iPhone 16 Pro tipped to feature brighter, more efficient display — what we know

iPhone 15 Pro Max Action mode with 5x telephoto lens
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

When Apple releases the next iteration of the company's popular iPhones, it's rumored that the iPhone 16 and its variants will sport much brighter displays. Specifically, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will see an upgraded display that boosts brightness.

As shared by 9to5Mac, a new report claims that Samsung Display will provide advanced OLED panels to three upcoming devices, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, and Google's Pixel 9

A report on the Korean site Etnews claims that only the Pro versions of the iPhone 16 will see this M14 display. The standard iPhone 16 and the Plus will use the M12 OLED display from the iPhone 15.

If the third phone is valid, we might get a peak at this new display during Google's big announcement in August. Apple generally debuts new iPhones in September, so we'll have a month with Google's latest flagship handset to see how Apple might implement the new displays. 

It has been rumored that Samsung Display would provide the M14 OLED material set for iPhone 16 models. The M14 set is supposed to be more power-efficient due to blue phosphorescence technology. 

The new set is supposed to boost brightness by up to 20%. With the iPhone 15 Pro featuring a max brightness of 1,000 nits, this would bump the iPhone 16 Pro to 1,200 nits. 

This could be combined with the rumored microLED display that is supposed to improve brightness and color and reduce power usage. 

Apparently, Samsung and LG have reportedly recommended that Apple opt for a microlens array in the next iPhones. This would put a layer of lenses on top of the display, focusing light across a narrower angle and making the screen appear brighter. Apparently, it decreases viewing angles, though.

While the iPhone 16 Pro is expected to have a similar 6.7-inch size display as the iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has been tipped to feature a 6.9-inch screen, making it the largest iPhone ever.

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Scott Younker
West Coast Reporter

Scott Younker is the West Coast Reporter at Tom’s Guide. He covers all the lastest tech news. He’s been involved in tech since 2011 at various outlets and is on an ongoing hunt to build the easiest to use home media system. When not writing about the latest devices, you are more than welcome to discuss board games or disc golf with him.