Apple have launched the iPhone 16, 16 pro & the pro max – the latest editions of its mainline smartphone.
The iPhone 16 comes in a variety of slightly refreshed colors that are more vivid compared to previous years. Also refreshed is the updated dual-camera arrangement on its rear, once again set up vertically, as last seen on the iPhone 12 from 2020.
The iPhone 16 has a variety of new hardware refinements and features, like a new A18 chip with 3nm process that’s 30 percent faster than the iPhone 15’s CPU, increased battery life, water and dust resistance, an Action Button that debuted on last year’s Pro models, satellite messaging (starting in the US and Canada), improved thermal design for gaming with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and a new physical camera control button below the power button that sits flush with the case.
The iPhone 16 will be Apple’s first mainstream phone to utilize Apple Intelligence in beta after an update coming in October. The company first previewed the AI software at WWDC, where it was initially gated to Pro-level iPhone 15 models only. While Apple spent time reviewing many of Apple Intelligence’s upcoming features already shown at WWDC (like custom emoji and the ability to summarize text or emails), it previewed a new Google Lens-like search feature called Visual Intelligence, allowing an iPhone 16 user to search out information based on what the camera sees.
iPhone 16’s dual setup of a 48-megapixel main camera and new autofocusing ultra-wide camera offers the “equivalent” of four lenses by way of a 2x crop mode and macro mode (more trickle-downs from recent Pro iPhone models).
The standard iPhone will come with a 6.1-inch screen while the larger iPhone 16 Plus gets a 6.7-inch display — the same sizes as the iPhone 15 generation. But the screens for the iPhone 16 pair can reach 2,000 nits of peak brightness and go as dim as 1 nit.
The 16 follows the same general design as the 15, with a squared-off frame, rear glass allowing for MagSafe wireless charging, Apple’s Dynamic Island top cutout for housing its front-facing camera and Face ID sensors, and USB-C charging / data port at its base. While the move back to vertically aligned rear lenses may seem like a strange retread to a design element Apple moved on from, the backtrack makes sense for spatial photo and video support on the Apple Vision Pro.
The iPhone 16 starts at $799 with 128GB of storage and the iPhone 16 Plus starts at $899 with the same storage configuration.
16 Pro & Pro Max
The iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch display, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max features a 6.9-inch display – the biggest iPhone display ever. The borders around the display are the thinnest of any Apple device. The titanium frame now features a new blasted finish and a refreshed selection of color options: a darker Black Titanium, brighter White Titanium, Natural Titanium, and a new Desert Titanium.
The new devices contain the A18 Pro chip with Apple Intelligence support. It is faster and more efficient than the A18 in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. The A18 Pro is made using 2nd-generation 3nm technology and offers a new 16-core Neural Engine.
The Camera Control is a dedicated, flush sapphire crystal button with haptic feedback dedicated to camera app functions. Clicking the Camera Control launches the camera app. Clicking again takes a picture, while clicking to hold records video. The Camera Control also offers touch gestures, allowing it to distinguish between a click and a lighter press. A light press reveals a new clean preview to help users focus on framing the shot, while a new overlay allows for quick access to camera functions like zoom. Users can press lightly twice to see other controls and slide to the preferred one. The camera app also has intelligent audio treatment to reduce wind noise.
The Camera Control also gains Visual Intelligence, a new Apple Intelligence feature exclusive to the iPhone 16 lineup. Visual Intelligence is invoked by the Camera Control, allowing users to point their iPhone’s camera at something and pull up contextual details such as information about a restaurant, as well as take actions like filling out a calendar event.
