Apple’s iPhone family just got bigger – with the Cupertino tech titan finally unveiled the highly anticipated iPhone 16 series at its “Glowtime” event. The new series, which gets refreshing new design changes, is the first by Apple that is built ground up for the company’s generative AI model — Apple Intelligence.
One of the most striking changes in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus is the shift in design philosophy. For the first time since the iPhone 11, Apple has altered its rear camera arrangement, opting for vertically stacked lenses housed in a capsule-shaped module. This move represents a departure from the diagonal camera configuration that has been a hallmark of previous iPhones, giving the base models a fresh, distinct look. Other design changes include new buttons on the side, most interesting being the new ‘Camera Control’ that lets you control camera arrays by simply sliding over this button.
The colors on the new iPhone 16 are also stunning, very different from previous line-ups that give it a striking uniqueness when kept along with older models. Even if there are several similar colors, the overall appearance seems extremely different and seems to have certain satin finish.
In terms of performance, Apple is ditching its not-so-popular approach of using one generation older chips in starting models, with a new A18 chip in the iPhone 16 base line-up, a double generation jump from the A16 found on iPhone 15. The new A18 is faster than the best of desktop PCs, and features Apple’s new 5-core, desktop-class GPUs, and is 40% than GPU in iPhone 15, which is obvious considering a double generation jump.
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In the iPhone 16 series, Apple has taken steps to enhance the user’s viewing experience through larger displays and thinner bezels. The iPhone 16 Pro now boasts a 6.3-inch screen, while the Pro Max pushes its display size to 6.9 inches, a significant increase from the 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screens seen in the iPhone 15 series. This shift towards larger displays is paired with a reduction in bezel thickness, creating a more immersive screen-to-body ratio that offers an improved visual experience, whether watching videos, playing games, or browsing the web.
Apple Intelligence, considering its a generative AI model that would need considerable computing power, will now draw on, what Apple calls ‘Private Cloud Compute’. This is cloud service, that provides that extra juice to iPhone 16, to process quick generative AI tasks. Apple says the data is complete secured and locked, and in an industry-first, the company would allow independent experts to check the privacy of user data.
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With Apple Intelligence, photos app becomes smarter, wherein you can search for specific events in the app, which will show up results specific to that event. The generative AI is finally making Siri smarter as well, the personal assistant will perhaps start to get at par with Ok google and others. Siri can now learn from you and take into account work stumbling, in case you wish to change what you asked it.
Apple Intelligence also gets ‘Visual Intelligence’, wherein you can point the iPhone 16 camera to a specific object — static or moving — and use camera control to search for the relevant context, pretty similar to Google Lens. Apple Intelligence will be available as a free software update later this year to all, with all features debuting in a beta later in September.
In terms of battery, Apple says the new iPhone 16 line-up is getting a bigger battery, thanks to space saving done due to new A18 chip and accompanying GPUs. Though it is unclear, as to how much is the increase in battery life you can expect, with true results coming up only in real-world tests.
In terms of pricing, Apple has kept it same. The iPhone 16 starts from $799 and iPhone 16 Plus starts at $899, with a trade-in of upto $800 starting from iPhone 12 models and beyond.
The Pro models
iPhone 16 Pro models, do not get the same unique design changes compared to the standard models. They do get the new camera control button, with even more features considering an additional lens in the camera array. The cameras have obviously been upgraded, and use Apple Intelligence to take that a notch further.
The Pro models are getting an upgraded chip compared to iPhone 16, the A18 Pro, a pattern that is similar to Apple’s strategy back during the 13 model. The A18 Pro has a faster neutral engine and GPU, and is claimed to be 15% faster than the A17 Pro on iPhone 15 Pro models. The A18 Pro also becomes the first smartphone chip to use new, smaller transistors.
Several notable upgrades are coming to video recording, audio recording and image capture. The Pro models get 4 studio quality mics and can do all sorts of isolations during video recordings as well as audio recordings such as Voice memos. The iPhone 16 Pro can now shoot in 4K, with the capability extending to slow motion capture as well.
The iPhone 16 Pro starts at $999 and $1199 for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. All new iPhone 16 models are available for pre-order on Friday and across Apple stores globally (including the Indian stores) by September 20th.
