Everything That’s New About the iPhone 16 This Year
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Apple has finally revealed the new iPhone 16 lineup, and this year’s models are more powerful than ever and ready for all the new features in iOS 18.
Even though they may look very similar to last year’s models at first glance, a few key differences — both on the outside and inside — make the iPhone 16 models stand out from last year’s iPhone 15 lineup.
Whether it’s a more powerful processor or a couple of extra buttons, there are a handful of differences that you should know before you decide if the iPhone 16 is worth the upgrade or not. Here’s every major new feature in the iPhone 16 lineup.
A More Powerful Chip Across the Board
Apple decided to take a big leap in processing power with the iPhone 16. Instead of using last year’s A17 chip on the base iPhone 16 models, the company upgraded to a new A18 chip.
While the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max feature an even more powerful A18 Pro chip, both chips can handle even the most demanding tasks, whether that’s multitasking or AAA console games.
However, a big reason Apple decided to use the A18 chip across all models this year is Apple Intelligence, which we’ll talk about in a moment.
More RAM on the Base iPhone 16 (Finally)
Besides a much better chip, the base iPhone 16 models also come with more RAM.
Last year’s iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus came with just 6 GB of RAM, while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max were the first iPhones to feature 8 GB of RAM.
However, it’s been confirmed that all iPhone 16 models include 8 GB of RAM, which is a nice upgrade. The iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max still have the same 8 GB as their predecessors.
But there’s a fun fact: that’s also the same amount of RAM that the base M3 MacBook Pro models come with.
Hopefully, Apple will change this in the future, especially when you think about the fact that a MacBook Pro costs twice as much as the base iPhone 16.
The Base iPhone 16 Gets the Action Button
As we expected, the Action button is now available on all iPhone 16 models, including the base iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus.
The Action button was introduced in last year’s iPhone 15 lineup to replace the ring/silent switch we all knew and loved. Unfortunately, the Action button was a pro-exclusive feature that could only be found on the higher-end iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
This year, Apple added the Action button to all its iPhone 16 models, which means the ring/silent switch is gone — but never forgotten.
Instead of just handling the silent switch, the Action button can control many different features on your iPhone. For instance, it can turn on the flashlight or let you translate something on the fly.
But if you want more out of it, you can assign a specific shortcut from the Shortcuts app to it, which means you can basically use the Action button to do anything you want.
There’s a New Camera Button, Too
Another big change in the iPhone 16’s design is the addition of a Camera Control, which was a rumor we’d heard for months before the iPhone 16 release.
The Camera Control button is pretty self-explanatory. With it, you can control many things from the Camera app. For starters, you can press it at any time, and it will automatically open the Camera app. Press it again, and you’ll take a picture instantly, making it easier to take pictures from any angle or position.
If you press and hold it, your iPhone will start recording a video, and it will stop as soon as you release it. Basically, it works the same way as the shutter button.
However, one thing that makes the Camera Control stand out is that you can also use it to control other aspects of your camera. For instance, by lightly pressing it and swiping to the left or the right, you can choose to change different camera controls, like switching your lenses, zooming in and out, or changing the depth of field.
The best part about this feature is that it’s available on all iPhone 16 models. You’ll get to enjoy the Camera Control no matter which iPhone 16 model you choose.
The iPhone 16 Pro Models Are Larger Than Ever
Apple is trying its best to make the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max stand out from their “casual,” more affordable counterparts. And this year, it took it up a notch by changing the display size on both pro models.
This year, the iPhone 16 Pro features a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display, which is a big upgrade from the 6.1-inch display available on the base iPhone 16.
Likewise, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a larger 6.9-inch display, which looks huge compared to the 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus.
Even though it’s not a new feature, it’s also worth mentioning that features like ProMotion — aka the 120 Hz refresh rate — and the Always-On display are still features exclusive to the iPhone 16 Pro models.
More Battery Life
Apple promises that all iPhone 16 models will last longer on a single charge. We’ll have to wait for people to get a chance to put the iPhone 16’s battery life to the test (although early reviews are promising), but Apple claims that the base iPhone 16 will now offer up to 22 hours of video playback, which is a small but nice upgrade from the 20 hours the iPhone 15 can hold.
The same goes for the iPhone 16 Plus, which now runs for up to 27 hours of video playback instead of the 26 hours the previous model lasted.
The pro models are the bigger winners this year, though. According to Apple, the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max provide up to 27 and 33 hours of video playback, respectively, which is over four hours more than last year’s iPhone 15 Pro models.
Faster MagSafe Charging
Another bit of great news for people who use MagSafe is that the new iPhone 16 models charge faster than before.
That’s thanks to the fact that now all iPhone 16 models support 25W MagSafe chargers. That’s a healthy improvement from prior models that only support up to 15W MagSafe charging.
Granted, it might not look like much on paper, but this difference will be noticeable when you start wirelessly charging your iPhone 16. In fact, it promises to be just as fast as using a wired charger.
The catch? You’ll need to buy a new charger to support these faster speeds.
Apple Intelligence Support
AI support has become a big trend in the tech world, and Apple doesn’t want to be left behind.
Now, the company is adding support for its own AI technology: Apple Intelligence. This new technology will make your iPhone, Siri, and a bunch of other features smarter than ever. With it, you’ll be able to do things like correct your grammar, make your iPhone write professional emails to your boss, and get a summary of your notifications based on the context of your messages.
Unfortunately, most iPhones won’t support this new technology. Apple Intelligence needs enough processing power and RAM to work properly, which means only the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and all new iPhone 16 models will support Apple Intelligence.
This will be the biggest selling point of the new iPhone. Basically, if you want to try Apple’s AI technology, you’ll need to get a brand new iPhone 16 or an iPhone 15 Pro model.
Is the iPhone 16 Worth It?
Even though the iPhone 16 doesn’t look much different from previous models, there’s no doubt that the few differences it has outweigh the similarities.
Not only will you get access to a new camera button, more battery life, and a better processor, but you’ll also be able to try everything that Apple Intelligence has to offer once it’s available. If you were thinking of upgrading your old iPhone, this might be the year to do so.
