iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus with camera redesign, iOS 18 launched
Apple has announced the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus as its new marquee smartphones. While the duo retains several features from last year’s iPhone 15 series, their cameras look different. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus also have two cameras, but now in a vertical alignment to set them apart from their predecessors. Both iPhone models retain the Dynamic Island and USB-C port while replacing the Alert Slider with an Action Button, introduced on the Pro models last year. The iPhone 16 duo also has a touch-sensitive camera button on the side that helps Apple pitch the new models as photography-friendly.
The new iPhone 16 starts at $799 for the 128GB model, while the iPhone 16 Plus price starts at $899 for a 128GB version. Apple will begin to sell both iPhone models starting September 20, while pre-orders start September 13. It comes in Pink, Ultramarine, White, Black, and Teal colours.
While it was the USB-C port last year’s headlining feature, the new camera functionality is perhaps the biggest change in the design of the new iPhone models. Available below the power button, the camera button immediately triggers the camera app when one slides their finger and clicks a photograph when pressed. Although the iPhone’s lock screen always had a camera shortcut, iOS 18 makes allows users to replace it with a different app or setting. A dedicated camera button will help in such cases.
The redesign also includes the vertically stacked cameras on the iPhone 16 series. While that changes the look of the new iPhone devices from the previous ones, Apple has not changed the 48MP main camera. This wide sensor can click photos at up to 24MP resolution through the pixel-binning technology and supports HDR. The second camera now has an upgraded ultrawide sensor with a larger aperture to let more light in low-light conditions. The iPhone 16 continues to have a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, while the iPhone 16 Plus has a 6.7-inch screen. Both devices support 2000 nits of brightness, Dynamic Island functionalities, and Dolby Vision, and come with higher brightness.
Inside the iPhone 16, Apple has upgraded the chip to the 3nm A18 – a major leap in recent years during which Apple equipped the latest Pro models with the latest chips while recycling the chip from last year’s Pro models on the current non-Pro models. This time, it is the same chip as the Pro models – all in favour of the Apple Intelligence features that require more power and resources to work properly. The company claims the new chip is 30 per cent faster than iPhone 15's CPU. While Apple does not reveal the iPhone’s RAM capacity, it is likely 8GB on the iPhone 16 duo – a jump from 6GB on the iPhone 15.
Apple has also launched the iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series X, and AirPods 4.
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