iPhone 16 Pro Leaks: Bigger Screens, Capture Buttons, and Better Batteries

If you are waiting to upgrade your smartphone, the rumors surrounding the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are incredibly promising. Apple is reportedly making significant hardware changes this year, bringing larger displays, a brand-new physical camera button, and major upgrades to battery life and zoom capabilities.

Stepping Up the Screen Size

For the first time since the iPhone 12 lineup, Apple is changing the physical dimensions of its Pro phones. The standard iPhone 16 Pro is expected to grow from a 6.1-inch display to a 6.3-inch display. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro Max will expand from 6.7 inches to a massive 6.9 inches.

This increase in screen size is not just about giving you more room to watch videos or read text. The slightly taller and wider body provides Apple with the internal space necessary to fit larger batteries and more advanced camera modules into the smaller Pro model.

To keep the phones from feeling too bulky, Apple is using a new technology called Border Reduction Structure. This manufacturing technique allows the internal copper wiring of the screen to be rolled into a much tighter package. As a result, the iPhone 16 Pro models will feature the thinnest bezels ever seen on an Apple device.

The All-New Capture Button

One of the most exciting hardware changes is the introduction of the Capture Button. Located on the bottom right side of the device, this new button will sit flush with the frame. It is designed entirely around the photography and videography experience.

The Capture Button is capacitive, meaning it responds to touch and pressure rather than just being a simple mechanical click. Leaks suggest this button will function much like the shutter button on a high-end DSLR camera.

Here is how the Capture Button is expected to work:

Light Press: Pressing the button halfway down will lock the focus and exposure on your subject.
Firm Press: Pressing the button all the way down will take a photo or start recording a video.
Swipe Gestures: Because the surface is touch-sensitive, you can swipe your finger left or right across the button to zoom in and out smoothly.

This placement is highly intentional. When you hold the iPhone horizontally to shoot video, your index finger naturally rests right where the Capture Button is located. This will make shooting Spatial Video for the Apple Vision Pro much more intuitive.

Tetraprism Zoom for Everyone

Last year, Apple introduced a 5x optical zoom lens, but it was exclusive to the larger iPhone 15 Pro Max. If you wanted the best camera, you were forced to buy the biggest phone. That changes with the iPhone 16 Pro.

Because the baseline iPhone 16 Pro is growing to 6.3 inches, Apple now has the internal space to include the advanced tetraprism telephoto lens in both Pro models. This lens bounces light four times inside the phone casing before it hits the sensor, allowing for a 5x optical zoom without extending the physical lens outside the phone.

Additionally, the Ultra Wide camera is getting a massive upgrade. Apple is bumping the Ultra Wide sensor from 12 megapixels to 48 megapixels. This higher resolution will capture much more light, resulting in dramatically better low-light photos. It will also allow for sharper, more detailed macro photography when you are shooting subjects up close.

Battery Tech and Faster Charging

Battery life is always a top priority, and the iPhone 16 Pro leaks point to highly requested improvements. Apple is reportedly moving to stacked battery technology. This design method layers battery cells tightly together, which increases the overall energy density without taking up more physical space.

The leaked battery capacities show noticeable bumps across the board:

iPhone 16 Pro: Expected to feature a 3,577 mAh battery (up from 3,274 mAh).
iPhone 16 Pro Max: Expected to feature a 4,676 mAh battery (up from 4,422 mAh).

To fix the overheating complaints that plagued the launch of the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple is redesigning the internal cooling system. The new batteries will reportedly feature a frosted metal casing instead of a traditional foil pouch. Apple is also adding a graphene thermal sheet inside the phone to pull heat away from the processor much faster.

Charging speeds are also getting a boost. Leaks indicate the iPhone 16 Pro models will support 40W wired charging and 20W MagSafe wireless charging. This is a solid jump from the current 27W wired and 15W wireless limits, meaning you will spend less time tethered to a wall outlet.

Under the Hood: The A18 Pro Chip

Powering all these new features is the upcoming A18 Pro chip. Built on the second generation of TSMC’s 3-nanometer process, this processor is designed specifically to handle heavy artificial intelligence workloads.

Apple recently announced Apple Intelligence, a suite of on-device AI tools that can rewrite emails, generate images, and make Siri much smarter. The A18 Pro chip will feature a vastly upgraded Neural Engine with more cores, ensuring that these complex AI tasks run locally on your device with zero lag and total privacy.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will the iPhone 16 Pro be released? Apple traditionally announces new iPhones during the first or second week of September. Pre-orders usually begin the Friday following the event, with devices hitting store shelves a week later.

Will the iPhone 16 Pro cost more than the iPhone 15 Pro? Pricing leaks are mixed. Some analysts believe the base iPhone 16 Pro will remain at $999. However, because Apple might drop the 128GB storage tier and start the base model at 256GB, the entry price could technically rise to $1,099.

What new colors are coming to the iPhone 16 Pro? Apple is expected to stick with its titanium frame but will introduce new finishes. Rumors suggest the blue titanium will be replaced by a new bronze or “Desert Titanium” color. The standard black, white, and natural titanium options will likely return with slightly tweaked shades.