Apple's iPhone 16 lineup arrives next week, and there's one model in particular I'll be paying attention to during the September 9 Apple Glowtime event — the iPhone 16 Pro. Specifically, everything I've heard about Apple's upcoming Pro model makes the gamer in me think that the best gaming phones are about to get some company.
I’ve been doing a lot of gaming on phones over the last few months, from trying Apple Arcade to testing out the Xbox Game Pass app and while I had my issues, I think there's a lot to be excited about with the iPhone 16 Pro. For one thing, it's widely believed that the entry-level Pro model is getting a bigger screen — 6.3 inches to the 6.1-inch panel on the iPhone 15 Pro. Even better, the new phone's screen could be 20% brighter than its predecessor.
There's also the A18 Pro chip, which is rumored to be adding an extra core to its GPU compared to the standard A18 likely to power the regular iPhone 16. That should translate to some strong graphics performance by the iPhone 16 Pro, not to mention the supposed improvements the silicon can bring to ray tracing.
That's a lot for gamers to get excited about ahead of the September 9 iPhone 16 Pro debut. And it's got me thinking about the games I really want to play on the new iPhone 16 Pro, as I'm on the lookout for games that can really take advantage of those reported display and performance improvements.
Genshin Impact
The first game I want to try out is Genshin Impact, developed by miHoYo and Shanghai Miha Touring Film Technology. While it has something of a bad reputation due to its anime style, there is a wealth of interesting content to engage gamers. The world is pretty vast, the lore is interesting and there are numerous characters to play and learn. All of this is improved by a beautiful soundtrack, which includes some pretty stunning scores, that I'm hoping will sound great on the upcoming AirPods 4, which should debut alongside the iPhone 16 Pro.
Speaking of the iPhone, it's the 20% improvement to brightness on an OLED panel that should really help Genshin Impact shine on Apple's new phone. The game's bright colors and lighting will look fantastic on that screen, especially with the improved ray tracing offering better lighting.
Add to this the rumors that the iPhone 16 Pro will have heavily reduced bezels. This improved lighting and screen will make the game feel much more immersive than on older iPhones.
XCOM: Enemy Within
The second game I want to play is an oldie, but a goodie, it’s XCOM: Enemy Within, an updated version of the wildly popular XCOM: Enemy Unknown which you can purchase on Apple's App Store relatively cheaply. This version of the game has both the base campaign and an entirely new selection of levels and classes (including an awesome mech unit.) However, what you are really here for is the tactical gameplay and for that, you need as much power as possible.
Let's once again acknowledge the fantastic screen tipped for the IPhone 16 Pro — handy for looking at the maps as you position your soldiers to fight the alien menace. However, the big iPhone 16 Pro improvement should come from that A18 Pro chip and its additional GPU core being touted in rumors about Apple's latest silicon.
If true, gameplay on the iPhone should be much more fluid, making control over your squad feel seamless. It should also heavily cut down on load times, a common complaint around XCOM.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
Finally, I can’t wait to get in a few games of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or PUBG as it's more commonly known. While the rumored improvements to the iPhone 16 Pro screen and chip we've already discussed would massively improve the experienc, there is one other factor that will really push the experience to the max.
One recent rumor has indicated that both the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max could support Wi-Fi 7. If this is true then the phones could send and receive data over the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands at the same time.
With access to all three bands, you’d have faster Wi-Fi speeds with lower latency over a strong connection. This means online gaming will be faster and fewer drops as you play, which puts the iPhone 16 Pro on the same level as the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
iPhone 16 Pro outlook
There's plenty to be excited about in the next generation of iPhones, especially when it comes to gaming. And playing those three titles on the iPhone 16 Pro will go a long way toward letting us see whether Apple's new phone hits the mark.
More from Tom's Guide
- I’ve been following iPhone 16 rumors for a year — here’s the biggest upgrades for each model
- Forget iPhone 16 Pro Max — here’s why I'd buy the iPhone 16 Pro instead
- This case will turn your iPhone 15 Pro Max into a Game Boy — here’s how it works
