iPhone 16 Series: Internally Refined, Poised for the Future

iPhone 16 Series: Internally Refined, Poised for the FutureSeveral days ago, I had the privilege of interviewing Richard Dinh, Vice President of iPhone Product Design, and Francesca Sweet, Director of iPhone Product Marketing, for an in-depth discussion on the "internal" design of the iPhone 16 series. This was particularly significant because Apple rarely publicly discusses the internal architecture of its iPhones, let alone proactively disassembling them for media demonstrations and explanations

iPhone 16 Series: Internally Refined, Poised for the Future

Several days ago, I had the privilege of interviewing Richard Dinh, Vice President of iPhone Product Design, and Francesca Sweet, Director of iPhone Product Marketing, for an in-depth discussion on the "internal" design of the iPhone 16 series. This was particularly significant because Apple rarely publicly discusses the internal architecture of its iPhones, let alone proactively disassembling them for media demonstrations and explanations. Since its release, the iPhone 16 series has maintained considerable buzz, yet the perception of "minimal changes" has dominated much of the conversation. However, upgrades like improved camera controls, enhanced thermal management, and the introduction of Apple Vision Pro capabilities have sparked intense curiosity about the underlying technological advancements. Undeniably, beyond the performance boost from the new chip, adjustments to the internal structure have played a pivotal role in the many improvements seen in the iPhone 16 series. This interview allowed me to address many questions from Apple enthusiasts.

The Beauty of the "Unseen"

Apple aficionados familiar with the company's design philosophy know that Steve Jobs always insisted on internal aesthetics mirroring the external design. Even though few ever see the internal circuit boards, Apple maintained the pristine appearance of the first-generation Mac's internal circuitry. This principle has been consistently applied to every generation of iPhone. To enable spatial video recording, the iPhone 16 employs a vertically-oriented camera module and adds a dedicated camera control button. These seemingly minor external changes represent significant technological advancements. Richard emphasized that the core of these advancements lies in the meticulous coordination and arrangement of components while maintaining the internal elegance of the iPhone 16.

Disassembly diagrams clearly show a significant change: the main board now features an L-shaped design, with the chip repositioned from the right side to the center. The surrounding structure has also been optimized for heat dissipation. The benefit is clear: heat is no longer concentrated on the side of the device but disperses from the center.

iPhone 16 Internal Stacking: A Testament to Precision Engineering

Some critics argued that Apple was "regressing," noting that after the iPhone 15 Pro's weight reduction with titanium, the iPhone 16 Pro gained weight. However, the iPhone 16 Pro boasts significant upgrades in its imaging capabilities: a 5x periscope telephoto lens, a 48MP ultrawide lens, and four studio-quality microphones supporting spatial audio recording and multi-track recording. The number and size of the microphones have increased. Despite this, the device maintains the same thickness as the iPhone 15 Pro, with only a slightly increased height (due to the bezel) and almost no increase in width. More importantly, the overall weight distribution has improved, enhancing the feel in the hand. Therefore, while the iPhone 16 Pro is 12 grams heavier, the handling experience is better. As Richard explained, this required substantial architectural improvements.

Compared to the iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 16 Pro's main board still uses a dual-layer stacked design, but with a smaller footprint. This necessitated a more complex stacking design involving more panels. The panel distribution has changed from a two-layer, three-sided arrangement to a two-layer, four-sided configuration, with all core components and chips neatly organized across the board's panels. The level of precision is astounding.

Throughout the interview, I sensed a palpable pride from Richard and Francesca in showcasing the iPhone 16's internal structure. This pride stems not only from the team's confidence in their work but also from a deep-seated commitment to Apple's design philosophy.

iPhone 16 Pro's Dual-Layer, Four-Sided Mainboard: The Foundation for Improved Thermal Management

Improved heat dissipation results from overall structural improvements, particularly in internal stacking, designed to serve functionality and user experience. Among the many changes closely related to motherboard design, one of the most noteworthy upgrades in the iPhone 16 series is its thermal management. For years, iPhone's heat issues have been a common industry concern. This was one of the key topics I wanted to discuss with Richard and Francesca: why couldn't Apple, a company so focused on user experience, better address the iPhone's heat problem?

