iPhone 16 launched
Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 series of smartphones during its “Glowtime” event on Monday, 9 September 2024.
The most significant change is the inclusion of a dedicated camera control button. The new button is featured on all four iPhone 16 models.
Apple is sticking with the same four-piece lineup as in previous years, including the standard iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Regarding design, the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are built using aerospace-grade aluminium with a redesigned camera bump. The Pro models replace the aluminium build with grade five titanium.
The new iPhone lineup features more variation in display size. Previous generations featured similar screen sizes for the standard and Pro models, as well as the Plus and Pro Max models.
However, each model in this year’s lineup features a different display size. The standard iPhone 16 has a 6.1-inch display, while the iPhone 16 Plus’ display measures 6.7 inches.
At the same time, the iPhone 16 Pro features a 6.3-inch display, while the top-tier Pro Max has the largest display at 6.9 inches. All models have OLED displays.
Apple has redesigned the camera system for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, moving away from a diagonal design in favour of sensors that are in line with one another.
It says the new camera design enables stereoscopic information capture for creating spatial videos and capturing spatial images.
Regarding camera specs, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus get Apple’s new 48MP fusion camera, combined with a 12MP 2x telephoto sensor.
The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max get the same 48MP fusion camera. However, it is combined with a new 48MP ultrawide camera and a 12MP 5x telephoto sensor.
Apple announced that the new camera setup featured in the latest Pro models enables 4K video recording at 120 frames per second.
Apple said it designed the new iPhone lineup to put its new Apple Intelligence software front and centre.
“It puts powerful generative models right at the core of your iPhone,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook.
“The next generation of iPhone has been designed for Apple Intelligence from the ground up.”
To this end, the standard iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus feature Apple’s new in-house A18 chip, featuring a 16-core neural engine.
Apple said the A18 chip enables a slew of artificial intelligence features. Some functionality will also be available to devices with older chips, including text and image generation, writing tools, and a wide range of new Siri capabilities.
“Apple Intelligence marks the start of a new era for Siri,” said Apple.
The voice assistant now has a deeper understanding of language, enabling it to understand prompts even when the user stumbles over words.
Apple noted that it is prioritising the US for Apple Intelligence features. However, it added that it will roll out localised English for countries like South Africa, Canada, and Australia in December this year.
Another notable Apple Intelligence feature is Visual Intelligence, which lets users use the Camera Control button to learn more about items, events, and landmarks.
Users can click and hold the Camera Control button to access detailed information about the object in the image.
“All of this is done privately using a combination of on-device intelligence and Apple service that never store your images,” said Apple.
The higher-specced iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max get Apple’s in-house A18 Pro SoC, featuring a 16-core neural engine capable of 35 trillion operations per second, a 6-core GPU, and a 6-core CPU.
The CPU comprises two performance cores and four efficiency cores.
“This is the fastest CPU in any smartphone,” Apple said.
Apple said the A18 Pro SoC has 17% more memory bandwidth than the A17 Pro, and the GPU is also 20% faster than the previous chip.
Pricing and availability
The latest iPhone lineup is available for pre-order in the US from Monday, 9 September 2024, and shipping will commence on 20 September.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus start at $799 (R14,271) and $899 (R16,057), respectively, and are available in five different colours: white, black, ultramarine, pink, and teal.
Apple fans after the iPhone 16 Pro will pay prices starting from $999 (R17,843), while the top-tier iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1,199 (R21,415).
Prices quoted above are converted directly from US dollars and exclude sales taxes.
The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are available in Black Titanium, White TItanium, Neutral Titanium, and Desert Titanium.
Specifications and images of the iPhone 16 lineup are provided below.
iPhone 16 and 16 Plus
| Specification | iPhone 16 | iPhone 16 Plus |
| OS | iOS 18 | iOS 18 |
| Display | 6.1-inch OLED | 6.7-inch OLED |
| CPU | Apple A18 | Apple A18 |
| Storage | 128GB | 256GB | 512GB | 128GB | 256GB | 512GB |
| Rear camera | 48MP + 12MP | 48MP + 12MP |
| Front camera | 12MP | 12MP |
| Ports | USB-C | USB-C |
| Cellular | 5G | 5G |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Dual SIM | Yes, with eSIM | Yes, with eSIM |
| Biometrics | FaceID | FaceID |
| Protection | IP68 | IP68 |
iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max
| Specification | iPhone 16 Pro | iPhone 16 Pro Max |
| OS | iOS 18 | iOS 18 |
| Display | 6.3-inch OLED | 6.9-inch OLED |
| CPU | Apple A18 Pro | Apple A18 Pro |
| Storage | 128GB | 256GB | 512GB | 1TB | 128GB | 256GB | 512GB | 1TB |
| Rear camera | 48MP + 48MP + 12MP | 48MP + 48MP + 12MP |
| Front camera | 12MP | 12MP |
| Ports | USB-C | USB-C |
| Cellular | 5G | 5G |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Dual SIM | Yes, with eSIM | Yes, with eSIM |
| Biometrics | FaceID | FaceID |
| Protection | IP68 | IP68 |
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