We’re now just hours away from the launch of the iPhone 16 line – you can follow the buildup in our iPhone 16 event live blog – with Apple set to reveal the phones later today (September 9). The leaks haven’t stopped pouring in, even at this late hour, and the latest includes several pieces of potentially good news.
In a post on X, a renowned leaker Mark Gurman (via 9to5Mac) claimed that the iPhone 16 Pro’s starting price likely won’t exceed the iPhone 15 Pro’s $999 (£999 / AU$1,849). He didn’t discuss pricing for other regions, but for reference, the current model starts at £999 / AU$1,849 in the UK and Australia, so it’s possible Apple may stick with those prices too.
We weren’t specifically expecting a price increase prior to this leak, but we certainly weren’t ruling it out either. So it’s encouraging to hear that Apple’s most expensive new phone after the iPhone 16 Pro Max may not see a price hike.
I expect the touch-sensitive camera button to be on all iPhone 16 models tomorrow. The thinner bezels on the Pro line are notable, as are the improvements in battery life. I don’t expect the Pro’s starting price of $999 to go up. There will be a big focus on AI & A18 chip across the board.September 9, 2024
Gurman also claimed that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will have noticeably improved battery life and that the screen bezels will be noticeably smaller than the current models.
That lines up with previous leaks that suggested the iPhone 16 Pro Max could have the smallest display bezels of any phone, and that the Pro models could both have larger batteries than their predecessors.
Gurman indicated that all four iPhone 16 models will likely get the much-hyped Capture button, which controls the camera. He also said that Apple will focus on AI and the new A18 chipset at launch.
We will know soon
While we should take the above with a grain of salt, Mark Gurman has a great track record when it comes to Apple leaks, and most of this is consistent with what we’ve heard before.
We’ll find out for sure soon, as Apple’s iPhone 16 launch takes place at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST, which is 3am on September 10 for those in the AEST time zone.
We’ve got an Apple ‘Glowtime’ event live blog up and running already, where you can read about any late leaks leading up to the event, followed by all the announcements as they happen. And if you want to tune in yourself, here’s how to watch the iPhone 16 launch event live.