iPhone 16 Might Get an Upgrade We’ve Been Waiting for Since iPhone 13

If a Chinese leaker’s information is accurate, the iPhone 16 Pro might get an upgrade we, and others, have been waiting for since Apple released the iPhone 13 Pro back in 2021.

In a post on Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo, leaker Instant Digital claims the iPhone 16 Pro’s display might be up to 20% brighter for typical SDR content.

They say the iPhone 16’s display will offer 1,200 nits for SDR content while peak HDR brightness will evidently stay put at 1,600 nits.

If true, this would be a substantial upgrade given that SDR is used a majority of the time on the iPhone. It would also be a big deal given that Apple hasn’t made a change to peak SDR brightness in several years.

The iPhone’s peak brightness for typical SDR content has been stuck at 1,000 nits since the iPhone 13 Pro’s release back in 2021. The iPhone 12 Pro’s screen is 800 nits.

The last time Apple made a change to HDR brightness was in 2022 when the iPhone 14 Pro delivered up to 400 nits higher HDR brightness.

Of course, with the iPhone 16 still in development, Apple’s plans could change.

Instant Digital has been accurate with information in the past, most recently when they leaked info about the front-facing camera on the new iPad Air and iPad Pro, but they have also released incorrect details as well.

This is the first time we’ve heard about a brighter display. If Apple plans to make this change, we should get confirmation from other sources in the months ahead.

The iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max are expected to make their debut in September.