The iPhone 16 Ultra: Release Date, Rumors, and More

It’s still going to be a few months before Apple officially announces the iPhone 16. However, we’re already hearing a ton of new rumors as to what we might see in Apple’s new fall 2024 iPhone lineup.

One of the biggest rumors that’s been going around the web is the appearance of a so-called iPhone 16 Ultra. 

You’re probably familiar with that name; it’s a high-end iPhone we’ve been hearing rumors about for over a year now.

Nevertheless, it seems this might be the year for the Ultra, and here are some of the rumors you should know about.

So, Is the iPhone 16 Ultra Actually Happening?

We’ve heard about an “iPhone Ultra” model since what it feels like forever now. This iPhone is supposed to be Apple’s most expensive and most powerful iPhone in history.

The biggest rumors about the Ultra came last year when we all thought Apple would release an iPhone 15 Ultra as part of the regular iPhone 15 lineup.

As you can probably tell, that didn’t happen. Apparently, Apple had some issues with production that led the company to continue working with the usual four iPhones we’re already familiar with.

With that said, rumors now point out that Apple might finally release this brand-new iPhone in 2024. Rumor has it that this will be the iPhone 16 Ultra, and it will be bigger, brighter, and more powerful than any iPhone we’ve seen before.

iPhone 16 Ultra Display

There have been many rumors about the Ultra, but all of them agree on one thing: this will be the biggest iPhone yet. 

According to recent rumors, the iPhone 16 Ultra will feature a 6.9-inch display. That’s only slightly bigger than the 6.7-inch display the iPhone 15 Pro Max has, but it will still be a noticeable change.

Not only the display will be bigger, but it’s also said to be brighter and more power-efficient.

The current iPhone 15 Pro Max caps its brightness at 2,000 nits, which is already pretty bright. But the iPhone 16 Ultra is said to be able to reach up to 2,400 nits of brightness.

Usually, a bigger display means the battery life won’t be as good, but that might not be the case with the Ultra. According to some rumors, Apple might use more modern displays from Samsung. 

Instead of using the blue fluorescent technology the current iPhones use, Apple might switch to phosphorescence technology, which works the same and consumes less power.

iPhone 16 Ultra: Design

Design-wise, the iPhone 16 Ultra might look similar to the current generation iPhones. That means you’ll see a flat body, likely made out of titanium. 

Some renders have shown that the iPhone 16 Ultra might look similar to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, but we’ll still need to wait for that to be confirmed.

On the side, the iPhone 16 Ultra could be completely different from what we’re familiar with today. Sure, it will still have the Action button, but it might also have a “Capture button,” which is rumored to be a physical button that will let you quickly access your camera and take pictures.

Speaking of buttons, the iPhone 16 Ultra might not have a button at all, according to some rumors. Instead, Apple might used solid-state buttons, which aren’t actual buttons, but they give you a haptic response when you press them so you feel like you’re actually pressing a button.

Solid-state buttons were first rumored to be featured on the iPhone 15 models, which, of course, didn’t happen. However, we might finally see them in this year’s iPhone.

iPhone 16 Ultra: Internals

Just like the other iPhone 16 Pro models, Apple is rumored to use a new A18 Pro chip for the Ultra, making them the most powerful iPhones in existence.

Unfortunately, there haven’t been many rumors regarding the Ultra’s RAM, but some speculate that Apple might continue to use the same 8GB of RAM that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is rumored to have.

When it comes to storage, we’re expecting to see at least 256GB of storage for the base mode. The current iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at 256GB, so it would make sense for the iPhone 16 Ultra to have at least the same amount of storage.

With that said it would be way better if it had at least 512GB of storage to begin with, especially with the speculated price range, which we’ll talk about in just a moment.

iPhone 16 Ultra: Other Cool Features to Expect

Apple is rumored to bring a lot of new features to the table this year. For starters, Apple might finally implement Artificial Intelligence in Siri, and we might see it in iOS 18.

With AI, Siri will be way smarter than it already is, and it will be capable of handling more complex requests. Not only that, but it would also be able to give you better recommendations as to which apps you might want to use at specific times.

Another feature Apple is working on is virtual and augmented reality. Both of these are being used with the new Apple Vision Pro, so it makes sense for Apple to add other features to the iPhone to make it more enticing for people to buy its headset.

iPhone 16 Ultra: Release Date and Price

We’re expecting Apple to release the iPhone 16 Ultra alongside the regular iPhone 16 lineup. 

This means that we should expect a release date during the second week of September, which is when Apple usually reveals its new iPhone models.

As for the price, we don’t have a number exactly, but we can expect the iPhone 16 Ultra to be pricy. The current iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199, and we should expect Apple to increase the price by at least $100 to $200.

If Apple follows the same pattern as the Apple Watch Ultra, which costs around $400 more than the regular Apple Watch, we might see a price between $1,299 and $1,599. 

Yes, it might sound like a lot, but keep in mind that Samsung, one of Apple’s biggest competitors, sells its Samsung Galaxy Z Fold for at least $1,800. Hopefully, we’re wrong about this, but you better start saving some money.

The iPhone 16 Ultra Is (Probably) Coming

We’ve heard about the iPhone Ultra for quite some time now, but this might be the year when Apple finally releases its most powerful iPhone yet.

If it comes with all the new design and features we just mentioned, then this iPhone will definitely be worth it. 

With that said, keep in mind that these are just rumors and speculations, so take them with a grain of salt. We will know more about these models if and when Apple releases them near the end of the year. One thing’s for sure: the new iPhone won’t be cheap, so you better start saving up some money.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]