Apple iPhone 16: Are there enough good reasons to upgrade?

While Apple Intelligence was everywhere at a typically glossy Apple iPhone introduction, in the end it was the physical shutter button that was the star.

In the aftermath of Apple’s glossy embrace of AI - AKA ‘Apple Intelligence’ - at WWDC24 in June, analysts speculated that it might drive a ‘super-cycle’ of upgrades similar to the debut of the large screen iPhone 6.

Three months later, Apple’s Glow-Up event made liberal use of ‘built for AI’ but the roll-out of features via the early betas has been slow. The WWDC24 AI vision is coming through feature by feature, initially in American English and US locale only, so there was care to show the promise of AI and emphasise the traditional strengths of design and hardware features in what people can pre-order on Friday.

Camera Control & Visual Intelligence

Last year, the iPhone 15 Pro models got a user definable ‘Action’ button that replaced the old mute switch with something more flexible, one of its options being to launch the camera app. Pretty much anything could be assigned the button using Short Cuts and this year, it comes to the non-Pro 16 models. However, the big change is Camera Control, a considerably larger shutter control button below the power button. Unlike other buttons it’s slightly recessed. Push to activate the camera, then again to shoot or hold down for video. However, you can also do a half press to bring up an overlay and switch between modes by swiping across the button. Third-party case design will be challenged by this interactivity early on. Camera Control has an API supporting third-party camera apps, so if Halide is your preference it will work as well.

Camera Control also ties into something called Visual Intelligence. See a restaurant you like the look of? Press a button and AI will identify it, pull back reviews, menus etc. Curious about the breed of a dog on street, take a picture. The concept is similar to the poorly received Rabbit R1 and the Humane AI Pin, but the onboard processing power of the iPhone is obviously in a different league. How well the AI-side of this will work remains to be seen, but Apple emphasised it can work with third-party apps such as Google Search or ChatGPT.

A18 and A18 Pro

While iPhone 15 Pro debuted with an A17 Pro chip, the iPhone 15 made do with the ‘proven’ A16 Bionic from the previous year. Given its performance advantage over comparable Android chips, it was a reasonable bit of price-cutting. In 2024, however, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus get a second generation 3nm A18 chip which shares the same basic architecture as the A18 Pro: a 16-core Neural Engine, six core CPU with two high performance cores and four high efficiency. The GPU has only five cores however, whereas the A18 Pro chip has six plus a new image signal processor plus support for ProMotion, Always-On display, faster USB 3 speeds and ProRes video recording.

It’s likely the A18 is a binned version of the A18 Pro, which is standard industry practice and will matter little to iPhone 16 users getting a significant uplift over the A16 Bionic.

The A18 outperforms the A17 Pro’s CPU by 15% while using 20% less power. The GPU is 40% faster than the A16 with hardware-accelerated ray-tracing and opens the door to AAA console ports previously limited to Pro models. Tencent’s open world RPG Honor of Kings: World will be optimised for it next year.

Apple didn’t state it, but Xcode research confirms A18 and A18 Pro will have 8GB of RAM compared to 6GB in A16 Bionic. The beta version of Apple Intelligence was limited to devices with 8GB, so the new line-up will dramatically increase the number of devices with Apple Intelligence.

Apple has always been parsimonious with onboard memory, in part because the efficiencies of owning the entire hardware/software stack meant it could do more with less, plus the not insignificant benefit of greater battery life and, of course, saving money. However, integral to Apple’s vision of onboard AI and data privacy, is an emphasis on onboard processing as much as possible rather than pushing to the cloud.

The iOS 18 betas recently introduced Clean Up to remove unwanted objects from photos and it had a notable edge over onboard processing with Android - however if using Cloud the results were much the same.

iPhone 16 and 16 Plus

This is a good year for the standard iPhone. Aside from new colours, plus two new buttons (Action and Camera Control), there’s the cutting edge A18 chip and refreshed cameras. Last year’s diagonal arrangement of the rear cameras is switched to vertical, so as to allow for capture of spatial pictures and video for Apple Vision Pro.

Pricing starts at $799/$899 for 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch models with 128GB storage. If you’re planning to take advantage of those AAA games, then that might seem disappointing. Pre-orders begin on Friday 13th and shipping on September 20th.

