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There was a time when Apple only announced a single phone per year, but those days are long over. In the latest Apple product unveiling, the company has shown off four new iPhone 16 models. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus offer most of Apple’s latest features and a much better processor, but the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max pile on the extras and include an even more capable chip. Don’t expect a revolutionary update—these are still iPhones.
New Controls, Bigger Screens
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus come in several vibrant colors enabled by Apple’s custom glass coloring process. On the back, you’ll notice the camera bump has lost some weight. The sensors are now vertically aligned with a smaller plastic surround.
iPhone 16 colors.
Credit: Apple
On the front, buyers will get a 6.1 or 6.7-inch OLED screen with newly enhanced brightness. Apple claims 2,000 nits peak and as low as 1 nit in dark settings. That’s a respectable peak brightness, but Samsung and Google have brighter displays on their latest phones. What they don’t have is Ceramic Shield, which Apple claims is 50% stronger this year and makes the iPhone even more durable compared to competing devices.
Both Pro phones have gotten a little larger, with a 6.3-inch OLED on the smaller model and 6.9 inches for the Pro Max. That makes it the largest iPhone yet. The phones are still titanium, but there’s a new texture and a few more color options.
The non-Pro iPhones have a few new controls, including the Action Button that debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro. It replaces the mute switch, and you can use it only as a mute switch if you want, but it can also be programmed to open apps, toggle the flashlight, and more. The iPhone 16 also has a new Camera Control, a touch-sensitive button below the power button. You can press it lightly to access features like filters and zoom controls; a harder press takes photos.
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have fewer changes than the non-Pro phones. They still have the Action Button but gain the same Camera Control from the cheaper phones. Apple notes that the Pro will support using that button as a two-stage shutter in a future update—it’s unclear if that functionality is arbitrarily limited to the Pro model, though.
A Smarter Smartphone
The iPhone 15 kept the older A15 Bionic chip, and the new phone skips ahead two generations to the new A18 chip. This 3nm component has a new 16-core NPU for AI processing, 17% more memory bandwidth, 30% better CPU performance, and 40% faster gaming. This chip is such a big step up for the iPhone 16 that you can run games originally restricted to the iPhone 15 Pro, like Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
These phones get an even faster A18 Pro chip. It’s also 3nm with more memory bandwidth and a faster NPU for AI features. The 6-core CPU is the most efficient and speedy Apple has ever created—the company claims this is the fastest chip in any smartphone. There’s also on-device support for features like Pro Motion and Always-on Display.
iPhone 16 Pro colors
Credit: Apple
One reason for the AI and memory enhancements is Apple’s new commitment to AI features under the Apple Intelligence banner. Apple runs some AI models on the device to preserve your privacy and promises its cloud-based AI features won’t store your data. Apple Intelligence will let you generate images, reformat text, and identify objects with your camera—it’s basically Google Lens with easy access via the Camera Control.
The new camera arrangement allows the iPhone 16 to capture spatial photos and video for use with Vision Pro. The primary sensor is 48MP with the option to crop the middle of the sensor for a 2x zoom—Apple calls this a Fusion Camera. There’s also a new ultrawide with macro mode.
Credit: Apple
The Pro phones also have a 48MP Fusion camera, a new 48MP ultrawide with macro support, and a 5x telephoto lens. Unlike last year, both Pro models get the tetraprism zoom lens rather than just the larger of the two. The iPhone 16 Pro can also shoot 120fps 4K video with Dolby Vision.
Price and Availability
Apple is accepting pre-orders for the new iPhones today, and they will ship on Sept. 20. The iPhone 16 starts at $799 with 128GB of storage, and it’s $100 more for the larger Plus model. The Pro phones once again start at $999 for the smaller model with 128GB. The Pro Max starts at $1,199.
Apple promises big trade-in deals if you’ve got an older iPhone to swap. The savings are highest for the Pro models, with up to $1,000 trade-in credit.
Apple did note that some Apple Intelligence features will be ready next month, but only in beta at first. As rumored, it will take a bit longer to get the full suite ready for general use.