Increased Size of iPhone 16 Pro Models Explained by Major Camera Upgrades, Rumor Suggests

The increased size of next year's iPhone 16 Pro and ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max allows for upgrades including a periscope telephoto camera and a 12% larger main camera sensor, according to a new report.

iphone 12 pro sensor shift
The rumor was first shared on Chinese social media site Weibo by a user who says that they have obtained industry insider information. Corroborating several other reports that next year's ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ models will feature larger displays, the individual claims that the increased size of the devices will provide more internal space for components including a periscope telephoto camera system. Earlier today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the larger size of the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ models could help facilitate improved camera hardware or bigger internal batteries.

While the iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to introduce the iPhone's first periscope telephoto camera, the feature is expected to be exclusive to Apple's largest ‌iPhone‌ at first. With next year's ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ models, Apple is reportedly planning to bring the telephoto camera to both of the "Pro" models. The increased size of the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌, is, therefore, at least partially explained by the need for more internal space to implement the periscope camera on the smaller Pro model.

For the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max or iPhone 16 "Ultra," the additional internal space will apparently allow for a larger main camera sensor that is 1/1.14-inches in size. The iPhone 14 Pro and ‌iPhone 14‌ Pro Max currently feature a 1/1.28-inch sensor. No sensor size increase is expected for this year's ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max. This claim has since been supported by the Twitter leaker known as "ShrimpApplePro."

A larger sensor could improve the main ‌iPhone‌ camera's dynamic range and background blur. It could also substantially enhance low-light photography capabilities since a bigger surface area can capture more light with the same shutter speed and aperture.

Related Roundups: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 2 Redux

Top 5 Apple Products to Look Forward to in 2025

Friday December 20, 2024 2:22 pm PST by
It's looking like 2025 is going to be an important year for Apple, with the company planning to revamp the iPhone, push further into smart home products, and improve Apple Intelligence. There are tons of new products rumored for 2025, including new iPhones, M4 Macs, a smart home command center, and much more. We've highlighted the top five Apple products that will have the biggest impact in...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

iOS 18.2.1 Update Coming Soon for iPhone

Saturday December 21, 2024 4:45 pm PST by
Apple appears to be internally testing iOS 18.2.1 for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software update in our website's analytic logs this week. The logs have accurately revealed many iOS versions before they were released. iOS 18.2.1 should be a minor update that fixes bugs and/or addresses security vulnerabilities, but it is unclear which specific issues might be resolved. The update...
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...

Top Rated Comments

KaiFiMacFan Avatar
21 months ago
Cool, but I hope the image processing software doesn't ruin the pictures taken by the increasingly-impressive hardware. The hardware doesn't mean much if the software simply overrides anything the hardware captures.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
21 months ago
Due to a bigger size, It would be ideal if Under-Display Face-ID debuts with the iPhone 16 Pro lineup.



Attachment Image
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ikjadoon Avatar
21 months ago
Even larger sensors to be trashed by Apple Airheads that pushed airbrushed, HDR overprocessing ('//www.youtube.com/watch?v=88kd9tVwkH8').

I still haven't forgotten the horrendous way Apple monkeys with skin tones. We all rave about years of software updates, but apparently this is not fixable years later. Until this junk is fixed, I'll sit out iPhone "upgrades".






Attachment Image

Attachment Image

Attachment Image
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
phill85 Avatar
21 months ago
Definitely waiting for the 16 Pro
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vegetassj4 Avatar
21 months ago
How much bigger will these phones get?

leaked iPhone 18 w/ full frame sensor and telescoping optical zoom



Attachment Image
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dz5b609 Avatar
21 months ago

Cool, but I hope the image processing software doesn't ruin the pictures taken by the increasingly-impressive hardware. The hardware doesn't mean much if the software simply overrides anything the hardware captures.
I think you overestimate how good those sensors are by a lot. Even if it would be double the current size it would be a pretty ****** sensor compared to ones in proper camera's with space, you still need a shitton of image processing to make it into something.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)