At this year's fall launch event, Apple unusually devoted a significant portion to detailing the iPhone 16's improvements, including enhanced thermal performance. The CPUs central placement on the motherboard and adjustments to the thermal architecture resulted in up to a 30% performance boost during sustained gameplay. The iPhone 16 Pro saw a similar improvement, with official claims of a 20% increase in thermal performance, alongside improved battery life.

Why is thermal management so crucial? Overheating not only affects the feel of the device but can also cause the chip to throttle, leading to system lag.

Beyond the mainboard structural improvements, we see the addition of a graphite heat-spreading layer on the side of the iPhone 16 contacting the screen. In the iPhone 16 Pro, Richard highlighted that the cooling system benefits from the entire chassis design, specifically the 100% recycled aluminum heat sink structure. While the aluminum frame was introduced in the iPhone 14 series, the iPhone 16 Pro uses a larger aluminum plate for heat dissipation, better integrated with the titanium frame, allowing for more even heat distribution throughout the body. The coverage area of the graphite heat-spreading film has also been increased, leading to more efficient heat transfer from the screen and motherboard to the aluminum plate.

Real-world tests show a significant improvement in thermal performance. After 30 minutes of heavy gaming, the iPhone 16 Pro's body temperature was approximately 3C lower than the iPhone 15 Pro, with a more even distribution of heat across the device.

Therefore, the iPhone 16 Pro's thermal improvement isn't a localized modification but rather a result of the entire internal chassis design. This differs significantly from the approach of many Android phones which rely on stacking various cooling materials, making simple comparisons difficult. While Richard didn't directly address my question about why Apple doesn't use vapor chambers, he specifically mentioned the iPhone 16 Pro's metal-cased battery design. With a larger battery capacity and higher density, the metal casing helps maintain battery stability. Combined with improved cooling and a larger battery, the tangible user benefits are sustained performance and increased battery life.

iPhone 16 Pro's Metal-Cased Battery: Designed for Longevity

Francesca explained that Apple considers not only current usage patterns but also the entire lifecycle of the iPhone when designing its products. They aim to provide a seamless experience for three, four, or even more years of use. Therefore, the design incorporates durability and extends its lifespan. This is reflected in the Ceramic Shield front cover, the grade-5 titanium used in the iPhone 16 Pro, and the 7000 series aluminum in the iPhone 16.

Apple has also made significant improvements in repairability. The well-known teardown site iFixit gave the iPhone 16 Pro a repairability score of 7 out of 10.

In my view, beyond the durability and repairability mentioned by Francesca, the iPhone 16 series' camera upgrades, internal structural improvements, and enhanced thermal management all contribute to its extended lifespan. This generation is likely to become another long-lasting series.

Its undeniable that before the iPhone 16 series, Apples thermal management had been a concern. With the iPhone 16 series and its advancements in chip performance, purely relying on process node upgrades was no longer sufficient to address the power consumption issues arising from performance gains, especially with the integration of Apple Vision Pro features. High performance and efficient thermal management become core to the experience.

Many consider the iPhone 16 series to be one of the least changed in recent years. In a sense, this is true. However, the reality is that both the internal design and user experience have seen substantial improvements. Some features are currently unavailable in certain regions (like Apple Vision Pro), leading the iPhone 16 series to exude a "future-ready" feel, both internally and externally.

Remember the launch event: The new iPhone 16 series is entirely built for Apple Vision Pro. Tim Cook's statement, along with the iPhone 16 series itself, will undoubtedly become a landmark moment in Apple's history.

If you're still using an iPhone 12/13 or an even older model, consider upgrading. The iPhone 16 is capable of providing a lag-free user experience for at least three to four years the most important factor for users.