Table of contents
- The new iPhone 16 lineup looks almost identical to the 15s but with a few tweaks like a stronger ceramic shield and a new camera layout, making it feel like Apple is just recycling old designs.
- Apple's new iPhones are packed with impressive AI features, but some new controls feel unnecessary and awkward to use.
- Apple's new features look cool, but they're mostly catching up to what other phones already do.
- The new iPhone 16 Pros boast cutting-edge design with slimmer bezels, upgraded cameras, and enhanced battery life, making them a tech marvel for 2024.
The new iPhone 16 lineup looks almost identical to the 15s but with a few tweaks like a stronger ceramic shield and a new camera layout, making it feel like Apple is just recycling old designs.
I've just spent the last couple of hours hands-on with every new iPhone, including the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus as well as the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. So buckle up, this is The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
Let's start with the normal 16 and 16 Plus. Aesthetically, aside from the quite spicy new ultramarine color, they're basically the same as the iPhone 15s, including the same size screens. The base iPhone gets a 6.1-inch screen, and the Plus is essentially the same phone but stretched out to a 6.7-inch screen with a bigger battery. There is an upgraded ceramic shield covering those screens, which Apple claims is 50% stronger than the first-gen ceramic shield. However, they didn't provide details on how that 50% was measured, so the day-to-day difference might not be as transformative as it sounds.
One visual difference you'll absolutely notice is the cameras. They've moved from the boxy, square arrangement on the 15 to a straight line down the phone, reminiscent of older iPhone designs. Apple says this change allows the main camera and the ultra-wide to work together, much like your eyes, to record spatial video for the Apple Vision Pro. This is a big moment for the seven people who own one of them. The cameras are also slightly better than last year’s, with the ultra-wide now featuring autofocus, allowing it to keep close-up subjects in focus. This is not a new feature; the Pro phones have had it for a while. Apple tends to introduce new features on the Pro models first and then trickle them down to the standard models in subsequent years.
In the same vein, the standard models now also get the action button that last year's Pro phones had. Personally, I find it uncomfortably positioned. For me, it's less of an action button and more of a stretch-until-I-give-up button. However, I've seen many fascinating ways others have used it, from taking photos to activating an insulin pump or even making fart noises on command.
Another new feature is the camera control button. Yes, two new buttons in one year on an iPhone. This button, located on the right-hand side, is dedicated to camera functions. Tapping and holding it will bring up the visual intelligence feature, which is not yet live but is similar to Google Lens. It allows you to analyze information using your phone's camera, like saving event details or identifying dog breeds. Additionally, one press of this button opens the camera app, and it can detect two stages of press, similar to MacBook trackpads. A light press lets you zoom in and out by swiping, and a double light press brings up a submenu to select what you want the swiping to control, such as exposure or photographic styles.
Honestly, I am confused by the sheer number of new features and changes, but time will tell how useful they will be in everyday use.
Apple's new iPhones are packed with impressive AI features, but some new controls feel unnecessary and awkward to use.
We've seen many companies attempt similar innovations, but there's still room for a company to do it exceptionally well. Time will tell if this is one of those instances. On the other side of this, the camera control includes photography features. One press can open the camera app, and it can detect two stages of press, much like the trackpads on a MacBook. A light press allows you to zoom in and out by swiping, but there's more. You can double light press to bring up a submenu, which lets you select what you want the swiping to control, such as exposure or different photographic styles.
However, I am confused about the necessity of this feature. It feels like a great addition, but only for about 2% of iPhone users. For instance, they demonstrated how this button could control focus by lightly holding it down, similar to a proper camera shutter button. But when was the last time you wanted to manually focus your phone? Modern phones already have numerous hardware and software components ensuring your subject is in focus automatically. We've been programmed out of needing to do that.
Additionally, phones are increasingly becoming portrait devices. I take almost all of my photos in portrait mode because every platform where I might post those photos is vertical. While this camera control works in portrait mode, it is clearly designed for landscape use, making it awkward and uncomfortable to use when the phone is upright. It reminds me of my experience with the action button. Isn't this what the action button was supposed to do? The camera control button does handle camera functions better, but it seems redundant to add another button with overlapping functionality.
Moving on to the iPhone 16's camera upgrades, the main changes are actually in the battery, power, and Apple intelligence. The battery is bigger, which they described as a "big boost" at the event. This will need to be tested in our upcoming battery comparison. In terms of power, the iPhone 16s feature the A18 chip, jumping forward two generations from the A16 chip in the iPhone 15s. This means a 30% faster CPU, 40% faster graphics, and 100% faster machine learning AI, all with more efficient construction, leading to less power consumption for equivalent tasks. These improvements are significant for today's stable smartphone market. The gaming experience is also impressive, aided by a new neural structure inside the phone that dissipates heat, allowing for 30% better sustained performance.
Apple has made it clear that this generation of iPhones is the AI generation. A recent report indicated that 300 million iPhones worldwide haven't been upgraded in four years. Many people are due for an upgrade but are waiting for a significant turning point, and Apple wants this moment to be that turning point with Apple intelligence.
Apple intelligence is integrated throughout iOS. For example, in the email app, instead of showing the first few lines of an email, it now summarizes the entire content. Features like cleanup can erase distractions from your photos quickly and effectively. Another cool feature is the reduce interruptions mode, which uses AI to silence most notifications while allowing important ones to come through. This might become the permanent mode I keep my phone in, as it offers a lower-risk version of do not disturb.
