If the rumors are true, the iPhone 16 Pro will be hard to resist
Smartphone cameras may have been pushed aside by AI hype in the past two years, but they’re still one of the biggest reasons to upgrade – and as TechRadar’s former cameras editor, I’m particularly excited about the iPhone 16 Pro.
Granted, some of that enthusiasm may be because my daily driver is a creaking iPhone 11 Pro, which has now reached classic car status in smartphone terms. But lately, I’ve felt the allure of shooting with something more discrete and pocketable than my Fujifilm X-T5 – and rather than a Ricoh GR IIIx, it’s the iPhone 16 Pro that’s caught my eye.
We’re still very much in rumors territory for Apple’s next flagship phone ahead of its launch on September 9. But after closely following the speculation this year, it looks to me like the iPhone 16 Pro could be the ideal pocket camera to complement my beefier Fujifilm X-series body and lenses.
So why am I thinking of finally upgrading this year, rather than waiting for the iPhone 17 Pro or the rumored iPhone 17 Air next year? Here are the top five photographic reasons why I’m preparing to take the plunge on the smaller Pro model, based on the latest rumors.1. Apple’s best ever ultra-wide camera
The rumor: iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max tipped to get 48MP ultra-wide camera
This could be the most useful iPhone 16 Pro camera upgrade for me, if the rumors are true. According to respected tech analyst Jeff Pu, Apple is planning to add a new 48MP ultra-wide camera onto both of its iPhone 16 Pro models – and won’t be keeping it exclusive to the Pro Max.
That would be a pretty big deal. The iPhone’s ultra-wide camera has traditionally been its weakest link. My iPhone 11 Pro came with Apple’s first ultra-wide and it’s distinctly average, thanks to its slow f/2.4 aperture and fixed-focus lens. It’s certainly improved over recent generations, but the iPhone 15 Pro still only has a 12MP sensor and an f/2.2 aperture.
The benefit of a new 48MP sensor would be that the iPhone 16 Pro’s ultra-wide could use the same pixel-binning technique as its main camera to boost image quality in challenging light. If it can produce 24MP files (made from a combo of a 12MP and 48Mp image) with some of the quality I’ve seen from the iPhone 15 Pro’s main camera, the ultra-wide would become a far more usable option.2. A mature 5x telephoto camera
The rumor: iPhone 16 Pro to inherit the 5x telephoto camera from the 15 Pro Max
Last year, I decided to resist the temptation of the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s new 5x telephoto lens in order to stick to my golden Apple rule – always wait for any new feature to reach second-generation maturity.
Okay, it was also because I didn’t particularly want to lug around a 6.7-inch smartphone, which was my only option because Apple made its tetraprism technology exclusive to the Max model.
