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For the first time in a long time, I’ve enjoyed covering the iPhone this year. Long may it continue with the iPhone 16.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max narrowly missed out on my Smartphone of the Year award (more on the actual winner, soon) and the iPhone itself remains one of my most relied-upon pieces of tech both personally and professionally.
We always want more, though, us Apple fanboi sheeple iDiots, don’t we? And in the spirit of having unwaveringly silly expectations that will never be met by Apple, I thought I’d spend some time this morning jotting down five things I’d like to see from the iPhone 16 in 2024.
I don’t think any of them are going to come true, but it’s fun to dream, right, Tim?
1. Android standby time on iPhone 16
Although the iPhone is my steed of choice, I always have an Android device in the adjacent pocket. That device changes almost weekly and gives me a brilliant insight into what lies on the other side of the fence.
I’ve been lucky enough to use some utterly brilliant Android smartphones this year, from the Google Pixel Fold to the Honor 90, the Z Flip and Fold, and the brilliantly silly Sony Xperia 1 V, to name but a few. All of them, almost without fail, have delivered one thing that continues to amaze me.
Biblical standby battery life.
I’m not sure what Android does when it’s sleeping, but it clearly isn’t very much at all. Bearing in mind that these are always secondary devices for me and often left unattended or unused for considerable periods, the amount of battery life remaining when I pick them up always shocks me. In a good way.
The iPhone pales in comparison, I’m afraid.
2. Dynamic Island out for the iPhone 16 camera
I feel very indifferent about the Dynamic Island. It’s fun, playful, and sometimes useful, but, overall, it feels like it’s just trying too hard.
You forget it’s there, half the time (I’m not convinced that’s a good thing), and the live activities that are displayed within the Dynamic Island could just as easily be displayed without what is essentially an elaborate way to hide the largest camera housing in the smartphone market.
Going back to my experience with Android devices, none of them take this approach. Most have hole-punch cameras and a combination of facial recognition and under-display fingerprint readers. That works. Always. The Dynamic Island is a classic case of Apple being obnoxiously defiant about a decision from which they will not back down.
I want the Android approach to that front-facing camera and biometrics next year on the iPhone 16, please.
3. The return of the mini
I still miss my iPhone 13 mini.
Others do, too (not mine – theirs, obviously); every month a few people jump into the comments section of my bountiful iPhone 13 mini content on YouTube to express their delight at a recent second-hand purchase, or their dismay that we never got an iPhone 14 mini.
We’ll never know what went wrong with the iPhone mini series as far as Apple is concerned, but, clearly, the numbers didn’t stack up for Tim. It must have been far too much of a niche product within the lineup of Apple’s most important product. If that’s the case, I understand the decision to get shot of it, from a business perspective.
That doesn’t stop me from longing for its return, though. Imagine the welcome party an iPhone 16 mini would receive next year. It would be a beautiful thing.
4. Less focus on the chip
I’m convinced that the iPhone is heading squarely for the M generation of chips. It’s only a matter of time before Apple really flexes its muscles in the silicon department and places a desktop-class chip into its smartphone.
Doing so would be gold dust for the Apple marketing team, but it would also be utterly irrelevant for iPhone users. We already have a chip in Apple’s smartphone that none of us can max out or put to full use. The A16 Bionic and A17 Pro chips in the current devices are astronomically capable – but they always are, year-on-year.
Snapdragon and MediaTek are forging ahead with some incredibly exciting chips in 2024, with much of the focus on AI – a term Apple has staunchly avoided quoting this year.
Show us what the next generation of Apple silicon for the iPhone can do in terms of photography and AI, please – but quit with the narrative about it being the absolute best out there. Chip pissing contests are irrelevant and utterly dull these days. It’s not 1995.
5. iMessage on Android
This year, we’ve seen a couple of instances of app developers attempting to work their way around the iMessage walled garden to open it up to Android users.
It’s a futile experiment; Apple will always crack down on it. I can’t for the life of me think why software developers like those behind the brilliant Beeper app would waste any resources attempting to circumnavigate the controls put in place by Apple for one of its most prized possessions.
However, I do understand why they want to. While I’m a WhatsApp user, through and through, I get why people want access to iMessage on Android.
Apple has confirmed that it will be adopting RCS (Rich Communication Standard) next year, which means cross-platform texting between iPhone and Android devices will improve, big time. But will they ever go as far as releasing an Android version of iMessage, as they have done with Apple Music?
Nope.
Wrapping up
I’ve shown you mine, now it’s time for you to show me yours. What do you want from the iPhone in 2024? What have I missed above?
More importantly, what realistic expectations do you have from Apple’s most important product next year? Get involved in the comments, below.
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iPhone 16 FAQ
When is the iPhone 16 coming out?
A – There is no confirmed release date yet. However, for the last few years, Apple has released its iPhones in September. So it makes sense that the iPhone 16 will be released in September 2024.
Should you wait for iPhone 16?
A – No. The iPhone 15 is an excellent phone with a highly powerful A17 chip and a 40-megapixel camera. You couldn’t ask for much more from a smartphone and the iPhone 16 won’t release for at least 8 months. If you want an iPhone, buy an iPhone 15.
Is there an iPhone 16?
A – Apple hasn’t mentioned an iPhone 16 yet, but they are almost certainly working on it for a 2024 release date. Apple works with plans far into the future so an iPhone 16 is coming, and the iPhone 17 will already be in development.
How much is the iPhone 16?
A – Apple has been kind to consumers lately. If this trend continues then the base model iPhone 16 will cost $799, the Pro version $999 and the Pro Max $1,199.
What will the iPhone 16 look like?
A – There are no confirmed plans for what the iPhone 16 will look like, or even loose rumours. But the iPhone 15’s titanium design was massively popular and gave the iPhone a refreshed look, so Apple will likely stick with it, perhaps with new colours.
Will the iPhone 16 have an Action Button?
A – Apple will likely keep the Action Button and, unlike the iPhone 15 generation, make it available on the base-level iPhone 16. Apple isn’t shy of cutting features that don’t end up working out, but they’ll surely give the Action Button at least one more year.
