iPhone 16 Series: Insufficient Upgrades, Lagging AI, Can Apple Keep Its Throne?

iPhone 16 Series: Insufficient Upgrades, Lagging AI, Can Apple Keep Its Throne?The release date of the iPhone 16 series (September 10th local time) is drawing closer, and rumors about it abound. Recently, leaker Sonny Dickson shared model photos of the iPhone 16 series on the X platform, including the standard iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max

iPhone 16 Series: Insufficient Upgrades, Lagging AI, Can Apple Keep Its Throne?

The release date of the iPhone 16 series (September 10th local time) is drawing closer, and rumors about it abound. Recently, leaker Sonny Dickson shared model photos of the iPhone 16 series on the X platform, including the standard iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The most notable feature is the new bronze color option for the Pro Max. Although these are only model photos, considering the blogger's previous accurate leaks and 3D renderings from other sources, the credibility of this leak is quite high.

At the WWDC2024 conference, Apple first unveiled its AI trump card - Apple Intelligent, an AI operating system. Last month, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max finally received the iOS 18.1 developer preview, which included some AI features, but the overall performance was disappointing. Now, Apple fans are more focused on the iPhone 16 series, which is expected to fully embrace AI, especially the domestic users currently excluded from Apple Intelligent.

In 2024, the iPhone's decline is evident. While sales and market share have shrunk, its technological leadership position is also being gradually replaced. So, besides Apple Intelligent, can hardware upgrades like the screen, chip, camera, and battery life make the iPhone 16 series appealing to consumers again?

Biggest Upgrade Ever? Apple is Up to Something

Currently, the screen, processor, design, and camera system of the iPhone 16 series have been leaked, indicating upgrades across all models. The iPhone 16 Pro series may be the most upgraded generation of iPhones ever.

First, let's talk about the screen. The screen has always been a significant differentiator between Apple's standard and Pro iPhone models. Since the iPhone 13 Pro introduced a 120Hz refresh rate, three consecutive generations of standard iPhones have lacked a high refresh rate. Compared to Android devices that come standard with high refresh rates, an iPhone starting at $599 with only a 60Hz refresh rate seems quite lacking. However, this is about to change with the iPhone 16 series. Rumors suggest that all iPhone 16 models will include high refresh rates, but it remains uncertain whether the standard versions will support LTPO adaptive refresh rate adjustments. The screen differences between the standard and Pro versions will shift to screen size and brightness.

The iPhone 16 standard will retain its size, while the iPhone 16 Pro will see a screen size upgrade from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches, alongside a 20% increase in brightness. The Pro Max will feature a 6.9-inch display. If accurate, the iPhone 16 series will have the largest screen sizes in iPhone history.

Apple also plans to popularize the previously Pro Max-exclusive 5x periscope telephoto lens in the iPhone 16 Pro series. The maximum focal length will also be upgraded to 120mm. The Pro Max will feature a 1/1.14-inch Sony IMX-903 main camera sensor, 12% larger than its predecessor, and a "super" telephoto camera with a focal length exceeding 300mm.

Improved camera capabilities naturally require better control methods. After replacing the silent switch with an action button on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, the iPhone 16 series will feature an action button on all models, plus a dedicated camera button, providing one-touch access to the camera interface. The button supports both single-click photo capture and long-press video recording.

In terms of processors, Apple's "strategy" remains precise: the iPhone 16/Plus will feature the A18 processor, while the iPhone 16 Pro/Max will be powered by the A18 Pro processor. The main difference between the two processors lies in AI computing power and advanced features like ray tracing; other aspects are largely similar. Data shows that the A18 series processors offer a multi-core and single-core improvement of less than 10% compared to the previous generation A17 series, with the GPU performance being the standout improvement, offering a 30% increase. Additionally, the iPhone 16 series, in order to support Apple Intelligent, will finally come standard with 8GB of RAM across the board. This is undoubtedly a milestone upgrade for Apple itself, but looking at the broader smartphone industry, 8GB is not particularly impressive.

