iPhone 16 Series Launch: Design, Camera, Performance Upgraded, But AppleIntelligence is Still Missing

iPhone 16 Series Launch: Design, Camera, Performance Upgraded, But AppleIntelligence is Still MissingOn September 10th (Beijing time), Apple officially launched the iPhone 16 series at its fall event. New colors, larger screen sizes, upgraded cameras, camera control buttons, A18Pro chip, AppleIntelligence

iPhone 16 Series Launch: Design, Camera, Performance Upgraded, But AppleIntelligence is Still Missing

On September 10th (Beijing time), Apple officially launched the iPhone 16 series at its fall event. New colors, larger screen sizes, upgraded cameras, camera control buttons, A18Pro chip, AppleIntelligence... What changes does the upgraded iPhone 16 series bring? How does it feel in real life? Foreign media have already gotten their hands on the iPhone 16 series, and this article will answer the questions that iPhone 16 series users are most concerned about, based on their experience.

Q1: What changes have been made to the appearance of the standard iPhone 16?

The biggest change in the appearance of the standard iPhone 16 is the camera module design, with the cameras arranged vertically to support spatial video recording. In terms of color, the iPhone 16 comes in five colors: Azure Blue, Deep Blue, Pink, White, and Black, with higher color saturation and a more vibrant look. Additionally, the side mute button on the standard iPhone 16 has been replaced with the same Action button found on the iPhone 15 Pro series. At the same time, all iPhone 16 models have added a CameraControl button to the side of the phone, which can be used through pressure and touch.

Q2: What does the new CameraControl button do?

The camera control button on the iPhone 16 series is a physical button with a high-precision force sensor and haptic feedback motor, allowing for operations through light and hard presses. It is mainly used for focusing, taking pictures, and recording during shooting, such as: quickly launching the camera to take photos and record videos. The button surface is covered with sapphire and a capacitive touch sensor, allowing for recognition of swipe gestures. This is mainly used to adjust shooting modes, exposure, zoom, and other functions, such as: swiping left and right to change the zoom level. Additionally, the camera control button also supports Apple's AI functionality to quickly launch the camera and take pictures, with Apple AI identifying the shooting content and providing information or suggestions. For example, when aiming the camera at a local restaurant, Apple AI will recognize it and push notifications about the restaurant's operating hours and reviews.

Most foreign bloggers have expressed curiosity and praise for the new camera control button after getting their hands on the iPhone 16 series. However, some bloggers have also indicated that the new button may require some time to adapt to, and it is expected that the most commonly used and convenient functions in practical use will still be the basic "launch camera" and "shooting and recording" functions.

Q3: What are the core specs of the standard iPhone 16?

The standard iPhone 16 skips the A17 and directly goes from A16 to the A18 chip. It is a custom-designed second-generation 3nm chip with improved memory bandwidth and dedicated heat dissipation optimization, theoretically offering stronger performance. In terms of battery life, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus offer up to 22 hours and 27 hours of video playback, respectively, both improvements over the previous generation. As for charging power, the iPhone 16 series does not offer any upgrades over its predecessor. In terms of imaging, the standard iPhone 16 mainly improves its ultra-wide-angle lens, with an upgraded aperture of f/2.2 and support for macro shooting. Additionally, the change in lens layout to vertical orientation also enables spatial video recording for the standard version. Unfortunately, the standard iPhone 16 still retains a 60Hz refresh rate, so users with high refresh rate needs can opt for the iPhone 16 Pro version or hope for a high refresh rate in the iPhone 17 standard version.

Q4: What changes have been made to the appearance of the iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max?

The most noticeable change to the appearance of the iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max is the body size. The iPhone 16 Pro has been upgraded from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max has gone from 6.7 inches to 6.9 inches. At the same time, it's pretty exaggerated; 6.9 inches should be the largest body size for flagship phones. Additionally, the iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max has further narrowed screen bezels, significantly improving the screen-to-body ratio. In terms of colors, the iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max offers four colors: Desert, Original, White, and Black. Among them, Desert is the main color for the Pro version this year.

Q5: What are the highlights of the iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max camera?

With each generation of iPhone release, the Pro version always boasts better hardware specs and even exclusive imaging features, and the iPhone 16 series is no exception. In addition to the 48MP fused camera for the main sensor, the iPhone 16 Pro's ultra-wide-angle lens has also been upgraded from 12MP to 48MP, with the aperture going from f/4.4 to f/2.2, and also supports macro photography. In terms of telephoto lens, the configuration of both models has also been leveled up, with the iPhone 16 Pro featuring the same quad-reflex prism telephoto lens as the Pro Max, supporting up to 5x optical zoom. Additionally, the iPhone 16 Pro also supports 4K120fps Dolby Vision format and allows for 4K120fps video processing directly from the photo library. At the same time, four studio-quality microphones provide it with mixing functionality, allowing for adjustments to the audio effects in videos using three different sound options, further enhancing its video capabilities.

Q6: What about other specs of the iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max?

The iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max is powered by the A18Pro chip, and Apple has also optimized heat dissipation specifically for it. Compared to the previous generation, it brings up to 20% improvement in sustained performance, with hardware-accelerated ray tracing up to twice as fast as the previous generation, providing a better gaming experience. In terms of battery life, the larger body size allows the iPhone 16 Pro to accommodate a larger battery, and combined with the A18Pro chip's better energy efficiency, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max offer up to 27 hours and 33 hours of video playback, respectively, making them the longest-lasting Apple phones yet.

Q7: When will AppleIntelligence be available? Which models will it be available on?

All iPhone 16 models will be compatible with it, but it won't be available until next month. The Chinese version will be even later, waiting for Apple's smart functionality to launch in mainland China. Undoubtedly, as the highlight of the iPhone 16 series, AppleIntelligence has garnered the most attention at the entire fall event, with Cook even mentioning Apple AI at the opening. In fact, most of the features of AppleIntelligence have already appeared at WWDC24, such as text polishing, emoji generation, etc. The new feature added this time is "visual intelligence," where the iPhone analyzes the scene captured by the camera through the camera control button. This feature was mentioned earlier and will not be discussed further here.

Unfortunately, AppleIntelligence was not launched alongside the iPhone 16 series. Apple stated that AppleIntelligence is expected to be released next month, initially limited to US English regions, and will gradually expand to support more languages afterward. Apple plans to gradually add support for other languages like Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish starting in 2025. This means that domestic users cannot experience Apple AI for now and can only activate it when AppleIntelligence launches in mainland China.

Q8: What is the pricing of the iPhone 16 series? When will pre-orders and official sales begin?

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus with 128GB storage start at 5999 yuan and 6999 yuan respectively; the iPhone 16 Pro with 128GB storage starts at 7999 yuan, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max with 256GB storage starts at 9999 yuan. The iPhone 16 series will be available for pre-order on September 13th at 8pm (this Friday) and officially launched on September 20th. Those who want to grab one better get ready with their reflexes.