iPhone 16 biggest changes and new features Updates

By Umar Sultan Updated September 19, 2024

The Ultramarine iPhone 16.Ultramarine iPhone 16 

The most anticipated release of the year for Apple is the arrival of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. As anticipated, these are the greatest options available from Apple for non-Pro consumers; nevertheless, in contrast to previous year, the iPhone 16 has a number of features that make it stand out from the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max.

Is it better to purchase the iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Plus? Is a Pro-phone still required to have the Pro experience? How do the models from this year compare? Everything you ought to know about the iPhone 16 is provided here.

iPhone 16 and 16 Plus: price and release

iPhone 16 colorsApple

The five colors available for Apple's iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, White, and Black.

With 128GB of storage, the iPhone 16 is priced at $799, while the iPhone 16 Plus costs $899, $100 more. There are phone trims available with 256GB or 512GB of storage for an additional $100 or $200 over the base pricing. There is no option for 1TB of storage, in contrast to the iPhone 16 Pro series.

The best bargains on the iPhone 16 are available when you trade in your old iPhone, just like with many of the best phones. According to Apple, if you trade in and activate through their website, you can receive a discount of up to $800.

iPhone 16: specs


iPhone 16

iPhone 16 Plus

Dimensions

147.6  x 71.6 x 7.8 mm (5.89 x 2.81 x 0.32 inches)

160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8 mm (6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 inches)

Weight

6.00 ounces (199 grams)

7.03 ounces (199 grams)

Display

6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display

2566 x 1179 pixels

460 ppi pixel density

120Hz refresh rate

2,000,000:1 contrast ratio

1000 nits max brightness (typical); 1600 nits peak brightness (HDR); 2000 nits peak brightness (outdoor)

Ceramic Shield

6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display

2796 x 1290 pixels

460 ppi pixel density

120Hz refresh rate

2,000,000:1 contrast ratio

1000 nits max brightness (typical); 1600 nits peak brightness (HDR); 2000 nits peak brightness (outdoor)

Ceramic Shield

Durability

IP68

(maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes)

IP68

(maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes)

Colors

Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine

Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine

Processor

A18

2 performance + 4 efficiency cores

5-core GPU

16-core Neural Engine

A18

2 performance + 4 efficiency cores

5-core GPU

16-core Neural Engine

Storage

128GB, 256GB, 512GB

128GB, 256GB, 512GB

Software

iOS 18

iOS 18

Updates

Seven years of promised upgrades

Seven years of promised upgrades

Rear cameras

Fusion: 48megapixel, f/1.6 aperture

Ultra Wide: 12MP, f/2.2 aperture, 120° field of view

Fusion: 48MP, f/1.78 aperture

Ultra Wide: 12MP, f/2.2 aperture, 120° field of view

Front camera

12MP, f/1.9 aperture

12MP, f/1.9 aperture

New camera features

Anti-reflective lens coating

4K Dolby Vision video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps

1080p Dolby Vision video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps

Anti-reflective lens coating

4K Dolby Vision video recording at 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps

1080p Dolby Vision video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps 

Battery

Up to 22 hours of video playback

Up to 27 hours of video playback

Charging

Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter

25W with MagSafe ChargerMagSafe, Qi2 and Qi wireless charging support

Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter

25W with MagSafe ChargerMagSafe, Qi2 and Qi wireless charging support

Connectivity

5G, Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 5.3, VoLTE, NFC

5G, Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth 5.3, VoLTE, NFC

Price

Starting at $799

Starting at $899

iPhone 16: hands-on

iPhone 16 hands on.Digital Trends

Below, we'll go over all you need to know about the iPhone 16. But how do the newest iPhones from Apple feel to use?

