Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus on Monday. The new iPhones feature an iPhone X-like rear camera design and upgraded internals for Apple Intelligence support.
“iPhone 16 celebrates color in an unparalleled way. We evolved the process of developing our unique and durable color back glass to create new rich colors,” said Kaiann Drance, Apple’s VP of iPhone marketing, during the “It’s Glowtime” event.
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus pack big upgrades
Action button and Camera Control
Photo: Apple
The iPhone 16/Plus design is a throwback to the 2017 iPhone X, featuring vertically arranged dual rear cameras. It stands out with its bold new color options, including pink, teal and ultramarine. Apple uses second-gen Ceramic Shield glass on the front, which it claims is 2x tougher than any other smartphone glass.
Apple says the iPhone 16’s internal design will make battery replacement easier. The display size remains unchanged, with the regular iPhone 16 packing a 6.1-inch display and the Plus model housing a bigger 6.7-inch panel.
Taking a cue from last year’s iPhone 15 Pro series, Apple’s newest iPhones replace the Mute switch with the customizable Action button. The button can trigger Shortcuts, launch third-party apps, and more. This is not the only new button on the iPhone 16, though.
Photo: Apple
There’s also a force-sensitive Camera Control. Located below the Side/Power key, the capacitive key acts as a shutter in the Camera app. Covered by sapphire crystal, clicking the button opens the Camera app. A quick and hold will start video recording. While this is a capacitive button, you will get haptic feedback when pressed.
A light press on the Camera Control key will bring an overlay to control zoom, which you can then adjust by sliding your finger up or down. A double light press will let you control the camera’s depth, exposure, and other aspects.
The 48MP primary Fusion rear camera features sensor-shift stabilization and a wide f/1.6 aperture for more light intake. Apple claims to use the same 48MP shooter to capture 2x photos with optical quality.
The 12MP Ultra Wide camera gets an upgrade, too. It now features a wider aperture for 2.6x more light intake. Like previous Pro iPhones, it has macro support for macro photography.
Apple’s newest iPhones can capture Spatial photos and videos, which you can view in all their glory on the Apple Vision Pro.
New A18 chip
For the last two years, Apple used a hand-me-down A-series chip on its non-Pro iPhones. This is changing with the iPhone 16 series, as it features a new A18 chip — jumping two generations ahead. Fabricated on TSMC’s second-gen 3nm node, Apple claims the upgraded Neural Engine is 2x faster for machine learning.
The CPU is up to 30% faster than the iPhone 15’s faster while being more energy efficient. Apple says it can deliver the same performance as its previous chip while consuming 30% less power.
Photo: Apple
The 5-core GPU consumes 35% less power than the A16 Bionic’s GPU while being 40% faster. It supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing for more graphically richer games. The upgraded GPU enables the iPhone 16 to run all the AAA games so far exclusively available on the iPhone 15 Pro series.
Thanks to an updated thermal design, Apple claims the A18 chip inside the iPhone 16 delivers 30% higher sustained performance.
Apple says the iPhone 16 features an even bigger battery. Coupled with A18’s efficiency improvements, the phone promises a big boost in battery life.
Same price, same storage options
Despite the upgraded internals and inflationary pressure, Apple is not increasing the retail prices of the iPhone 16 lineup. The regular model still costs $799, with the Plus variant retailing for $899.
The base storage remains unchanged at 128GB, with 256GB and 512GB being the other two options. Preorders start on Friday, September 13, with in-store availability beginning September 20.