Also, the iPhone 16 series will use a stacked battery technology, touted to increase energy density and extend battery life. However, the battery capacity will only see a modest increase, and the phones will support up to 40W wired charging and 20W MagSafe charging.

Color options for the iPhone 16 standard include five colors: black, white, blue, green, and pink. The iPhone 16 Pro series will feature titanium metal frames with four color choices: white, black, natural, and a new bronze color. The bronze color reminds me of the champagne gold of the iPhone 5s/6 series, but with a more nuanced tone.

Overall, the iPhone 16 series upgrades are arguably the most sincere from Apple in the past two years, but it's still difficult to surprise consumers who are accustomed to Android flagships. Whether it's battery capacity, fast charging speed, or RAM and camera capabilities, none of the highly competitive hardware aspects have reached the standard of current Android flagships.

Hardware Upgrades Fall Short of Expectations. If Apple Wants to Compete with Android Flagships with the iPhone 16 Series, It Needs to Show More Sincerity in Software.

AI Lagging Behind Google by 2-3 Years, Can the iPhone 16 Series Survive?

In reality, Apple's fluidity in the mobile operating system space has been surpassed by other manufacturers. The once-prided software ecosystem advantage is no longer as dominant as it once was. Apple is even lagging behind in innovative features like AI. Last week, Google held a product launch event ahead of Apple's iPhone 16 series release, showcasing the Gemini AI capabilities of the Pixel 9 series. In contrast, although Apple unveiled Apple Intelligent at WWDC, its actual application is still immature, and some features may not be available before the iPhone 16 series launch.

Mark Gurman from Bloomberg stated that after witnessing Google's latest AI announcements, it's hard to deny that Apple is lagging behind by at least 2-3 years in this domain. While Apple Intelligent can aggregate information and summarize recordings, the latest Pixel phones can also change photo backgrounds, extract information from images and synchronize it to calendars, etc. Whether it's functionality, stronger natural language understanding, or task-fulfillment capabilities, Gemini AI surpasses Apple Intelligent. The fundamental reason is that Google has "complete AI capabilities," with underlying technologies independent of third parties, while Apple relies on giants like OpenAI.

Furthermore, Apple's strategy for Apple Intelligent in mainland China remains unclear. Apple itself doesn't possess strong AI technology, so collaborating with Chinese AI giants could be a viable path. However, looking at Samsung's previous collaboration with Chinese AI players like Baidu, AI-powered phones based on "cooperative stitching" are essentially AI-enhanced applications, with a significant gap in experience compared to AI integration at the system level and deep hardware-software integration. If Apple adopts a "stitched AI" approach in China, it's unlikely to have an advantage in terms of user experience.

AI weaknesses will directly impact the iPhone 16 series' sales performance. If Apple continues to exclude the domestic market like it did with NFC technology, then the iPhone 16 series could face stagnation. Regardless of how Apple implements AI in China, this represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for domestic brands: AI is iPhone's Achilles' heel in China. If domestic manufacturers seize this chance to strengthen their AI advantages, they might truly and definitively defeat Apple.

Domestic Brands Are Aggressively "Poaching," Apple Needs to Feel the Pressure

It's unclear when it started, but users often criticize new iPhones. The incremental progress has been far outpaced by Android brands. Even with upgrades in screen, camera, RAM, charging, and battery life, the iPhone 16 series still lags behind. This is evident in market data. Particularly in China, Apple has experienced a bumpy start, with sales plummeting in the first two months of the year. Only in March and April has sales stabilized and rebounded.

Techinsights' latest research report reveals that the top five domestic smartphone shipments in the second quarter of 2024 were all occupied by domestic brands: vivo, OPPO, Huawei, Honor, and Xiaomi. Apple fell into the "Others" category. For Apple, this data is alarming. While global smartphone sales have declined, the blame for market share loss can't be solely placed on the general environment. Declining iPhone competitiveness, insufficient user upgrade motivation, and other issues remain primary factors.

For example, the iPhone 16 series will focus on upgrading the camera experience. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will both increase their body sizes to accommodate larger main camera sensors, but they still haven't reached 1-inch. On the Android side, the vivo X100 Ultra not only uses a