All the design upgrades in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 collaged with sample images taken from these devices like a frog and a woman at a pool table.

New iPhone, same look? Nope! Here are all the design upgrades you can expect on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, compared to what’s in your pocket right now.

Luke Hopewell is a gadget veteran of over 10 years (and has attended multiple Apple launches to boot. If it goes beep in the night, Luke has tested it. Got a question for the author? Head to the comments, or email the author at luke@redaktor.co.

Quick note: we’re only going into the cosmetic differences here.

New colours

The first thing anyone is going to notice when you slap this baby down on the table is probably going to be the new colour.

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus

The base model iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus cop a few new colours: These are:

Ultramarine – a deep ocean blue
Teal – a very on-trend deep green, and
Pink – while not a new colour, the pink has gone from a dusky colour to a vibrant, glowing pink.

Sadly, we’ll have to say goodbye to some old friends. The light blue, light green and yellow are gone from the iPhone 16 line-up. But that’s okay: Apple will still sell you an iPhone 15 if you’re locked in on those colours.

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max

For iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, you get similar titanium colours from the previous generation. There’s also a new contender in this mix:

Desert Titanium – a deep, dusky gold found when the sun shimmers over the dunes in some far-off land

There are a few changes elsewhere, too. The Natural Titanium colour is a bit darker, the White Titanium is a bit lighter, and there’s no more Blue Titanium to speak of.

New Camera Control Button

Camera Control is what Apple is calling a new button on the right-hand side of both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro.

It’s a tactile little switch with a satisfying click, and acts as an all-in-one camera control interface.

With Camera Control, you can quickly open the camera, snap a photo, or start recording a video without having to tap on your screen to start. Plus, a new preview feature helps you frame your shot and adjust settings like zoom, exposure, and depth of field, all with a simple swipe.

Later this year, it’s getting even smarter. You’ll be able to use Camera Control to quickly learn about objects or places around you. Want to check a restaurant’s hours or ratings? Just hold Camera Control. Need to save an event from a flyer to your calendar? Easy. It can even identify dog breeds and more. And if you’re looking for third-party tools, like searching where to buy an item or getting help from ChatGPT, Camera Control is your go-to.

Bye silent switch, hello Action Button

RIP Silent Switch. We loved ye. If you’re an ADHD stimmer like me and spend a lot of your idle time using the iPhone’s silent switch as a fidget spinner, you’re in for a shock.

The Action Button from iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max is now making its way to the left-hand side of your iPhone 16.

The iPhone’s Action Button is a personal shortcut key, giving you quick access to things you use the most. Instead of just toggling between silent and ring modes, you can now customise it to do a variety of things with a single press. Need a quick note or want to launch an app? You got it.

It’s all about making your iPhone more responsive to how you actually use it—whether it’s setting a Focus mode, recording a voice memo, or even turning on your flashlight instantly. Super handy for streamlining your day-to-day.

Bigger Pro screens

While the footprint of the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are largely the same – only larger by a few millimetres – the screens are actually getting bigger.

Apple’s able to do this by reducing the overall size of the bezels – or “black borders” – around the edge of the screen. It means you’ll spend less time looking at bars and more time looking at your content. There’s still the Dynamic Island in the top-centre of the display, but anyone who complains about that is a baby.

They’re actually the biggest screens we’ve yet seen on an iPhone. Fancy that!

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro range: release date and pricing

Pre-order for the new iPhones opens on 13 September at 10pm AEST for Australians. For those in the US, that’s 5am PDT on 13 September.

The iPhone 16 starts at $1399 for the 128GB model, and tops out at $1949 for the 512GB model. Meanwhile the 16 Plus starts at $1599 for the 128GB model and goes up to $2149 for the 512GB model.

The iPhone 16 Pro starts at $1799 for the 128GB model and goes all the way up to $2699 for the 1TB model. The iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $2149 for the 256GB model and goes up to $2849 for the 2TB model.

The whole iPhone 16 and 16 Pro range hits the streets on 20 September.

Speaking of all things Apple, I put the new iPad to the test, and its pricey Magic Keyboard. I find out if it’s worth the money in my review.

Luke Hopewell

Luke Hopewell is the editor and co-founder of Redaktör. He's previously been the Editor of Gizmodo, Founding Editor of Business Insider Australia, Editorial Lead for Twitter Australia and more.