Apple announced four new iPhones (among other things) at the “It’s Glowtime” event on September 9th. Designed from the “ground up” for Apple’s AI, we have the base model to the most souped-up: the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. There’s a deluge of new features on both the hardware and the software side, so we don’t blame you if you’re struggling to break it all down.
Also: Apple just gave me a compelling reason to buy the smaller iPhone 16 Pro over the Max this year
But which features will actually have the most impact on iPhone enthusiasts? What are the truly novel features of the 16 Pro? Let’s cut through the noise and look at what we’ve got.
1. The 5x zoom comes to the Pro
When Apple first released the iPhone 15 series, it only gave the 5x tetraprism zoom lens to the Max Pro. This time around, both the 16 Pro and the 16 Pro Max are getting the high-end zoom capability. This choice means the camera is essentially the same on the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, leaving other features to differentiate the two models.
2. The camera control
One of the new features getting a lot of attention is the camera control button coming to the entire lineup of iPhone 16 models. Designed to operate similarly to the shutter button on a DSLR, it’s a physical button on the bottom right side of the phone with touch-capacitive capabilities that responds to swipes and soft presses.
For example, a light press on the button focuses on the subject, and a harder press snaps the photo. Additionally, swiping on the button switches between photo and video modes or zoom in and out. Clicking and holding will take a video.
Also: Why Apple’s new A18 chipsets make the iPhone 16 models worth upgrading to
The camera control button is available on all iPhone 16 models, but it’s when paired with the advanced camera and the A18 Pro processor on the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max that Apple aims to provide a more seamless user experience that sets the Pro and Pro Max apart. The upcoming Visual Intelligence feature, for example, paired with the A18 Pro processor, will be faster and more efficient.
Not everyone is a fan of the new camera button, however, as this shift from software to hardware will likely come with usability growing pains and mistakenly-accessed features.
3. Siri’s much-needed makeover
The iOS 18 beta running on iPhone 15 Pro.
Jason Hiner/ZDNET
No offense to one of the OG voice assistants, but Siri has needed a makeover for a while now. When Apple’s virtual assistant was first released in 2010, it set the stage for the ecosystem of virtual assistant technology. But fast-forward almost 15 years later and the market is full of competing AI models with capabilities that, let’s be honest, blow Siri out of the water.
Well, the time has finally come. Apple unveiled a ton of new functionality for Siri, and it’s powered by Apple Intelligence. The new Siri includes conversational context so it can take cues from what you just told it, as well as the ability to finally actually make multi-step actions on your behalf like adding photos to specific albums and sharing them.
Also: Every iPhone 16 model compared: Which iPhone should you buy today?
Beyond Siri, we have Visual Intelligence, which allows multi-modal AI via the camera, similar to what we’ve seen across other AI models this year. Apple Intelligence will start with a live beta in October in the US, with additional countries in December, and additional languages next year.
4. Upgraded chipset for the AI age
After much anticipation, Apple’s own first-party generative AI (gen AI), Apple Intelligence, is coming to the iPhone 16 series and is powered by the new A18 Pro chip. With 17% more memory bandwidth, the A18 Pro chip is up to 15% faster than the A17 Pro and uses 20% less power in the process. Additionally, the advanced display engine on the A18 Pro powers unique features like ProMotion and the always-on display.
The 3mm technology has smaller, more efficient transistors, and constitutes a big step forward in hardware that’s geared to handle generative AI. The base iPhone 16 comes with 8GB of RAM and the Pro with 12GB of RAM.
Also: 6 reasons why iOS 18 makes the iPhone 16 a must-upgrade for me
Even with AI’s demanding memory requirements, having this much memory on the iPhone is a bonus for overall performance, particularly multitasking and starting up apps.
5. The biggest iPhones yet
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are the largest iPhones ever, with 6.3 and 6.9-inch displays, respectively. Not only that, but the microscopic bezels make them look even bigger. However, this is one feature that is sure to elicit a mixed response from consumers. The iPhone has hovered around the same size for quite a few generations now, and this bump-up in size could indicate a change in the direction they’re going in.
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