself” but that the move is at least three to four years away. Gurman’s reiterated this stance in a
more recent version
of his Power On newsletter.
We trust Young and Gurman so there’s a good chance these changes miss the iPhone 16 series and arrive on the iPhone 17 models in 2025 instead.
Don’t Wait for a Foldable iPhone 16
Apple might be working on a foldable version of the iPhone, but it sounds like the device won’t be ready until 2025. At the earliest.
We’ve seen patents
hint at a foldable iPhone
but this doesn’t confirm anything. One patent reveals plans for a protective layer that will help prevent cracking on foldable displays.
A
report from
Bloomberg
states that while Apple “has developed prototype foldable screens for internal testing” the company “hasn’t solidified plans to actually launch a foldable iPhone.” In other words, a launch is a long way out.
As for analyst Ming-Chi Kuo,
he believes
“Apple may launch its first foldable product in 2025 at the earliest, which may be a foldable iPad or a hybrid of iPad & iPhone.”
Kuo says Apple is
currently testing
Chinese company E Ink’s Electronic Paper Display (EPD) for “future foldable device’s cover screen & tablet-like applications.”
He
thinks
Apple will launch a foldable iPad in 2024 ahead of a foldable iPhone. Kuo says the device will feature a carbon fiber kickstand. This has been disputed by
Bloomberg’s
Mark Gurman
and analyst
Ross Young
.
Young once
said
a foldable iPhone wasn’t “expected until 2023 at the earliest” with 2024 more likely. Young has followed this up with a
new report
that suggests the foldable iPhone has been delayed until 2025.
So at this point you should operate on the assumption that Apple’s foldable iPhone will miss 2023 and probably 2024 as well.
Samsung’s
reportedly confirmed
Apple’s plans to release a 20-inch foldable product in conjunction with Samsung and LG Display.
The device obviously isn’t an iPhone, but a hybrid tablet-notebook. And it looks like it won’t be coming out in 2024 which lines up with what we’ve heard about Apple’s plans for foldable products.
If a foldable device interests you, you should check out
Samsung’s Galaxy Z series
. You can learn more about Samsung’s foldable devices in the video above.
Don’t Wait for a Periscope Lens on Base Models
This may not be a deal-breaker for a lot of shoppers, but it’s something to keep in mind while you decide what to do.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max will reportedly come with a new periscope lens which could offer enhanced optical zoom, somewhere in the range of 5x to 10x. This would be a big improvement over what current iPhones offer.
Unfortunately, the feature will likely be limited to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, this could be the case next year as well. Kuo
believes
only the highest-end iPhone 16 model will have a periscope lens on board.
If this happens, it would break tradition. When Apple introduces a new exclusive feature, it typically brings said feature to next-generation models.
That apparently won’t be the case with the iPhone 16 series which could prove frustrating given the size, and price, of the highest-end model.
Don’t Wait If You Find a Phone You Love
If you find a phone you really like between now and the fall of 2024, don’t let iPhone 16 rumors hold you back.
We’ve already touched on the rumored iPhone 15 which is set for release this fall. And again, Apple is also expected to launch a new iPhone SE 4 in 2024. The iPhone 15 will definitely be out before the iPhone 16 and the iPhone SE 4 should be as well.
We should also see retailers start to offer some really nice
iPhone 14
and
iPhone 14 Pro
deals in the coming months as supply recovers. We’ve also seen numerous
iPhone 13 series
,
iPhone 12 mini
,
iPhone 12
,
iPhone 12 Pro
,
iPhone 12 Pro Max
, and
iPhone SE 3
deals.
If you aren’t married to the iPhone you’ll also want to take a look at devices like the
Galaxy S23 series
,
Galaxy S22 series
, and Google’s
Pixel 7
.
Make sure you dig into these devices before you decide to wait. If you find something that suits your needs at the right price, don’t be afraid to make a commitment long before the iPhone 16 series arrives on shelves.
4 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 15 & 6 Reasons Not To
Wait for Design Changes
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Last year, Apple introduced a brand new pill-shaped notch the company calls Dynamic Island. Unfortunately, this change is only available on the company’s high-end
Analyst Ross Young
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo
This might give some of you considering Apple’s
On the flip side, Young
We’ve
Leaker
In a
In a
In a
Analyst Jeff Pu from Haitong International Securities
We’ve seen an iPhone 15 Pro dummy unit
We’ve also heard the iPhone 15 Pro will have a
You can see it in |
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