The star of the show at Apple’s recent “It’s Glowtime” keynote is undoubtedly the all-newiPhone 16series. The tech giantofficially unveiledfour new models at its event: the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
This year’s iPhone 16 line blurs the line between the “Pro” and the base-level iPhone by offering a new camera button and the Action Button, alongside the A18 chip.
iPhone 16 Plus
iPhone 16 Pro
Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro line features a few notable upgrades over last year’s iPhone 15 Pro, including a dedicated camera button, a new A18 Pro chip, a bigger screen, and several AI-powered Apple Intelligence features.
iPhone 16 Pro Max
All the iPhone 16 editions are available now for pre-order, with a launch date scheduled for September 20.A number of updates– both major and minor – are being introduced into the iPhone with this next-generation lineup. Here are the 5 biggest inclusions arriving at launch.
Apple’s iPhone 16 event: The 5 biggest announcements you missed
Apple’s iPhone 16 event brought with it several major announcements – these are the 5 biggest.
1The entire lineup maintains the same pricing structure as last year’s iPhone 15 series
In the United States, at least, prices haven’t increased year-over-year
Thankfully, Apple isn’t raising the prices of its iPhone models this year. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus start at $800 and $900, respectively. In contrast, the iPhone 16 Pro starts at $1,000 and the 16 Pro Max at $1,200. With all the new tech crammed within these handsets, as well as the broader inflationary pressures within the global economy, a consistent price tag each year is never a given these days.
Apple is touting some impressive trade-in deals this year, with the company citing up to $800 in discounts when trading in aniPhone 12series or newer. As always, iPhone models tend toretain their value better than competing phones on the market, and Apple was quick to point this fact out during its keynote.
Apple’s iPhone 16 series gets a new button for you to push and souped-up Siri
While this year’s iPhone lineup doesn’t offer the significant update many were hoping for, there are a few notable new features.
2The new Pro camera setup is a pretty big technical step up
We’ve got more resolution and faster sensors to play around with in this year’s Pro models
A big focus for Apple with its iPhone Pro models has historically been the camera and photographic capabilities the devices bring to the table. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max continue this trend, both in terms of optical hardware and in software features.
Finally, the smaller Pro model is now outfitted with the same 5x tetraprism zoom lens that was previously exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
A new 48-megapixel ‘Fusion’ camera serves as the new primary shooter, and Apple says its second-generation quad pixel sensor is capable of reading data at a rate that’s 2x faster than the previous model. The ultra-wide sensor is seeing a big boost in resolution, up from 12-megapixels to 48-megapixels this year. And, finally, the smaller Pro model is now outfitted with the same 5x tetraprism zoom lens that was previously exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
On the software side, Apple has introduced a number of high-end functionalities for both pro photographers and cinematographers. A number of new photographic styles are available, which can be tweaked even after taking a photo. In essence, this brings a kind of color grading experience directly onto the iPhone, without the need for dedicated editing software.
A new Cinematic Slow Motion feature is also being introduced, which lets you record video at 4K resolution at 120 frames per second (fps). All of these new features appear to be enabled by the faster sensor and the more capable A18 Pro chip housed within this year’s Pro phones.
Hold up, the iPhone 16 does that? 5 features you might’ve missed from the event
The headlining feature of the iPhone 16 is its support for Apple Intelligence, but there’s more to the story than just a faster chip and more RAM.
3The Pro models come with the largest displays Apple has ever offered with the iPhone
The trend towards phone supersizing continues
The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max ship with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, respectively. This is a slight bump up in screen size when compared to the 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch panels used inlast year’s Pro iPhones.
Apple touts these screens as the largest ever shipped on an iPhone. Thankfully, it doesn’t appear that the footprint of each device has increased very much to accommodate these bigger displays. The phones come with slightly smaller bezels this time around, which negates the need to increase the overall size of the phones.
If you’re a fan of big-screen smartphones for content consumption, then the new iPhone Pro models are the best yet from the company. If, on the other hand, you’re longing for the return ofthe Mini form factor, then I’m afraid this year’s models simply aren’t going to fulfill this void.
The iPhone 16 feels like a supporting act in Apple’s ecosystem
Camera control, new microphones, and bright colors. Apple has great parts and the same sum.
4The rumors of an all-new capture button were proven correct
Say hello to the iPhone 16’s new Camera Control button
The entire iPhone 16 lineup – Pro models included – are arriving with a new button which Apple dubs theCamera Control button. The button is touch sensitive, and can respond differently based on the amount of pressure applied to it. It works in tandem with the Taptic Engine for haptic feedback response, and it can be used as a sort of trackpad for zooming in on a photo subject or for scrolling through settings.
A two-staged focusing feature is also in the works, but it unfortunately won’t be available at launch.
The Camera Control button brings the iPhone more in line with dedicated point-and-shoot cameras, being an interface explicitly for taking snapshots. A two-staged focusing feature is also in the works, but it unfortunately won’t be available at launch.
And, of course, there’s AI involved – Apple’s new Visual Intelligence feature works hand-in-hand with the Camera Control button. This new capability allows you to point your camera viewfinder at real world objects, and receive insights and quick options depending on context. Unfortunately, this feature also appears to be arriving sometime post-launch.
iOS 18 drops this month, but the coolest features are MIA
iOS 18 offers several new features, including a revamped Photos app, a revamped Control Center, and more Home Screen customization options.
5Every iPhone 16 model is a sort of halo device for Apple Intelligence
The entire iPhone 16 lineup is purpose-built with AI in mind
Apple Intelligence, the company’s take on AI functionalities, was first introduced on stage atWWDC 2024. The iPhone 15 Pro will be receiving the basic set of Apple Intelligence features, but it’s really the 16 series that’ll launch the experience into the world.
On-device AI features will likely scream when running on the highest-end iPhone models.
The new A18 Pro chip within Apple’s new Pro flagship devices is seriously impressive, using second-generation 3nm technology for efficiency. The new 16-core neural engine is capable of 35 trillion operations per second (TOPS), and offers 17 percent more memory bandwidth according to Apple. The standard A18 chip, making its way into the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, is no slouch either – it comes with the same advanced neural engine as the Pro chip.
All of this is to say that on-device AI features will likely scream when running on the highest-end iPhone models. The company is making it clear that the entire hardware stack, including the processor, is optimized with Apple Intelligence in mind.
5 ways the iPhone 16 Pro is actually different from the iPhone 15 Pro
Apple’s new iPhone 16 Pro features several key differences from its predecessor, making it a worthy upgrade, depending on your expectations.
