Apple on Monday unveiled a slew of new technologies, including the iPhone 16, which features some impressive upgrades that the company hopes will attract customers, many of whom are still holding on to older devices.
Since the launch of the iPhone 12 in 2020, which was Apple’s first smartphone with 5G connectivity, the company has given customers no reason to buy the latest generation. Phone cameras have become so advanced that they are good enough for most people’s everyday needs without major hardware changes, and there comes a point when the human eye can no longer perceive even higher screen resolutions.
That’s why about 300 million iPhones worldwide haven’t been upgraded in more than four years, according to a research note last month from analyst Dan Ives at investment firm Wedbush. As a result, iPhone sales, which account for half of the company’s revenue, have been sluggish.
On Monday, Apple made several announcements that it believes could spark a big new sales cycle.
iPhone 16
Apple announced that the iPhone 16 will be the first model designed specifically for generative artificial intelligence, allowing users to create text and images with just one-word commands in everyday language. Apple announced that both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro will be available for pre-order starting this Friday and in stores starting September 20.
Camera control button: Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, said Monday that a new camera control feature accessed from a button on the side of the phone will give users access to “visual intelligence.” For example, after clicking Camera Control, a user can point the camera at a restaurant and the iPhone 16 will display information such as reviews, menus and how to make a reservation. It can also be used to identify things like dog breeds or landmarks and add things to your calendar.
Siri improvements: Federighi said Siri will now be able to pull information from users’ text messages, meaning it can remind users of TV and music recommendations sent by friends. For example, a user could say, “Send photos of Saturday’s barbecue to Erica,” and Siri would understand which photos to send and automatically send them to the right person.
New colors: The phones come in white, black, teal, ultramarine and pink. They’re also available in two sizes: 6.1 inches for the iPhone 16 and 6.7 inches for the iPhone 16 Plus. The 16 line is also loaded with buttons, including the customizable action button from the previous generation. It also added a new camera slider, a small, flush area on the edge of the phone that’s operated by tapping, similar to how a phone’s display responds to a finger. Users can slide a finger across it to access and use various camera features, such as depth of field.
Faster processor: The iPhone 16 comes with 17% more system memory bandwidth to better support Apple intelligence, a ceramic display that promises to be 50% more durable, and a 40% faster GPU than the previous model.
While “Apple Intelligence” is artificial intelligence, the words “artificial” or “AI” were not mentioned in the presentation.
Instead of “AI-powered,” Apple CEO Tim Cook and others are referring to Apple’s “smart” features. That’s because Apple is one of the most brand-conscious companies on the planet, and it knows one thing that often gets lost in the bot-filled Silicon Valley bubble: Ordinary people don’t like AI.
Same price: The company said the new iPhone 16 will start at $799. The iPhone 16 Plus will start at $899.
iPhone 16 Pro
The iPhone 16 Pro is Apple’s high-end phone, with even more AI features than the iPhone 16.
Bigger display: The iPhone 16 Pro line is 0.2 inches larger than last year’s models — the initial Pro measures 6.3 inches and the Pro Max measures 6.9 inches — allowing users to see and do more on the screen. Apple said the devices include the thinnest bezels ever.
Better battery, new colors: The iPhone 16 Pro also has the longest battery life of any iPhone, and comes in four colors: Titanium White, Dark Titanium, Natural Titanium, and Desert Brown Titanium.
4K video: The high-end iPhone 16 also lets you record in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second, with the ability to shoot slow-motion video after recording a clip rather than trying to get the settings right while the action is happening. The Pro line will also get upgrades to audio recording, including spatial audio with background noise reduction, allowing videos to record conversations with people focused on the subject, isolating them from the ambient noise around them.
Pricing: The Apple iPhone 16 Pro will start at $999 and the iPhone 16 Pro Max will start at $1,199, the company announced on Monday.
