The new iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are built to handle the demands of “Apple Intelligence,” Apple’s term for its AI capabilities. Both models come with a new 3nm A18 chipset, a major upgrade for computational power and efficiency. The Action Button and Camera Control—design features from the Pro models—bring new ways to interact with the iPhone.
Display: The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have the same 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screens as before, respectively, which are 0.2 inches smaller than their Pro counterparts. The displays retain a 60Hz refresh rate, with brightness ranging from 2,000 nits outdoors to 1 nit in the dark. They are protected by a tougher Ceramic Shield, claimed to be twice as strong as other phone glass.
Performance: The A18 chipset is two generations ahead of the A16 used in the iPhone 15 series, offering a 30% faster CPU and 40% faster GPU. It uses 30% less power for the same performance levels and has 17% more memory bandwidth. Apple has also improved thermal management, resulting in 30% better sustained performance.
Gaming and AI: The A18 GPU now supports advanced gaming, including titles like “Resident Evil 7 Biohazard” and “Assassin’s Creed: Mirage.” It also features hardware-accelerated ray tracing. The 16-core NPU doubles machine learning speed, enabling Apple Intelligence features that are not available on the iPhone 15 series.
Visual Intelligence and Camera Control: The Camera Control, a sapphire-protected capacitive touchpad, introduces a new way to interact with the camera. It allows for easy photo and video capture, UI adjustments, and settings changes. Visual Intelligence can recognize buildings, objects, pets, and more, adding relevant information or events to your calendar instantly.
Cameras: The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus retain the 48MP main camera with an f/1.6 lens and sensor-shift OIS, now capable of capturing 24MP photos for a balance of detail and file size. The ultra-wide camera is a 12MP module with a 13mm lens and macro mode, capturing 2.6x more light for better low-light shots.
Software: iOS 18 brings new features like a revamped Photos app with AI-powered organization and a Cleanup tool to remove unwanted elements from photos. The new Action Button replaces the Alert Slider and can perform various shortcuts and in-app actions, from starting a voice memo to controlling smart devices.
Connectivity and Build: The iPhone 16 series features enhanced satellite connectivity for both emergencies and regular messaging, launching first in the U.S. and Canada. The frames are made from aerospace-grade aluminum, with 85% recycled material. The back glass is color-infused, available in Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, White, and Black.
Availability and Pricing: The iPhone 16 starts at $800 and the iPhone 16 Plus at $900, with pre-orders beginning on September 13 and availability on September 20 in 58 countries, including the U.S., U.K., China, and India. A second wave of releases will begin on September 27.
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