The iPhone 16 is tipped to come with thinner bezels when it arrives this year

iPhone 15 Pro review front flat angled handheld

There isn't much in the way of bezels on the iPhone 15 Pro (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

More iPhone 16 leaks arrive with each passing week, giving us a clearer idea of what Apple is working on ahead of the device's expected September launch – and the latest rumor has to do with the bezels on the upcoming handsets.

According to South Korean outlet The Elec (via MacRumors) and based on supply chain information, some or all of the iPhone 16 models are in line to get thinner bezels and more screen space thanks to something called Border Reduction Structure (BRS).

Those of you who already have a working knowledge of BRS can skip this paragraph, but it essentially means the circuitry underneath the screen is packed together more efficiently. That means the bezels can be thinner, without affecting the device's overall dimensions or reducing the quality of the display.

The phones Apple launched in 2023 had the thinnest bezels to date, though only by a fraction in some cases – our iPhone 15 review and iPhone 15 Pro review should refresh your memory – but it sounds like they could get thinner still. It's not clear from this leak which iPhone 16 models this applies to, though.

Regular rumors

pic.twitter.com/GiIWNkXcI8April 4, 2024

Apple's final goal here is clearly a bezel-free iPhone we heard about in previous rumors, but it's limited to some extent by the technology from its suppliers – which, in terms of displays, is mainly Samsung and LG.

We recently saw some newly leaked dummy units for the iPhone 16 series, giving us another look at the new Capture button we're expecting (to help with taking photos) and the change to a vertical camera alignment on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.

Before that, we heard that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max models will come with a more polished titanium finish, so it sounds like we're set for quite a few changes when it comes to the iPhone refresh in 2024.

Many other rumors have focused on the new AI features the iPhone 16 might have and how Apple is apparently boosting the device's performance to accommodate them. We should hear more about this when iOS 18 is unveiled at WWDC 2024 at the start of June.

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.