Based on an early play around, it all looks very promising. Apple signals that something is an Apple intelligence feature by...
Apple's new features look cool, but they're mostly catching up to what other phones already do.
The new app now summarizes the entire email's content instead of just displaying the first few lines by default. Features like cleanup to erase distractions from your photos are not new to other phones, but it works very quickly and effectively. One particularly cool feature is the reduce interruptions mode, which uses AI to silence most notifications while still allowing important ones to come through. This might become the permanent mode for my phone, as it acts like a lower-risk version of Do Not Disturb.
In terms of aesthetics, the new features look very pretty, with Apple signaling its intelligence features by making them glow. Every animation is beautifully put together. However, the actual output doesn't feel like Apple Intelligence is doing much that other companies aren't already doing. Features like proofreading messages and rewriting them in another tone are fine but not groundbreaking. As a casual messenger, I don't often use formal language, and current AI, including Apple's, can't yet match my texting tone.
A significant update is that Siri is finally getting Apple Intelligence, making it smarter and less reliant on web searches. This upgrade should allow Siri to answer questions directly and understand the context of continuous questions. Siri has been a weak point of iOS, often failing to execute simple commands correctly. However, it's important to note that these Apple Intelligence features won't be available until later in the year, which dampens the excitement of the event, similar to a Google Pixel event where the product comes first and features later.
The base iPhone 16s offers a decent all-around upgrade but nothing revolutionary. The presentation highlighted cool features that were already present in last year's iPhone 15s, making it murky to discern what's actually new. The screens still have a 60 Hz refresh rate, which feels laggy compared to similarly priced phones. It's unlikely we'll see revolutionary upgrades in base iPhones going forward, as Apple seems to reserve cutting-edge features for the Pro models.
Speaking of which, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are quite attractive, especially with the new desert titanium color. The displays are now larger, with the smaller Pro increasing from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches and the Pro Max from 6.7 inches to 6.9 inches. This size increase is partly due to thinner borders around the screen, making the phones look very modern for 2024. These new iPhones might have the slimmest borders on any mainstream smartphone, offering large viewing areas in both compact and jumbo form factors. While these changes are minor, they contribute to a cutting-edge appearance.
The new iPhone 16 Pros boast cutting-edge design with slimmer bezels, upgraded cameras, and enhanced battery life, making them a tech marvel for 2024.
The new iPhone Pro Max, previously 6.7 inches, has now become 6.9 inches. This increase in size is quite a feat, as it comes from further trimming down the borders around the screen. These new phones look very fitting for the year 2024, potentially having the slimmest borders on any mainstream smartphone. The new iPhone doesn't de-age you or make you more successful; we are talking about the millimeters of bezel on the display. However, it makes the phones look cutting-edge while providing some of the largest viewing areas in both compact and jumbo form factors. It's wild to think that we are now at a point where phones have screens as large as 7-inch Android tablets from the past.
There is also an upgraded battery on the Pro phones, which now has faster wireless MagSafe charging. Apple claims this is the best battery on an iPhone, though details are sparse. This probably means I'll be up all night testing the battery, so thoughts and prayers would be appreciated. Another significant update is the new chip. While the base iPhone 16s get the A18, the 16 Pros get the A18 Pro, a slightly juiced-up version with improvements to calling and camera functionalities.
The main camera remains at 48 megapixels but with an updated sensor that captures information faster. This means you can capture photos with zero shutter lag and shoot 4K video at 120 frames per second, allowing for slow-motion playback. Apple suggests keeping 4K 120 as your default recording option, enabling you to decide later whether to play back in normal speed, half speed, quarter speed, or even 20% speed. However, if you want this to be your default, you'll need more storage than the 128 GB still offered as the default on the smaller Pro iPhone, which is insufficient for almost 2025.
The ultra-wide camera has also been upgraded from 12 megapixels to 48 megapixels, matching the main camera. This upgrade also enhances close-up macro photography, allowing for 48-megapixel macro photos. The phones now feature four studio microphones, improving audio quality in videos and general use, such as Siri's responsiveness. There are also new audio mixing modes, allowing you to focus on the audio of people in the shot or include background chatter.
There are several advanced software features, such as a new control pad to adjust the color profile of your shots in real time. While these features are impressive and technically challenging to achieve, they seem tailored more to industry professionals than casual users who want the best point-and-shoot camera. The smaller Pro iPhone now also inherits the five times optical zoom camera that only the Pro Max had last year, making it one of the smallest phones with such a feature. Apple achieved this by using a Tetra prism to bounce light multiple times within a compact space.
If you want to protect these new cameras, ESR's new MagSafe Stash Stand Case is a good option. It features a camera protector that doubles as a stand, allowing you to prop your phone at any angle. These cases offer the fastest MagSafe charging and exceed military protection standards.
My take on the 16 Pros is that the new features this year are a mix. On one hand, there are fewer hardware improvements, with Apple relying on Apple intelligence for sales. However, Apple intelligence doesn't seem groundbreaking yet. On the other hand, there are decent improvements to key aspects like screens, battery, camera, and microphones. Ultimately, the value of these phones will depend on how much better they perform in these core areas. The testing begins now.