The screen of your smartphone is what you spend most of your time staring at, so naturally, mobile phone manufacturers expect the iPhone4 to follow suit when it comes out later this year, bringing some pretty significant display improvements to each of the new models.

As previously reported, the display has become an important way for mobile phone manufacturers to differentiate the device, so fast riff on the best phones Indeed, with the release of last year's iPhone15, the standard iPhone got a brighter panel, and Apple reduced the bezel around the iPhone15Pro screen, the display upgrade.

We expect improvements to continue on the iPhone16 and iPhone16Pro models this fall. We've been tracking rumors about all the changes to the upcoming phone, and it appears as if they're going to be in a certain area of focus. Here, these changes are scheduled for iPhone16, along with what might mean for those who are considering upgrading to these phones

which, in the literal sense, could be the biggest display change for the iPhone this fall. Early rumors suggest that the iPhone16Pro and iPhone16Pro Max displays will increase in 2020 from the size first established on the iPhone12Pro model.

According to the screen size rumors, the iPhone16Pro will provide a 6.3-inch display, up from the iPhone15Pro's 6.1-inch screen. Similarly, the iPhone16Pro Max features a 15-inch panel compared to the iPhone6.7-inch screen of the iPhone6.9Pro Max.

Since the story of the big iPhone16Pro display first surfaced, the evidence has mounted that Apple is only supposed to make this change. We've seen dummies in the iPhone16 lineup that reflect the new screen size and iPhone16Pro rendering.

If you adjust the display size of the iPhone16Pro, the Pro model will be further distinguished from the iPhone16 and iPhone16Plus. Making the Pro model stand out has been a big part of Apple's smartphone strategy in recent years, so this will fall along that approach. 

For practical purposes, the expanded display would give iPhone16Pro owners more screen space to work with. Also, the iPhone16Pro model will have a particularly large amount of space to house the Tetrarism telephoto lens, one of the camera improvements rumored in the iphone1pro. As mentioned earlier, the iPhone15 has boosted its display to a peak HDR brightness of 1,600 nit, and its maximum outdoor brightness has risen to 2,000 nit. Rumors say it will be the turn of the Pro model to see a similar increase this fall. Specifically, Weibo's leaker predicts that the iPhone16Pro (and perhaps the iPhone16Pro Max as well) will have a 20% increase in brightness levels. The brightness boost obviously applies to typical usage, or SDR content, and the iPhone16Pro holds up to 1,600-nits of HDR content that is present on the current iPhone.

It's unclear whether the brightness improvements will extend to the standard iPhone16 as well, but if possible apple will certainly have a lot of motivation to use the bright panel. The Galaxy S24 model, released by Samsung earlier this year, promises a maximum brightness of 2,600 nit, while the OnePlus12 claims to be able to recharge 4,500 nit under certain conditions. (This didn't happen in our tests, but the 1,115 nits we measured in SDR are bright enough.Even the midrange Pixel8a display could match the maximum brightness of Google's flagship phone.

In other words, Apple's major competitors are brightening all their phone screens. It will be intersting to see if apple will follow suit.

Brightness is only half the battle with display specifications. You also want a panel that does not drain the battery of your phone. And it sounds like Apple wants to make progress in that regard when it comes to the iPhone16.

Last year, rumors surfaced that Samsung Display, which supplies many of the panels apple uses in its phones, plans to replace blue fluorescence technology with blue phosphorescence technology with a new set of OLED materials. This move will improve the power efficiency of the display, which in theory will allow phones with that particular panel to last longer when charging.

In order for this rumor to affect the iPhone16, we'll have to make some logical leaps — first, make sure Samsung Display offers panels for the iPhone of the year, and then make sure this more power-efficient OLED panel is ready in time for the iPhone16. Still, as battery life is a key focus for so many phone manufacturers, Apple has a component that could improve the already impressive lifespan of iPhone models.

Of all the rumored changes to the iPhone16 display, this seems to be the least likely to happen, but we'll share it anyway. Display manufacturers are turning to a new process called border reduction construction, which changes the wiring and circuitry to make the lower bezel of the phone display thinner. On devices like the iPhone that have a symmetrical bezel, it translates into a thinner bezel all around.

So what is the problem here? The BRS process can complicate screen manufacturing, so suppliers are reportedly struggling to get enough of the panels they need to provide Apple with the iPhone16 launch. As a result, we will be happy if this happens, but we will be surprised.

This is because Apple reduced the bezel of the iPhone15Pro display last year. As a result, images, videos and other content on the display became more pop compared to iPhones with thicker bezels.

We're delivering bad news, but we can also talk about improvements to the iPhone16 display that definitely won't happen. The IPhone16Pro and iPhone16Pro Max models will continue to feature a display with adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz and always-on display support, but it seems that Apple has no plans to increase the refresh rate on the iPhone16 or iPhone16Plus. These phones are expected to maintain a fixed 90Hz refresh rate.

As a result, if you choose between iPhone16 and iPhone16Plus, you will not benefit from smoother scrolling or more immersive graphics. Also, the lack of always-on display support means that you can't use the standby feature to the maximum. Standby will turn your phone into a smart display when charging horizontally, but on a phone that doesn't have a always-on display, it will go to sleep after 20 seconds or so.

Iphones with 60hz screens use low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) panels. To support faster refresh rates, you must switch to the low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) panel used in Apple's promotional displays. That switch is not expected to occur until 2025 and iPhone17.