Apple’s latest telephones are official, and CNET received to attempt them out. At its Glowtime occasion on Monday, the corporate took the wraps off of its newest iPhones, with the bottom fashions predictably referred to as the iPhone 16 and that iPhone 16 Plus.
The greatest variations between the iPhone 16 and final 12 months’s iPhone 15 are the introduction of a brand new devoted digital camera “button,” the addition of the Action button (beforehand unique to the Pro), a brand new A18 processor and enhancements to zoom digital camera high quality. Apple can be touting its new iPhone lineup as being the primary telephones constructed for Apple Intelligence at a time when tech giants are competing to inject their most essential merchandise with extra AI.
Pricing stays the identical as final 12 months’s telephones: the 128GB iPhone 16 begins at $799 (£799, AU$1,399) and the 128GB iPhone 16 Plus begins at $899 (£899, AU$1,599). The telephones shall be out there for preorder on Friday and hit shops on Sept. 20.
Looking to preorder the most recent Apple gadgets? We’re rounding up the very best iPhone 16, Apple Watch Series 10 and AirPods 4 offers at launch.
iPhone 16 cameras
The iPhone 16’s cameras are vertically stacked.
The new iPhones could have a redesigned rear digital camera bump that aligns the sensors vertically, much like how they appeared on the again of the iPhone X, XS, XR, 11 and 12 (the iPhone 13, 14 and 15 had rear cameras that have been diagonally aligned). Vertically aligning the cameras makes them able to recording spatial pictures and movies for viewing on Apple’s Vision Pro headset.
More notably for these trying to enhance their picture and video taking pictures, there’s now a devoted digital camera management “button” alongside the facet of the system. Apple has lengthy pitched that the iPhone was on par with DSLRs, and this devoted button might make it even simpler to seize moments and recollections.
Clicking the button takes a photograph whereas sliding can modify zoom. Double urgent can change modes or settings. Apple says the “digital camera management” shall be usable in third-party apps.
Based on the time that CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco spent making an attempt the Phone 16 and that iPhone 16 Plus, Camera Control looks like quite a lot of enjoyable to play with. You can entry completely different settings and controls by sliding your finger throughout the sensor like a touchpad. It appears like a button and a touchpad in a single, constructing on the thought Apple launched with its QuickTake function on the iPhone 11, which helps you to file a video by holding the shutter button.
The iPhone 16’s Camera Control “button” helps you to launch the digital camera with out touching the display.
CNET might want to spend extra time with the iPhone 16 earlier than deciding how helpful Camera Control is and the way effectively it really works. But up to now, it looks like a helpful strategy to handle digital camera settings and taking pictures modes with out obscuring the display together with your finger.
The extra attention-grabbing use for Camera Control, although, is a brand new device Apple is asking “visible intelligence.” You’ll be capable to press and maintain the Camera Control button to shortly level the iPhone’s digital camera at a spot or object to study extra about it, nearly like Google Lens. It’s one other signal that tech firms are positioning the digital camera as a device not only for capturing pictures however for studying extra concerning the world round you.
Google and OpenAI, for instance, have each been touting the best way their cell digital assistants can reply questions and course of requests primarily based on photos and textual content. But this function will not be out there at launch; Apple says it is coming later this 12 months.
As for digital camera specs, the principle digital camera stays a 48-megapixel shooter (able to 2x telephoto pictures at 12 megapixels), whereas there’s a new ultrawide sensor that Apple says “can seize as much as 2.6x extra gentle.”
iPhone 16’s design consists of Action button
The iPhone 16 now has the Action button, which was solely on the Pro fashions final 12 months.
The digital camera button is not the one new addition to the iPhone 16 line, with each fashions gaining an “Action” button much like what was added to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max final 12 months. This button helps you to set shortcuts to open particular apps or duties (like setting the cellphone to “Do Not Disturb,” opening the flashlight or setting a direct espresso order from Dunkin’). It’s a small change, however a sensible one that ought to make the bottom iPhone extra private and customizable.
Displays for the brand new telephones shall be much like 2024’s iPhone 15 and 15 Plus: 6.1 inches on the smaller mannequin and 6.7 inches on the bigger Plus. Those searching for bigger shows might want to take a look at the brand new iPhone 16 Pro (now 6.3 inches) and 16 Pro Max fashions (now 6.9 inches). The Pro fashions can even have improved cameras and even sooner processors.
Watch this: Apple’s iPhone 16 Gets Camera Control Button
iPhone 16’s ‘larger battery’
All iPhone 16 fashions will run iOS 18 on the brand new A18 processor, which is able to tapping into the corporate’s new Apple Intelligence AI options. Apple says the iPhone 16 could have a “larger battery,” but it surely did not reveal how for much longer the battery will final through the presentation.
Looking on the specs web page, Apple now says that the iPhone 16 could have 2 extra hours of video playback in contrast with the iPhone 15 (for each watching movies saved domestically and streaming movies). The iPhone 16 Plus could have 1 extra hour of native video playback and 4 extra hours of streaming video playback.
Like the iPhone 15 line, the telephones will be capable to bodily cost over USB-C or wirelessly over MagSafe or Qi2. MagSafe charging can now benefit from sooner 25-watt speeds, a rise from the max of 15 watts on the iPhone 15. (Qi-based wi-fi charging stays at 15 watts for Qi2 chargers and seven.5 watts for older Qi chargers.)
The iPhone 16’s new shade choices
The new base iPhone 16 and 16 Plus colours are white, black, ultramarine (blue), teal (inexperienced) and pink, they usually look vivid and colourful in individual.
Between the brand new Camera Control and Action button, together with a brand new processor and digital camera enhancements, the iPhone 16 looks like a notable enchancment over the iPhone 15. But the massive query on everybody’s minds will doubtless be whether or not Apple Intelligence is well worth the improve, since these new telephones are among the many solely fashions to run Apple’s new AI options. We’ll know extra as soon as we have had the possibility to spend extra time with it and when Apple Intelligence rolls out.
More from the Apple occasion
Watch this: Watch Everything Announced at Apple’s iPhone 16 Event
