With only a few hours left until Apple’s It’s Glowtime event, excitement is building around the launch of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple will begin pre-orders for both models today or tomorrow, with in-store availability starting September 20. In the initial release, Apple will not include Apple Intelligence, a key feature of iOS 18, but it will arrive later with iOS 18.1. These new devices are expected to showcase impressive upgrades.
Design and Colors
Leaked images suggest the iPhone 16 Pro Max design is similar to its predecessor, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, with slight tweaks. Apple will offer the Pro models in four colour options: Titanium Black, White, Titanium Silver, and Desert Titanium, inspired by the Sahara Desert. Although rumours mentioned a Rose colour, no evidence supports this.
Apple has refined the design with thinner bezels, reducing the size from 1.71mm to 1.2mm on the Pro models and 1.55mm to 1.15mm on the Pro Max. These thinner bezels will accommodate larger screens—6.3 inches for the 16 Pro and 6.9 inches for the 16 Pro Max, the largest display on any iPhone.
New Features: Action and Capture Buttons
The iPhone 16 Pro models will feature new Action and Capture buttons, replacing the traditional Alert Slider. The Action button will allow users to trigger custom actions, while the Capture button will act as a camera shutter and support swipe gestures for features like zoom.
Powering the Pro Models: A18 Chipset
The new A18 chipset will power both the 16 Pro and Pro Max. Thanks to improved heat dissipation and efficiency, this chip offers 20% better-sustained performance than previous models. The A18 Pro’s 16-core Neural Processing Unit (NPU) handles advanced AI tasks, and all iPhone 16 models will support the upcoming Apple Intelligence features.
Cameras and Charging
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will include a 5x telephoto camera, previously exclusive to the Pro Max. Both models will retain a 48MP main camera and an ultra-wide camera with improved low-light performance. Apple will also introduce 3K video recording at 120fps with Dolby Vision.
Charging speeds will be upgraded, with 40W wired charging and 20W MagSafe charging, a noticeable improvement from last year’s models.
Production and Future Outlook
For the first time, Apple will produce Pro models in India, helping the company meet its goal of producing 90.1 million units this year. The 16 Pro Max is expected to make up 37% of total production.
Looking ahead, rumours suggest that the iPhone 17 Pro Max could feature a 48MP periscope camera for improved zoom, and the Pro models may get up to 12GB of RAM. But for now, all eyes are on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max launch.