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max

It’s the same Titanium finish over an aluminium chassis as last year, but there’s a new texture, new colours and a thinner border that allows for the (marginally) biggest iPhone screens yet; 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch. Likely more significant is an internal revamp for enhanced heat management - Apple claim this offers up to 20% better sustained performance. There’s also a larger battery allowing for the longest iPhone battery to do date in the Pro Max. After the super-slim iPad Pro M4 13, there was speculation we could see a razor-thin iPhone but if anything Apple has gone in the opposite direction.

As before, we get a wide-angle, telephoto and ultra-wide, but the 48MP wide-angle camera has a new sensor with a doubled read-out speed, while the ultra-wide camera is now 48MP for more detail. The Tetraprism 5x telephoto lens previously exclusive to the 15 Pro Max is now on both 16 Pro models.

While the battle for the best stills smart phone is always contentious, Apple is typically takes the crown for video. This year’s headline feature is the ability to capture in 4K at 120fps in Dolby Vision. Within the Photos app, you can adjust playback speed at 120 fps, 60 fps, 30 fps and 24 fps. The iPhone also has four ‘studio quality’ mics with a lower noise floor for more ‘true-to-life’ sounds and supports capture of Spatial Audio for playback in Apple Vision Pro, AirPods or your home theatre system.

A key new feature is Audio mix, significantly enhancing control in this area separating out dialogue from background noise and even a cinematic mix for a true Hollywood feel.

Pricing starts at $999/$1099 for 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch models with 128GB storage (storage goes up to 1TB at $1499 / $1599). Pre-orders begin on Friday 13th with units shipping on September 20th.

Apple Watch 10

In 2017, Apple radically re-imagined the iPhone design on its 10th anniversary with iPhone X. There had been some speculation about a similar anniversary revamp for Apple Watch, but the 2024 model is more of a refinement than a revolution. The 9.7mm case is slimmer, the wide-angle OLED screen is bigger and 40% brighter than Series 9. There’s a glossy new Jet Black anodised aluminium finish and the premium models are polished titanium. There’s new health features, including one to help identify sleep apnea, but notably there’s no mention of Apple Intelligence. Apple Watch 10’s screen may be marginally bigger than the Ultra, but disappointing the new watch face is more stylish / abstract than the data density ones on Ultra. Apple Watch Ultra 2 remains unchanged technologically, but gets a nice new black finish option plus new strap. Apple Watch 10 starts at $399 / $429 for 42 / 46 mm screen sizes, while Titanium starts at $699 / $749. Pre-orders start now and shipping on 20th.

AirPods refresh

New AirPods 4 start at $129, but for $179 you get Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive Audio, Transparency Mode and a wireless charging case with a speaker to aid finding it. Both models offer improved sound performance and features due to the H2 chip featured in AirPods Pro 2. AirPods Max get new colour options and switch from Lightning to USB-C, while AirPods Pro 2 have the promise of becoming a ‘clinical-grade hearing aid’ via a firmware update in the fall. Limited to people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss, they have the benefit of offering a sophisticated hearing test with iPhone to judge your requirements and develop a personalised sound profile. The new firmware also offers Hearing Protection and the ability to use them as earplugs via a new algorithm.

Wrapping it up

This was a truly hybrid event for Apple, a classical build-up from accessories through to the iPhones and a very traditional emphasis on stunning stills photography and video. Threaded through the presentation, however, was the promise of Apple Intelligence. Thus far, the early betas have featured a sleek new ‘glow up’ Siri interface, useful writing tools, a mildly useful email summary feature (but not yet categorisation), PhotoShop-style clean-up of Photos and not yet the sophisticated fusion of all the personal information to live up to the most ambitious WWDC promises. 

This year, as ever, these are the best iPhones to date, but the company might have to wait until the iPhone 17 to fully kickstart the AI supercycle where AI becomes an essential part of iOS. As it is, in 2024 the physical shutter button is the star.

tl;dr

• The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus feature a new A18 chip and refreshed cameras, with pricing starting at $799/$899 for 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch models with 128GB storage. Pre-orders begin on Friday 13th and shipping on September 20th.
• The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have a Titanium finish over an aluminum chassis, new texture, new colors, and slightly larger screens; 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch.
• The introduction of Camera Control with a larger shutter button and Visual Intelligence that allows the AI to identify objects and scenes through the camera.
• The A18 chip promises significant performance improvements over its predecessors, featuring a 16-core Neural Engine, enhanced GPU, faster USB 3 speeds, and support for ProMotion and Always-On display.