The new iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max handsets boast size increases, thinner bezels for larger screens, a leap in battery life and new features, including impressive camera and audio upgrades. And on top of that, the new A18 Pro chip brings enough raw processing power to handle resource-intensive Apple Intelligence functions, Apple said Monday at the “It’s Glowtime” event.
“iPhone 16 Pro has a stunning new design with innovations inside and out. It starts with a big improvement to the gorgeous pro displays,” said Greg “Joz” Joswiak, Apple senior VP of Worldwide Marketing. “They’re even larger at 6.3 inches on iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9 inches an iPhone 16 Pro Max for the largest iPhone display ever, helping you see more and do more. These are by far our best iPhone displays ever.”
And they’re the best iPhones ever, which Apple CEO Tim Cook was sure to mention, as he always does.
iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max debut at Apple’s ‘It’s Glowtime’ event
Apple’s new iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max handsets look a lot like their iPhone 15 predecessors in terms of design, though they boost screen size through thinner bezels and both add a touch more size overall (Pro is 6.3 inches and Pro Max is 6.9 inches, both up 0.2in from iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max). Plus there’s a new Desert Titanium color, as rumored among the bronze and gold predictions.
But the real story is about the handsets’ innovative new studio-grade photo, video and audio upgrades, as well as ample processing power to ensure top performance when running Apple Intelligence, the company’s upcoming (mostly) on-device AI features, the iPhone giant said at the “It’s Glowtime” event.
Made for Apple Intelligence
These are the first iPhones designed and built from the ground up for Apple Intelligence, Cook said. And with the A18 Pro chip, of course they’re the most advanced overall.
“Powered by the faster, more efficient A18 Pro chip and built for Apple Intelligence, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are the most advanced iPhone models we’ve ever made,” Joswiak added. “Customers who are looking for the best possible iPhone will be able to take advantage of this huge step forward, whether they’re applying edits to a photo without lifting a finger, rewriting meeting notes for a more professional tone, or using the advanced camera system to capture their next masterpiece in 4K120 fps in Dolby Vision — all while enjoying extraordinary battery life.”
The two Pro models came out along with impressive upgrades to the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. But the higher-end Pro models take advantage of the more-advanced A18 Pro chip to do more, especially when it comes to photos, videos and audio. A major example would be the cool new Camera Control button added to all four series 16 models. But with the Pro models, it can launch more-advanced media editing features.
iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max features
Photo: Apple
Here’s more of Apple’s description of the Pro models’ new features:
- With Apple Intelligence, Apple-built generative models come to iPhone in the easy-to-use personal intelligence system that understands personal context to deliver helpful, relevant intelligence while protecting user privacy.
- Camera Control unlocks a fast, intuitive way to tap into visual intelligence and easily interact with the advanced camera system.
- Featuring a new 48MP Fusion camera with a faster quad-pixel sensor that enables 4K120 fps video recording in Dolby Vision, these new Pro models achieve the highest resolution and frame-rate combination ever available on iPhone.
- Additional advances include a new 48MP Ultra Wide camera for higher-resolution photography, including macro, plus a 5x Telephoto camera on both Pro models and studio-quality mics to record more true-to-life audio.
- The durable titanium design is strong yet lightweight, with larger display sizes, the thinnest borders on any Apple product, and a huge leap in battery life — with iPhone 16 Pro Max offering the best battery life on iPhone ever.
A18 Pro chip functionality
Photo: Apple
Apple describes its new powerhouse processor this way:
- The new 16-core Neural Engine is faster and more efficient than the previous generation, especially for Apple Intelligence.
- A 17 percent increase in total system memory bandwidth — the highest ever in iPhone — enables faster experiences when using Writing Tools and Image Playground.
- The bandwidth increase also benefits the 6-core GPU, which is up to 20 percent faster than the previous generation, driving graphics rendering for Apple Intelligence and great gaming visuals.
- Hardware-accelerated ray tracing is up to 2x faster for realistic light sources and reflections. Game Mode in iOS 18 unlocks more consistent frame rates while making AirPods, game controllers and other wireless accessories responsive.
- A new 6-core CPU is the fastest in a smartphone, with two performance cores and four efficiency cores that can run the same workload as the previous generation 15 percent faster while using 20 percent less power.
- Next-generation ML accelerators are optimized for Apple Intelligence, and save power by handling high-efficiency, high-throughput, and low-latency computations on the CPU without engaging the Neural Engine.
- A18 Pro enables Always-On and ProMotion technologies for an exceptional viewing experience on iPhone, plus faster USB 3 speeds and ProRes video recording. A new ISP and video encoder process 2x the amount of data for faster video encoding and pro workflows.
New colors, same prices
Photo: Apple
You can preorder the new iPhone 16 Pro, from $999, and Pro Max, from $1,199, starting September 13. Storage capacities are 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB. Colors are natural, black, white and desert titanium. The handsets ship September 20, Apple said.
Where to preorder: Apple
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Source: Apple
