After a couple of teasers, Apple has now officially launched the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus as the newest models in its lineup of smartphones. It follows on from the iPhone 15 series with a host of updates, including the new A18 chip and a plethora of camera enhancements. Here is a closer look at what the iPhone 16 series offers.
Power-packed performance with the Apple A18 chip
The iPhones 16 series is powered by the A18 chip, a 3 nm processor that integrates a 16-core Neural Engine. This chip offers the ability to run much larger generative models and boosts machine learning performance to up to twice as fast compared to the previous generation. The A18 promises to deliver 17% more system memory bandwidth while providing up to a 30% power reduction over the A16 Bionic, according to Apple.
The A18 includes two performance cores, four efficiency cores, which Apple says are 30 percent faster than the A16 in the iPhone 15 and as much as 60 percent faster than the A14 Bionic found in the iPhone 12. This five-core GPU is supposedly 40% faster than on the iPhone 15 and 2x faster compared to the iPhone 12. These all have to do with upgrading performance for things like gaming and machine learning tasks while consuming less power.
Action button and Camera control
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus bring features that were limited to Pro models, starting with an action button. It supports custom actions from opening the camera app through video recording. Apple added a haptic feedback button for a more mechanical feel.
In addition, Apple introduces “Camera Control” in order to make interacting with the camera more accessible. New button uses touch gestures to tell light and full presses apart. For example, lightly touching will instantly preview a shot, while a full press will capture the photo. Users can access functions such as zoom and adjusting exposure with a few easy gestures.
Camera enhancements for stunning photos and videos
The camera system in the iPhone 16 series adds a 48MP main camera with a wider f/1.6 aperture for better low-light shooting. This sensor features Quad-Pixel Sensor technology, which enables capturing higher-quality 12MP images. This sensor also allows a 2x Telephoto option, providing full-resolution photos and 4K video without digital zoom.
Moreover, the 12MP Ultra Wide now contains a larger f/2.2 aperture that allows in 2.6x more light for improved image quality, particularly when shooting in wide-angle and macro shots. It also supports spatial photos and videos developed for the Apple’s Vision Pro headset.
Gaming and battery performance
Apple has added several thermal optimizations on the iPhone 16 series, promising to give up to a 30% boost when it comes to sustained gaming performance. The new phones also support ray tracing, which means these will be ready for some popular AAA titles like Resident Evil 7 Biohazard and Assassin’s Creed: Mirage.
For battery life, Apple claims that the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will have better endurance: there’s a larger battery, plus power management courtesy of the A18 chip. The iPhone 16 can go up to 22 hours of video playback, while the iPhone 16 Plus hits up to 27 hours. Both devices support 25W MagSafe charging for faster wireless charging.
Gorgeous displays and durable design
The iPhone 16 also retains its predecessor’s display size at 6.1-inch, while the screen size of the iPhone 16 Plus is bumped up to 6.7-inch. Both models have OLED panel technology, HDR support, and peaking brightness of as much as 2000 nits for outdoor usability. A screen protector with more strength is ensured by Apple’s Ceramic Shield.
The iPhone 16 series comes with an aluminum frame and a color-infused glass at the back. The colors available for this are black, white, pink, teal, and ultramarine.
Apple iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus specifications
- iPhone 16 Display: 6.1-inch (2556 × 1179) OLED Super Retina XDR display, up to 2000 nits peak outdoor brightness, HDR, True Tone, 460ppi
- iPhone 16 Plus Display: 6.7-inch (2796 × 1290) OLED Super Retina XDR display, up to 2000 nits peak outdoor brightness, HDR, True Tone, 460ppi
- Processor: 3 nm A18 chip, 6‑core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores, 64-bit architecture, 5‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine
- Capacity: 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB storage
- Rear Camera: 48MP wide-angle (f/1.6) camera, second-generation sensor-shift OIS, 2x Telephoto, 100% Focus Pixels, Photonic Engine, True Tone flash, HDR video recording with Dolby Vision
- Front Camera: 12MP TrueDepth (f/1.9) front camera, Autofocus with Focus Pixels,
Retina Flash, HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps, Slo‑mo 1080p at 120fps - Battery and Charge: Rechargeable lithium-ion battery, up to 25W with 30W adapter or higher, USB-C fast charging
- Action Button: Silent mode, Focus, Camera, Flashlight, Voice Memo, Recognise Music, Translate, Magnifier, Controls, Shortcut or Accessibility
- Camera Controls: Exposure, Depth, Zoom, Cameras, Styles, Tone
- Connectivity: 5G (sub‑6 GHz) with 4×4 MIMO, Gigabit-class LTE, 802.11be Wi-Fi 7 with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.3, Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness, Thread networking technology, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou
- Operating System: iOS 18
- Dimensions: 147.6 × 71.6 × 7.80 mm; Weight: 170g (iPhone 16) / 160.9 × 77.8 × 7.80 mm; Weight: 199g (iPhone 16 Plus)
- Durability: IP68 water and dust resistant
- SIM: Dual SIM (nano + eSIM)
RELATED
Pricing and availability
The iPhone 16 series retains the same price tag as the iPhone 15 models, and Apple sells them with different capacities of storage to suit different needs and budgets. Here’s a breakdown of the prices for both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus:
iPhone 16 Pricing
- 128 GB: $799 / Rs. 79,900
- 256 GB: $899 / Rs. 89,900
- 512 GB: $1,099 / Rs. 1,09,900
iPhone 16 Plus Pricing
- 128 GB: $899 / Rs. 89,900
- 256 GB: $999 / Rs. 99,900
- 512 GB: $1,199 / Rs. 1,19,900
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus comes in five color options: black, white, pink, teal, and ultramarine.
Availability and pre-order
The iPhone 16 series will be available through various channels:
- Pre-Orders Begin: Friday, September 13, at 5:30 PM IST
- In-Store Availability: Friday, September 20
Pre-orders can be made via Apple’s official website and the Apple Store app. The devices will also be available in every retail store of Apple starting from September 20.