Apple iPhone 16 Pro: Design Upgrade Shines In New Leak

The next iPhones won’t arrive until this fall, but a new report has revealed that a new, much brighter display could be in the offing for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, 20% brighter than the current iPhone 15 Pro.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max: with this year's iPhones have much brighter displays?

According to Weibo leaker Instant Digital, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will have a display with a peak brightness of 1,200 nits in typical use, compared to the 1,000nits found on the iPhone 15 Pro.

May 12 update below. This post was first published on May 11, 2024.

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The iPhone 15 Pro also offers a peak brightness of 1,600 nits for HDR content, and it’s thought that the next models will match this HDR brightness.

Instant Digital has a decent track record that included a recent report that the iPad Pro would have a nanotexture glass option, and that the front-facing camera would be on the landscape edge. Both these rumors were confirmed on Tuesday, May 7 when the new iPad Pro was announced.

Something else was confirmed in that launch: that the iPad Pro would use something called Tandem OLED, a system which uses two OLED screens together (in tandem, you might say) to create a suitably bright display that one OLED on its own couldn’t manage.

Apple described the iPad Pro screen as “the world’s most advanced display.” So, it looks like Apple may have a similarly important display upgrade in waiting for this year’s Pro iPhones.

The iPhone’s typical brightness level has been 1,000 nits for almost three years now: the 1,000 nits level was introduced in 2021. Which means that if this report is correct, the everyday brightness of the iPhone 16 Pro is set to be noticeably higher than at present. These brightness levels are important, especially for users who tend to look at their phones outdoors. We can all identify with seeing screens too dim to make out in sunlight, especially through sunglasses.

There have already been several reports of updates to the iPhone 16 range, such as a new strategy for its new-generation processors, more advanced camera lenses, a new thermal design to prevent overheating, improved battery life, a new microphone to improve Siri, an extra button, designed for shooting video and an improved main camera sensor. So, the suggestion that the display is about to become much brighter is another exciting promise. Let’s see if it’s fulfilled.

ForbesApple iPhone 16: Unique All-New Design Promised In New ReportBy David Phelan

May 11 update. The new design of the next iPhone won’t be limited to a much brighter display, though that’s certainly a key improvement. It’s thought that the design of the cameras is about to change, as well. That makes sense, as it’s a key upgrade element.

But while the new iPad Pro has dropped the ultra wide camera entirely, it looks like the iPhone 16 Pro will see the ultra wide will see a pixel increase from 12 megapixels to 48 megapixels.

A new report from 9to5Mac comments that multiple rumors all point in this direction, to deliver an ultra wide camera that perform better, especially in low-light environments and possible improvements shooting Spatial Video.

The report also claims that the 5x optical zoom telephoto lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max could come to both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and also the smaller iPhone 16 Pro.

Other design improvements camera-wise could include a new coating for the lenses which would minimize internal reflections to improve images. Finally, there could be an all-new main camera sensor, likely at the same 48-megapixel resolution as now, but using stacked sensor tech which, as the report says, “allows the photo diodes themselves–the bit which actually captures the light–to be significantly larger for the same overall pixel size.