Apple’s iPhone 16 and 16 Plus get the expected AI boost along with a new A18 processor

Note (1): Looking for our hands-on experience article? Head over here!

Note (2): This article was first published on 10th September 2024 and has now been updated.

During Apple’s Glowtime event, the company announced the expected new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. But what we surprised at were the host of new features that Apple included in these new devices.

The new iPhone 16 and 16 Plus look a lot like what we got last year. They have the same design and screen sizes, coming in at 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch and have an aluminium case. Like the iPhone 15, the iPhone 16 series boasts screen brightness levels up to 2,000 nits. What's slightly different is the second-generation ceramic glass used, which Apple claims is tougher than last year's phones.

One of the major differences this year, is the new A18 processor that is meant to help support Apple's planned AI features. According to Apple, this new A18 processor delivers 30% faster CPU performance and 40% faster GPU performance than the A16 Bionic used in the iPhone 15.

And it will use this to deliver Apple Intelligence.

Apple Intelligence balances the ability to flex and scale computational capacity between on-device processing and larger, server-based models that run on dedicated Apple silicon servers and will begin rolling out next month (at the time of publishing) in U.S. English for most regions around the world as a free software update (via iOS version 18.1). Apple added that they expect to roll it out in more languages next year.

We’ve already seen some of the capabilities of Apple Intelligence, but the company also showcased Visual Intelligence. This is somewhat similar to what Google does with Google Lens where you can search for and get information about what your iPhone 16’s camera sees.

Apple has a habit of waterfalling down features on their Pro series of iPhones, into their non-Pro lineup the following year. So, this year the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will get the same Action button currently featured on the Pro models, but in a nod to the new, they get vertically stacked rear cameras that support spatial video recording to help users relive memories with remarkable depth on Apple Vision Pro. While 'remarkable' might sound like marketing speak, it's one of those things that has to be seen and experienced in person (like we have), but we do understand that a Vision Pro is expensive.

One really new usability feature is the Camera Control button.

The new camera control button allows users quicker access to the camera app, take photos, or adjust camera settings without having to fiddle with on-screen settings. Talking about the cameras, the iPhone 16 series will have a 48MP main camera with a 2x Telephoto option (with a 26mm focal length and f/1.6 aperture), and a 12MP ultrawide camera with autofocus and macro mode. They might sound the same as last year, but there are slight tweaks to them.

Editing and searching your photos is also easier. Powered by Apple Intelligence, users can search for specific photos in the Photos app simply by saying what they are looking for. This also works to find specific moments in video clips. Additionally, the new Clean Up tool can identify and remove distracting objects in the background of a photo without altering the subject.

The new iPhone 16 and 16 Plus also get the Dynamic Island, messages via satellite (certain markets only), hardware accelerated ray-tracing for the gamers, and Wi-Fi 7.

Pricing and availability

The colour palette for this year’s lineup of non-pro iPhones has changed with the new iPhone 16 series coming in black, yellow, green, pink, and blue. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will be available for pre-order starting at 8pm on 13 September with general availability starting on 20 September.

Prices start from S$1,299 and S$1,399 for the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, respectively, for the 128GB model, going up to S$1,749 and S$1,849 for the highest capacity 512GB model.

What do we think about the new iPhone 16? Here's our first-hand experience article -- direct from Apple's launch at their headquarters.

 

Read more:

• Apple iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max doubles down on performance and videography
• The AirPods 4 gets a revamped charging case with USB-C and supports anti-noise cancelling
• No Apple Watch Ultra 3 this year but there's a new and very sleek colour for the Ultra 2
• The Apple Watch Series 10 has a thinner design and an OLED display that's larger than the Ultra

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