Apple's 'It's Glowtime' event has been and gone and that means that we now know exactly what the new iPhones are, what they have to offer, and when they'll be available. And while everything matched up closely to the rumors we'd already seen, that doesn't mean that there aren't reasons to be interested.
The new iPhone 16 is the best base model iPhone ever and there are plenty of reasons for even iPhone 15 owners to upgrade. Whether it's the faster chip, support for Apple Intelligence, or the new Camera Control button, there's a lot to like here.
iPhone 16: The headlines
- What is it? The iPhone 16 is part of Apple's new flagship smartphone lineup, specifically the smallest base model.
- When can we expect it? September 20, 2024
- Key upgrades: Camera Control button, Action Button, A18 chip, AI features, and more.
iPhone 16: Release date
Following Apple's September 9 event, we now know that the iPhone 16 will be available for preorder on September 13. The handset will then hit Apple Stores and third-party retailers on September 20 while that's also when online orders should start to arrive. The same can of course be said for the iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
iPhone 16: Display
The iPhone 16 is essentially the same as the iPhone 15 in terms of display, which means it comes in at 6.1 inches and has the Dynamic Island at the top. There's still no support for the Always-On Display, unfortunately, and there is no ProMotion support either. You'll have to upgrade to the Pro models to get either of those features as has become the norm.
In terms of display brightness, the iPhone 16 tops out at 1,000 nits maximum brightness typically while HDR expands that to 1,600 nits. There's a 2,000-nit capability when outdoors so you should still be able to see things even in direct sunlight. Apple says the display can go down to a single nit when required, too.
Support for HDR, True Tone, P3 Wide Color, and Haptic touch round out the main specs here.
iPhone 16: Specs
A18 chip
Apple's new A18 chip brings with it support for Apple Intelligence, one of the key features of iOS 18. Buyers will have to wait for iOS 18.1 to ship in October before they can take advantage of those features, however.
In terms of raw specs, the A18 has a six-core CPU with two performance and four efficiency cores while a new five-core GPU should upgrade the gaming performance. A new 16-core Neural Engine is also included.
Apple says the new A18 is noticeably faster than the outgoing A16, but we'll need to spend time with an iPhone 16 before we can back those claims up.
RAM
The iPhone 16 now comes with 8GB of RAM rather than the 6GB that previous models boasted. This is another upgrade designed for Apple Intelligence.
AI
Apple's A-series iPhone silicon has always had a potent on-board Neural Engine that handles tasks like computational photography. However, this year Apple chose to double down on its AI efforts across its entire product line.
Generative AI is a key component of Apple Intelligence and the iPhone 16 benefits from that greatly. AI capabilities allow iOS 18 to help write emails and messages, summarize websites, and even work out which notifications are important and which can wait. Support for creating images and emojis, too.
iPhone 16: Colors
The iPhone 16 is available in five different colors; Black, White, Pink, Teal, and Ultramarine. All are based on an aluminum design and are more colorful than the colors offered on the Pro iPhones.
iPhone 16: Storage
The iPhone 16 is available in the standard 128GB configuration while 256GB and 512GB options are also available for those who need more space.
iPhone 16: Cameras
Buyers who want the very best iPhone cameras tend to lean towards the Pro models, but with the iPhone 15 Apple brought a 48-megapixel camera to the non-Pro lineup for the first time. That's continued with the iPhone 16 as well.
In terms of the selfie camera, that remains a 12-megapixel part as was expected.
The main camera upgrade isn't actually the camera, but rather the Camera Control button that allows quick access to camera apps and features.
iPhone 16: Design
Design
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the iPhone 16 looks very similar to the iPhone 15 but with two key differences. The first is a change in the camera layout on the back of the phone. Apple has moved the two cameras to a vertical orientation to allow the iPhone 16 to capture Spatial Video for the first time, but beyond that nothing has changed there.
The other tweak is the addition of the Camera Control button below the power button on the right side of the iPhone. It's a touch-sensitive button that allows for quick interaction with camera features including zoom and more and it's available across the entire iPhone 16 lineup.
In terms of construction, the iPhone 16 is again made from aluminum which means it's strong and light with some gorgeous colors on offer.
A final change is the addition of the Action Button, as previously only found on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. This button can be configured to run a variety of tools and features including user-generated shortcuts.
iPhone 16: Battery life and charging
The new iPhone 16 sports USB-C charging as well as Qi2 magnetic wireless charging. MagSafe support now tops out at 25W for the first time, offering speedier options for those who prefer to ditch their cables.
In terms of performance, Apple says that buyers can expect up to 22 hours fo video playback, 18 hours of streamed video playback, and 80 hours of audio playback.
iPhone 16: Price
Despite fears, the iPhone 16 price has remained the same which means that prices start at $799 for the model with 128GB of storage. that increases by $100 for the 256GB model and to a massive $1,099 for the one with 512GB of storage.
Apple's new iPhone 16 lineup is now less than 6 months away. Between now and then, there should be plenty more rumors coming out about what we can expect to see in Apple's latest and greatest flagship smartphone, so stay tuned for all the latest information here.
