Apple unveils AI-capable iPhone 16 with Camera Control button

Apple unveiled its 16th generation of iPhones On Monday at its pre-recorded Glowtime event along with refreshed Apple Watches and AirPods.

All four new smartphones – the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – will be able to run Apple’s AI and feature internal and camera improvements while maintaining a similar design to previous models.

According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the devices will be designed from the ground up for Apple Intelligence capabilities. Apple’s AI features, such as understanding context, creating language and images, and taking action on users' behalf, will be rolled out gradually starting next month, while some of them will stretch to next year.

One of the main updates for all four iPhone 16 models is a new Camera Control button for more convenient photography. The button is pressure-sensitive: a light press will dissolve other UI elements, a harder press will make a shot, and pressing to the left and right will zoom in and out.

According to Apple, the Camera Control button will support what the company calls Visual Intelligence later this year, a feature similar to Google Lens.

Users will be able to point their smartphone camera at certain objects, such as a restaurant, a dog, or a bike, and pressing the button will search Google to identify the object and provide additional information.

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus

The regular iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus retain the same 6.1 and 6.7 screen sizes as last year's models and come with a slightly redesigned camera system. The camera is now aligned vertically instead of diagonally, allowing for spatial video capture.

The camera system features a 48MP Fusion camera with a 2x Telephoto option, while a new Ultra Wide camera enables macro photography.

To support Apple Intelligence, the iPhone 16 and the Plus will have a new A18 chip with a new 16-core neural engine.

According to Apple, the new neural engine will be up to two times faster than the one in the previous model, while the processor will achieve up to 30 better performance.

Meanwhile, improved graphics of the processor will also support Ray Tracing technology for games, which results in realistic shadows and reflections.

In addition, both devices get the customizable Action button introduced last year with the Pro lineup as well as new ways to edit video sound with a feature called Audio Mix. The feature will allow users to adjust their sound after capture to focus on the voice of the person on camera.

The new smartphones will also extend previous emergency SOS via satellite function. Now, users will be able to connect to the nearest satellite to send and receive texts, emoji, and Tapbacks over iMessage and SMS while outside of cellular and Wi-Fi coverage.

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will be available in ultramarine, teal, and pink, along with white and black color options.

The starting price for the base iPhone 16 model is $799, while iPhone 16 will be $899 with preorders starting On Friday.

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max

The more expensive versions, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, now have screen sizes of 6.3 and 6.9 inches, up from last year’s 6.1 and 6.7 inches, respectively.

They also feature the thinnest borders of any Apple product and are made of lightweight titanium which Apple says will be much more durable.

The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max maintain a triple camera system, which now features a new 48MP ultra-wide camera, up from 12MP in last year’s models.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro also has 5X optical zoom, an improvement over the 3X optical zoom in last year's device.

According to Apple, with the Pro line users can capture 4K120 fps in Slo-mo or Video mode, and adjust the playback speed after capture in the Photos app.

Smartphones also come with four new studio-quality mics while new machine learning algorithms will reduce unwanted noise for better audio quality.

For faster on-device AI capabilities and overall performance, both iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max have a new chip, the A18 Pro. Apple says that the new processor will be 15% faster and consume 20% less power than the one in A17 Pro, found in the previous models.

Better processor efficiency will result in longer battery life, allowing of 33 hours of video playback for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple says that the Pro Max has the longest battery life on iPhone ever.

The Pro line smartphones will be available in black titanium, natural titanium, white titanium, and desert titanium

The starting price for the base iPhone Pro 16 model is $999, while the base iPhone 16 Pro Max model will cost $1199.

Apple Watch and AirPods

In addition to the latest iPhone, Apple presented an upgraded version of the Apple Watch series, including the Apple Watch 10 and updated Apple Watch Ultra 2 as well as AirPods.

The main focus this year is on Apple Watch 10 – the device that marks a 10-year anniversary of Apple smartwatch.

Having this in mind, the smartwatch series had undergone some major design changes, making it Apple’s smartwatch with the largest display ever built.

Meanwhile, the new earphones entire lineup includes Apple Airpods 4, AirPods Max, and AirPods Pro 2.