The iPhone 16 series went on sale this Friday with brand new Camera Control and Action Button, plus new ultra wide cameras – quadruple the resolution (48MP) for the Pros and autofocus for the vanilla models. And, of course, Apple Intelligence AI for all four, but that one isn’t ready yet – it should be enabled in the UK next year.
The Apple iPhone 16 is the base model, still with a 6.1” display. The new controls and the Apple A18 (coupled with two extra gigs of RAM) are the key upgrades here. And, yes, the ultra wide camera has a macro mode now.
The Apple iPhone 16 Plus has a 6.7” display, just like its predecessor. This includes the 60Hz refresh rate – 120Hz ProMotion isn’t coming to vanilla iPhones until next year at the earliest. The 15 Plus had excellent battery life and the 16 Plus has a slightly bigger battery, not to mention that the A18 chipset is a jump of two generations from the 15 Plus chipset – we expect even better battery life out of the new model.
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro got the most upgrades this year. A larger 6.3” display, an Apple A18 Pro chipset, a new 48MP ultra wide camera and a new 12MP 5x periscope. Well, it’s not new, it’s the same tele module that the 15 Pro Max had, but the small 15 Pro only had a 3x lens. And the battery is 9.4% bigger than last year’s model, the biggest increase of the four.
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max went up to a 6.9” display, which some might appreciate, but others find it too big. The tele camera is the same as last year (as is the main), but the 48MP ultra wide is new. Note that with iOS 18 all compatible models (iPhone 14 and newer) can send messages to friends and family over satellite, it’s no longer just an SOS option.
Per tradition, Apple discontinued the old Pro models, but the old vanilla pair is still around. And with no display upgrades or notable camera upgrades, why not get an iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Plus? Well, the older chipset and lower amount of RAM mean that the 15 and 15 Plus can’t run Apple Intelligence (the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max can, though). Also, all four iPhone 16 models have faster wired and wireless charging.
In addition to the iPhones, Apple launched the new Apple Watch Series 10. It has the largest display of any Apple Watch yet (including the Ultras) and is thinner. The display can now refresh once a second in Always On mode, so it can show a ticking second hand. The new model also boosts the charge speed (80% in half an hour), which is good because the battery life is the same – around 18 hours. These are rated to dive 6m underwater and have a depth gauge and water temperature sensors, similar to the Ultra watch, making them perfect for snorkeling.
One new feature announced during Apple’s event was sleep apnea detection. However, this will be enabled on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the Apple Watch Series 9 with an update. So, do have a look at the Series 9, it’s cheaper, but lacks the upgrades mentioned above.
There was no new Ultra model this year, but Apple did unveil a new look for the Apple Watch Ultra 2 – Satin Black – and new wrist straps to go with it.
The new Apple AirPods 4 come in two versions – without ANC and with ANC. The latter features Active Noise Cancellation, which was previously available on Pro buds, so the €50 upcharge seems like a great deal. The ANC buds also have the related Transparency mode and Adaptive Audio.
Apple added a USB-C option to the AirPods Max, but that’s about it – the rest of the hardware is still the same. At least now you can use the same charging cable as the iPhone 15 and 16 series.
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