So you just saw Apple’s new launch event for its iPhone 16 models, and then proceeded to stare down at your old iPhone, wondering if you should upgrade. Well, Apple does a good job of making its latest phones look like the ultimate hardware upgrade. In the case of vanilla iPhone 16, there are some certain considerations to take into account, although it’s also a good example of why “not everything that glitters is gold.” Read on to find out why.
CHECK OUT: Here’s Every New Product that Apple Announced Today
Same Old Screen
There are certainly some upgrades with the iPhone 16, but let’s talk about what stays the same – for one, the display on the 16 comes with pretty much the same hardware as on the iPhone 15, save for the inclusion of a newer Ceramic Shield version this time around. You still get a 6.1-inch OLED display (the smaller 16 Pro meanwhile gets a bump to 6.3 inches) with the same peak brightness of 2,000 nits, and the same old 60Hz refresh rate, which depending on how you view the feature, might be a divisive issue for some users.
Kinda New Cameras
Apple’s marketing strategy for the iPhone 16 came out in full force – this year, the company is boasting its “fusion camera” setup on the iPhone 16. Physically, the phone comes with two main camera lenses consisting of a 48MP main camera, and a 12MP ultrawide camera. However, Apple claims that this is actually several cameras in one, as it comes with telephoto capabilities as well, in addition to new software features such as real-time photographic styles and a dedicated camera button, which lets users tweak their shot simply using touch feedback in addition to a planned two-stage shutter function. The cameras also come with a vertical layout to support spatial content. It should be noted though that this is the same resolution cameras as on the iPhone 15.
Apple Intelligence
The role of generative AI on smartphones has been a subject of contention among various smartphone users, but it’s clear that hardware manufacturers like Apple believe that this is the next big leap in portable computing hardware. While it won’t be available on the iPhone 16 once it arrives in stores, Apple’s still-to-come AI features will at least be supported by all iPhone 16 models, as they do come with A18 chip, and A18 Pro for the Pro model handsets. So features like Siri and Chat GPT integration, those new image generation tricks and smarter notification management will be available on this year’s base model iPhone.
A New Chip Inside
Speaking of the A18, Apple claims that the newer chipset outperforms the A16 Bionic when it comes to both raw performance and other tasks, so much so that the company outright skipped an “A17” model, instead moving onto its A18 series silicone. It is undoubtedly impressive, as shown by that lineup of AAA console titles that Apple teased on the App Store. The company adds that it is more power efficient compared to previous models, though of course this is still yet to be known at the time being.
The iPhone 16 starts at £799, and arrives in stores on September 20.
