The iPhone 16 launch is just around the corner, and I’ve got my wishlist ready for features and improvements I want to see. Admittedly, there’s not much for the tech giant to improve on, with the iPhone 15 devices still some of the best around almost a year after they arrived. However, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. So, I’m sending my wishes out into the universe and hoping that they somehow end up in Silicon Valley.
Admittedly, this list of iPhone 16 features I’d like to see would have been easier to write before the big reveal of Apple Intelligence, Apple’s new AI features, at WWDC 2024. We were hoping for AI tools akin to those you can find on the best Samsung phones, and we’re getting them. Still, there are a few extra hardware and software upgrades that I wouldn’t say no to. So, let’s get into it.
Here are the five things we want to see from the iPhone 16 series:
Capture button
I’m starting with the Capture button, as it seems the most likely of all the things on my wishlist to feature on the new phones. I know opening the camera on the iPhone 15 isn’t exactly a chore, with just a couple of gestures to open the app and snap a picture. However, a Capture button would make it even quicker, especially if it both opened the app and activated the shutter, giving you precious milliseconds more to take that perfect shot before you lose it.
My only concern is that Apple might take the same approach as it did with the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max’s Action button and pass on bringing the Capture button to the base model and Plus version. While this wouldn’t be a surprise, after all, Apple is always finding slightly irritating ways to differentiate its regular flagships from its premium flagships, it would still be a disappointment.
120Hz refresh rates across the board
It’s 2024, and if I buy a flagship phone, I expect a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s something that the best mid-range phones from this year, such as the Google Pixel 8a and OnePlus 12R, offer, so there’s no excuse for Apple not to include it as a feature on both the base model and iPhone 16 Plus. Honestly, there wasn’t an excuse this time last year either, but Apple seemingly decided to use 120Hz refresh rates as a selling point for just the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models.
For those that don’t know, a display’s refresh rate relates to how many times per second the screen refreshes. While 90Hz isn’t awful, as I can attest to as a big fan of my 90Hz Steam Deck OLED, 120Hz is much smoother. While it’s most obvious if you’re gaming, pushing titles like Honkai Star Rail and Diablo Immortal to console quality, 120Hz also improves general day-to-day performance, so you can float seamlessly from app to app. If neither the iPhone 16 nor the 16 Pro come with 120Hz, Apple has some explaining to do.
Faster charging
Considering Apple is the market leader, its flagship phones are nowhere near as quick to charge as some of the best OnePlus phones or other alternatives from Honor and Xiaomi. I’m not sure why the Chinese brands seem to lead the pack in this area, but they do. While the iPhone 15 Pro takes up to an hour and a half to charge from flat to 100%, the Xiaomi 14 takes just over 30 minutes.
If math isn’t your strong point, that equates to three full charges from the Xiaomi flagship in the time the premium iPhone takes to achieve one. If you think that’s good enough, you have too much free time on your hands. I’d take anything under an hour for a full charge, but given the latest rumors suggest a 40W charging speed, I doubt that any of the iPhone 16 devices will break the 60-minute mark. A boy can dream.
An optional stylus
Yes, you read right. I want an optional stylus for the iPhone 16. I’m not sure if it’s the nostalgia of having grown up playing a Nintendo DS or because I’ve got clubbed thumbs and can barely type on even the best iPhone keyboard without making a mess of a sentence, but I want one.
I think the addition of a stylus makes sense in 2024, especially with iPhones getting bigger and bigger. There’s more than enough display retail estate space for artists to use any of the current iPhone 15 models as a portable canvas. It’d also come in handy for fans of the best mobile puzzle games, offering more precise inputs than prodding the screen over and over again. Unfortunately, there’s not even an indication that Apple might be introducing an equivalent of the Magic Pencil for iPhone, so the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra need not worry about losing its spot atop our list of the best stylus phones. Maybe next year.
No Apple Intelligence paywall
Okay, so this isn’t exactly a feature, but it’s the one thing I’m really hoping we don’t see following the initial rollout of iOS 18.1 and Apple Intelligence. Given that all the rumors and potential leaks point to just a few meaningful hardware innovations, Apple is sure to make these AI tools its big selling point. With that in mind, I don’t want to pick up an iPhone 16 only to find out months later that I’m going to have to part with more cash to keep making genmoji, AI-generated emoji, or use ChatGPT-enhanced Siri.
Unfortunately, this wish might depend on wider industry trends. If Samsung decides to introduce a paywall for its Galaxy AI features, as some rumors have suggested the brand might, then it’s easier for Apple to follow suit without as much furor. I wouldn’t mind an Apple Intelligence+ subscription service for additional AI features in the future, but as far as everything Apple teased at WWDC 2024, I’m hoping there’s no additional cost.
There you have it—my five hopes for the iPhone 16 series. With the big launch anticipated for September, we shouldn’t have to wait long to find out if any of these desired features or upgrades are coming to the latest models. If they don’t, I wouldn’t blame you for turning to our list of the best Google Pixel phones or the best Xiaomi phones for a new handset.