iPhone 16 / iPhone 16 Plus / iPhone 16 Pro / iPhone 16 Pro Max

Apple’s best-selling product in history has been updated in their annual September event. Design-wise, changes are minimal, as it is every year. Some pundits think that Apple should embark on a radical design change every 2-3 years but no one complains that Rolex or Porsche never changes their designs.

Changes are more than skin deep, and here is what you need to know.

iPhone 16 / iPhone 16 Plus

The iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus are Apple’s ‘base’ phones for the everyman and everywoman who needs an iPhone as a constant companion. When Star Trek introduced the tricoder, an assistant that can scan and tell the heroes about their environment, the iPhone is today’s closest thing to the tricoder.

The main changes

• A18 chip: Instead of having trickle-down chips from past iPhone Pros, Apple opted to use a detuned version of the A18 Pro for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro.
• Camera System: The camera arrangement has returned to the column configuration instead of the diagonal. This is because the iPhone 16 can now be used to capture spatial photos and videos. You can view the spatial videos and photos in full 3D effect by using the Vision Pro
• Camera Control: The big feature that Apple introduced in this generation is the Camera Control button sensor. It’s both a button and also a sensor that can detect swiping motions. It is a dedicated button that will quickly go to your camera app and make adjustments to your picture.

Other changes

• Bigger battery: Other than the A18 being more efficient than all previous models, Apple put a bigger battery on the iPhone 16 so you now have an extra 2-3 hours on the phone.

iPhone 16 Pro / iPhone 16 Pro Max

The pro models continue to be Apple’s flagship product with every technological marvel and idea put into a single device. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are designed to do two things well: gaming and taking pictures.

Main changes made

• A18 Pro chip: Apple put the most powerful mobile chip on the market in the iPhone 16 Pro bodies. Luke Manni reported that the base A18 chip is just 3% less powerful than the M1 chip, a laptop chip put on MacBook Air in 2020.
• Screen size: The most obvious change is the size. It is slightly bigger than the previous version, but the screen has the thinnest bezel on any iPhone. Apple added 0.2" to the screen giving it a new 6.3" and 6.9" screen on the iPhone, the largest screen on any iPhone ever. For context, the iPad Mini screen size is 8.5".
• Camera System: The already powerful camera system has been updated to be even more powerful. The sensor for the ultrawide has been upgraded to 48MP, 4 times more than before. The telephoto lens is now 5x or 120mm in a 35mm film camera, giving you a true telephoto depth of field. The main camera can now shoot in 4K at 120 frames per second. So when you edit, you can slow down time vividly.
• Audio Mix: Other than the camera system, there are now 4 mics on the iPhone 16 Pro. Using clever algorithms and pattern recognition, you can isolate sounds from a subject to eliminate those background or wind noises.

Other changes

• Revised cooling system: The cooling system on the iPhone 16 Pro has been revised to give higher performance longer. No vapor chamber, but Apple has redesigned the case to dissipate heat more efficiently.
• Bigger battery: Other than the A18 Pro being more efficient, the iPhone 16 Pro has a bigger battery. According to Apple, you can have a 27-hour video marathon on the iPhone 16 before it runs out of juice. On the bigger iPhone 16 Pro, it’s 33 hours.

Conclusion

Like every other announcement since 2015, Apple made small but solid steps in every generation. Looking back at last year might not see much changes, but looking back 4-5 years, the moment when most consumers are looking for new phones shows big leaps.

Apple’s strategy has changed from making people buy phones every year to every 2-3 years while using Apple subscription services every month. Apple’s play now is strengthening the ecosystem, much to the chargin’ of the Justice department.

The biggest news is that the base iPhone, the iPhone 16, is no longer an afterthought by Apple by trickling down features from last year’s Pro bodies. The iPhone 16 is a great phone in its own right.

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Other Ecosystem Items

• Apple TV (Amazon) / Apple TV 4K (Amazon)
• AirTags (Amazon)
• HomePod Mini (Amazon)