iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max mockups lack one exciting rumored upgrade

iPhone 15 Pro review front angled handheld
The iPhone 15 Pro (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

One of the most exciting rumors we’ve heard about the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max so far is that these phones might have under-display Face ID, meaning only the front camera would be visible in the screen, allowing for a tiny punch-hole cut-out rather than the iPhone 15 Pro’s big Dynamic Island.

We’ve even now seen some renders from AppleTrack showing how this might look, and it makes a drastic difference to the design of the iPhone, with much less interruption to the screen. Except, the latest leak suggests that such a change might not be happening after all.

MacRumors claims to have received new information on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, and has used that to create mockups that are apparently based on Apple’s internal designs, one of which you can see below. And, as you’ve probably gathered, these mockups include a full-size Dynamic Island.

An unofficial render of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max

(Image credit: MacRumors)

The rest of the design is also largely similar, including an identical looking Action button to the current Pro models. MacRumors notes that Apple has apparently experimented with larger sizes and different designs for this button, but seems to have settled on the current design – which also means it will probably be a standard mechanical button, rather than switching to a capacitive design, as had previously been rumored.

The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will also reportedly use the same titanium frame as their predecessors, and may largely be available in the same colors.

Apple has apparently tested these upcoming phones in the same shades as the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, but MacRumors says one additional color is also planned, though they don’t know what shade this is.

Bigger screens and more buttons

So other than an extra color, what’s different here? Well, for one thing the screens on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are reportedly bigger. MacRumors echoes previous reports in saying that the iPhone 16 Pro will have a 6.3-inch screen and the iPhone 16 Pro Max will have a 6.9-inch panel.

In both cases, that’s 0.2 inches larger than their predecessors, and in the case of the iPhone 16 Pro it reportedly makes the phone large enough to be equipped with the same 5x telephoto camera as you’ll find on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. So both Pro models this year will likely have that further-reaching camera.

The biggest difference shown here though is a new Capture button on the iPhone 16 Pro models, which has been widely rumored for inclusion, and which according to a previous report will be used for shooting videos.

All that said, we’d take these claims with a pinch of salt. It's still very early for iPhone 16 rumors, and some of these claims are at odds with earlier reports. MacRumors also notes that “the prototypes are not quite finalized”, so things could change. But it sounds like the site’s information is the most up-to-date available.

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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

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