iPhone 16 / 16 Pro Impressions!

Summary

The new iPhone 16 series offers a mix of incremental upgrades and significant camera enhancements. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus feature a new ultramarine color and improved durability with a 50% stronger Ceramic Shield. The camera setup now allows for spatial video recording, and the Plus model boasts a larger battery. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max introduce larger displays with slimmer bezels, an upgraded A18 Pro chip, and advanced camera capabilities, including 4K video at 120 FPS and improved macro photography. Apple intelligence is highlighted as a key feature, promising smarter Siri and AI-powered functionalities, although these are set to roll out later in the year.

Takeaways

• 📱 The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus feature an upgraded ceramic shield that is 50% stronger than the previous generation, but specifics on measurement are unclear.
• 🔄 The camera arrangement has reverted to a straight line, similar to older iPhone designs, and includes improved functionality for spatial video recording.
• 📸 The iPhone 16 series sees a slight camera upgrade with autofocus added to the ultra-wide lens, a feature previously exclusive to Pro models.
• 🔘 The introduction of an action button and a new camera control button on the iPhone 16 aims to enhance user interaction, despite some functional overlap.
• 🚀 The iPhone 16 series jumps two generations in chipset advancement, featuring the A18 chip for improved CPU, graphics, and AI capabilities.
• 🔋 Both the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro models have larger batteries, with the Pro models also offering faster wireless MagSafe charging.
• 📲 The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max boast bigger displays with slimmer bezels, aligning with the design trends of 2024.
• 📹 The Pro models' main camera now supports capturing 4K video at 120 frames per second, allowing for high-quality slow-motion playback.
• 🎥 An upgrade to the ultra-wide camera to 48 megapixels on the Pro models enhances macro photography capabilities.
• 🎙️ The Pro models are equipped with four studio microphones, offering advanced audio recording and mixing options for videos.

Q & A

What are the new color options for the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus?

The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus introduce a new ultramarine color option, which is described as 'spicy' and is considered a notable aesthetic change.

What is the difference in screen size between the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus?

The base iPhone 16 has a 6.1-inch screen, while the iPhone 16 Plus has a larger 6.7-inch screen, which is essentially the same phone but stretched out with a bigger battery.

How is the durability of the iPhone 16 series improved compared to the iPhone 15?

The iPhone 16 series features an upgraded Ceramic Shield covering the screens, which Apple claims is 50% stronger than the first-generation Ceramic Shield.

What is the main visual difference in the camera arrangement on the iPhone 16 compared to the iPhone 15?

The cameras on the iPhone 16 have transitioned from a boxy square arrangement to a straight line down the phone, similar to the design on older iPhones.

What new camera feature allows the iPhone 16's main camera and ultra-wide to work together?

The new camera feature that enables the main camera and ultra-wide to work together is designed for recording spatial video that can be viewed on the Apple Vision Pro.

What is the new camera-related button introduced on the iPhone 16 called, and what does it do?

The new camera-related button is called the 'camera control button'. It is dedicated to camera functions, allowing users to access visual intelligence features by tapping and holding, and can also detect two stages of press for additional photographic controls.

How does the iPhone 16 Pro differ from the iPhone 16 in terms of chipset?

The iPhone 16 Pro features the A18 Pro chipset, which is a slightly upgraded version of the A18 chip found in the standard iPhone 16 models, offering improvements in performance and capabilities, particularly for camera-related tasks.

What is the new feature of the iPhone 16 Pro that allows for faster video recording?

The iPhone 16 Pro can shoot 4K video at 120 frames per second, allowing for higher quality slow-motion video capture compared to the 4K at 60 frames per second capability of the iPhone 15 Pro.

How has the ultra-wide camera on the iPhone 16 Pro been upgraded?

The ultra-wide camera on the iPhone 16 Pro has been upgraded to a 48-megapixel sensor, matching the main camera, which also enhances macro photography capabilities up to 48 megapixels.

What new audio features have been added to the iPhone 16 Pro models?

The iPhone 16 Pro models now have four studio microphones for improved audio capture, and offer different audio mixing modes for post-video recording adjustments of audio focus.

What is the significance of the new five times optical zoom camera on the smaller iPhone 16 Pro?

The smaller iPhone 16 Pro now includes a five times optical zoom camera, a feature previously exclusive to the Pro Max models, making it one of the smallest phones with such a zoom capability, achieved through a Tetra prism design for compact space utilization.