As an iPhone 15 user, here are 5 upgrades that I would like to see on iPhone 16

Apple is likely to unveil the iPhone 16, the successor to the iPhone 15, during today's ‘It's Glowtime’ event.

The camera island on the iPhone 15 looks exactly identical to the one on the iPhone 13. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

Written by: Vivek Umashankar

4 min readBengaluruSep 9, 2024 09:25 PM IST First published on: Sep 9, 2024 at 12:34 PM IST

The iPhone 15 has been my companion over the last few months, and despite looking a lot like the iPhone 14, the device is the current go-to iPhone for many with a character of its own. It’s been almost a year since its launch, and Apple is most likely to introduce its successor on Monday night at the “It’s Glowtime” launch event.

With just a couple of hours left for the event, here is a last-minute iPhone 16 wish list from an iPhone 15 user, which could make it an enticing upgrade over its predecessor.

It’s high time for a higher refresh rate display

The iPhone 15 comes with a 60Hz display. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

If there is one caveat that bothers me the most about the iPhone 15 (review), it’s its 60Hz refresh rate display. When a budget Android smartphone, costing less than 1/5th of the iPhone 15, has a higher refresh rate screen, it’s high time for Apple to add the same to the base iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus models. Considering leaks and rumours, this isn’t happening; however, we have to wait for a few more hours for official confirmation on the same.

MagSafe wireless charging is excellent, charging speed isn’t

The iPhone 15 is one of the slowest-charging premium smartphones in the world. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The Qi2-powered charging solution on the iPhone 15 offers the best possible wireless charging experience on any smartphone. However, both wired and wireless charging speeds aren’t that impressive, especially when compared to their Android counterparts. It’s again high time for Apple to amp up the charging speeds on the iPhone 16 so that one might not have to wait almost two hours to fully charge their iPhone. Leaks and rumours do indicate a slightly faster charging solution on the iPhone 16, which is a welcome move.

The base iPhone 16 also demands an action button

Mute switch on iPhone 15 isn’t as versatile as the action button on the iPhone 15 Pro. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

For someone like me, who keeps their iPhone mostly in silent mode (even at home), the current alert slider on the iPhone 15 isn’t that practical. Instead, the iPhone 15 Pro-style action button will be more useful, which can be remapped according to one’s requirements. Luckily, leaks indicate that Apple is indeed expanding the action button, that too a bigger one, across the iPhone 16 lineup.

Apple Intelligence, please

iPhone 15 misses out on the new ChatGPT-powered Siri. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Plus users are devoid of iOS 18’s headline feature, Apple Intelligence, as they have an inferior chip and less memory compared to the iPhone 15 Pro series. This shouldn’t be the case with the iPhone 16. Hopefully, the iPhone 16 is being powered by the new A18 chip, which should enable Apple Intelligence even on the base iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus models.

Time for a design overhaul and new colour options

The iPhone 15 looks just like the three-year-old iPhone 13. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The iPhone 15 looks very similar to the iPhone 14, which is almost identical to the iPhone 13, which clearly demands a design overhaul for the iPhone 16. Leaks and third-party renders do indicate a new vertical camera array on the iPhone 16 that’s similar to the iPhone 12, but slightly bigger due to the large camera sensors. This is a win for anyone planning to upgrade to a newer iPhone that looks new. However, if you are looking forward to the iPhone 16 Pro, you might be disappointed, as the iPhone 16 Pro might look almost identical to the iPhone 15 Pro; however, the Pro iPhones are getting bigger screens and batteries.

If the iPhone 16 comes with at least these five changes, it will make it a successful successor for users looking forward to upgrading to the newest Apple device.