Thank goodness, we were able to find out. Our first impressions of all the new iPhone 16 versions are excellent. Beautiful patterns and hues abound, and Apple's recently designed Camera Control button is an absolute delight. Although we need more time to make more comprehensive opinions, things are going well so far with the phones.

iPhone 16: design and display

A hand holds an iPhone 16.Apple

The Super Retina XDR OLED screens on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are identical to those from the previous year, measuring 6.1 and 6.7 inches, respectively. However, under ideal circumstances, the maximum brightness has been raised to 2000 nits. In direct sunshine, this should lead to noticeably improved outdoor visibility; at night, they won't blind you thanks to the lowest brightness setting of one nit.

The Action Button from the previous year's Pro iPhones is now present on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, along with a new Camera Control button. This new button lets you slide your finger across it to modify different camera functions instead of touching on the screen.

The new Camera Control button facilitates access to Visual Intelligence as part of Apple Intelligence. Your iPhone can look it up if you click and hold the button and point it. Observing a dining establishment? Locate the reviews quickly. Did you come upon a bike you like? Simply tap and search for similar products on Google.com. Are you having trouble studying? Ask ChatGPT using the Camera Control button. Later this year, the Camera Control button will include Visual Intelligence.

iPhone 16 Camera ControlApple

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus's photography experience has been updated with the photography Control button. It can be positioned either vertically or horizontally. With only one touch, you may activate the camera and slide the button to change the zoom. It can detect touch movements and tell the difference between a complete click and a lesser push thanks to a capacitive sensor underneath; the latter will help you frame that ideal shot.

Its goal is to make your iPhone camera more akin to a conventional camera, and it appears to succeed admirably.

iPhone 16: hardware and software

iPhone 16 iOS18Apple

The iPhone 16 series was designed from the ground up to support Apple Intelligence and all of its features, according to Apple's main claim. These range from creative AI functions like media creation to summarizing, knowledge retrieval, and a more conversational Siri with far greater app integration.

The 3nm Apple A18 processor powers the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. For the first time, the CPU powering the non-Pro iPhones is the same as the 3nm A18 Pro chip found inside the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. 

The A18 chip is intended to be up to twice as fast for on-device machine learning. It has a six-core CPU with two performance cores and four efficiency cores. It boasts a desktop-class five-core GPU that is up to 40% quicker than the GPU in the iPhone 15, and it is up to 30% faster than the iPhone 15. Notable improvements in performance over the chip from the previous year indicate that even the most affordable iPhone model of the current generation has a very potent processor.

Apple A18 chip

Up to 30% more sustained performance for gaming and hardware-accelerated ray tracing is made possible by an upgraded thermal design and new thermal substructure.

With the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus offering the fastest iPhone charging ever, Apple has also formally entered the competition for battery charging specifications. They provide up to 20W of charging with a wired USB-C cable and 25W of charging with a MagSafe or Qi2. This should allow you to charge the iPhone Plus to 50% capacity in less than 30 minutes, with a projected battery life of up to 27 hours (compared to 22 hours for the standard iPhone 16). We'll have to wait and see how they perform in our review, as with any claims.

iPhone 16: cameras and features

iPhone 16 camera features.Apple

The Fusion-branded 48MP primary camera has undergone significant enhancements compared to its predecessors. It crops the central 12MP sensor to create a 2x telephoto zoom with a quicker aperture than any prior dedicated 2x telephoto camera on an iPhone, and it employs pixel binning to generate 24MP high-resolution photographs.

With the most recent iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, the new 12MP ultrawide sensor offers macro photography capabilities in addition to focusing. Additionally, non-Pro iPhones can now take spatial images and videos for Apple Vision Pro, a function that was only available on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max last year, thanks to camera enhancements.

Camera control button hardware on the iPhone 16 Apple

Additionally, Audio Mix is supported by both iPhone models, enabling users to modify the sound after shooting a video with various effects. Depending on your preferred artistic approach, you can place vocal recordings in front of you while using the noises of your surroundings, concentrate on the audio from the topic, or make the recording sound as though it was made in a professional studio.

The goal of the new iPhone 16 and 16 Plus is to close the feature gap with the Pro models of the previous year by adding several functions to the base model that were previously only available for a few hundred dollars extra. The end product is possibly some of Apple's best iPhones to date—the most Pro-like non-Pro models ever produced.