All iPhone 16 models may feature a ‘significant upgrade’ in microphone specs

In a new Medium post, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says all iPhone 16 models will feature a significant upgrade in microphone specifications.

“In addition to better water resistance, the key specification upgrade is a better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to improve the Siri experience significantly,” he writes. “It could indicate that Apple expects to integrate more AI/AIGC capabilities into Siri as a key selling point of the iPhone 16.”

Other points from his post: 

° AAC and Goertek are the microphone suppliers for the iPhone 16 (with a similar shipment allocation). Benefiting from the specification upgrade, the ASP of microphones for each iPhone 16 will be at least 100–150% higher than that of the iPhone 15. As a result, AAC’s and Goertek’s revenues and earnings are expected to benefit significantly from this upgrade. Given AAC’s smaller revenue scale, the company is expected to benefit relatively more.

° As AI devices emerge as a critical trend in consumer electronics in 2024, other Apple products and high-end Android phones will likely upgrade their microphones, potentially serving as a source of growth momentum for AAC and Goertek.

As for the iPhone 16, here are other rumors about the 2024 smartphone line-up:

° ALL models will sport an Action button.

° A tetraprism camera will be featured in the iPhone 16 Pro.

° The lineup could feature a more power-efficient display thanks to a new OLED material set that is reportedly being developed by Samsung.

° Apple could revamp Siri with the iPhone 16 by adding generative AI features to the company’s personal assistant

° The iPhone 16 Pro could sport an extra button and move the mmWave antenna to the left of the device instead of the right to accommodate the change.

° The lens in the 2024 iPhone 16 will be revised and equipped with more advanced molding glass (MG) to make the mobile phone lighter and thinner, improve the optical zoom magnification, and greatly improve the user experience.

° All iPhone 16 models will move from the A16 processor to the A18.

° The iPhone 16 series may gain an additional capacitive button, known internally as the “Capture Button.” Codenamed “Project Nova,” the button is likely to be one of the main selling points of the ‌iPhone 16‌ lineup, assuming it gets past the initial testing phase. 

° The Capture Button will be located on the same side as the Power button, only positioned slightly lower. The mmWave cutout will be been moved to the opposite side, located under the volume buttons. It is currently unknown what the new capacitive button will be used for.

° The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will feature 8GB of memory and an A17 Bionic chip fabricated with TSMC’s N3E process.

° iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models should feature Wi-Fi 7 support and an upgraded 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera lens.

° They will adopt a stacked rear camera sensor design across the lineup in 2024 after (mostly) similar adoption in this year’s standard iPhone 15 models.

° The iPhone Pro Max could be the first to feature a super telephoto periscope camera for dramatically increased optical zoom.