By Emmanuel Ogbodo
Apple has unveiled its new flagship models, the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is now larger, while the iPhone 16 Pro offers a more compact size. Both phones promise to excel in Apple’s leap into the AI era, with Apple Intelligence best experienced on these premium devices.
While the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus closely resemble last year’s affordable models, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max come with significant upgrades, marking this as a crucial launch for Apple.
Prices remain unchanged: the iPhone 16 Pro starts at $999 for 128GB, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1199 for 256GB. Pre-orders begin on Friday, September 13, and the devices will be available in stores on September 20.
For those planning to purchase, getting protective cases is a good idea. i-Blason offers full 360-degree protection with a front shield and back shell while keeping the capacitive Camera Control button exposed for ease of use. The cases also feature camera protection flaps that function as a kickstand and are MagSafe compatible.
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max follow the design trends introduced with last year’s models, featuring a titanium frame, matte glass back, Dynamic Island cutout, and the new Action Button. The color options are Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, and Desert Titanium.
A major change is the larger displays. The iPhone 16 Pro Max now features a 6.9-inch screen (up from 6.7 inches), while the iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch screen (up from 6.1 inches). This increase is due to slimmer bezels, allowing for bigger screens without significantly enlarging the overall size of the phones. Both models are slightly taller and wider than their predecessors, while still remaining 8.25mm thick.
A new feature, the Camera Control button, is located on the right side of the phones. This button enables quick access to the camera and allows users to adjust focus, take photos, record videos, zoom, and control exposure directly from the button.
The displays themselves remain largely unchanged aside from the size. Both phones feature Liquid Retina XDR OLED displays with ProMotion technology, allowing for a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. They also retain the USB Type-C ports and IP68 water- and dust-resistance.
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max share identical camera systems. The main camera is a 48MP wide lens, while both phones now feature a new 48MP ultra-wide camera with an f/2.4 aperture, a notable improvement over the 12MP ultra-wide cameras in previous models. Both phones also have a 5X telephoto tetraprism camera, replacing the 3X telephoto found in older iPhones.
The Camera Control button offers a seamless way to focus, take photos or videos, zoom in and out, and access additional settings like exposure and Photographic Styles. A two-stage focus feature will be added later, allowing users to lock focus and exposure while reframing their shots for more creative control.
The new iPhones also support 4K at 120fps, enabling cinematic slow-motion video with the option to adjust playback speed in the Photos app.
Both models are powered by the new Apple A18 Pro chipset, built on TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process. This chip offers a 15% performance boost and 20% better efficiency compared to the A17 Pro. It also supports faster video processing, higher USB 3 speeds, and improved memory bandwidth.
Apple Intelligence, which will roll out with iOS 18.1, introduces a suite of new features, including Writing Tools, image clean-up, intelligent photo search, generative emoji (Genmoji), and enhanced Siri capabilities. OpenAI’s ChatGPT will also be integrated into Siri for more advanced AI interactions. Some features, such as the revamped Siri, will arrive in early 2025.
These new tools offer a powerful AI experience but aren’t essential for daily use.
