Yesterday’s “Glowtime” event of course saw the announcement of the new iPhone 16 lineup, along with the rest of the announcements spanning both hardware and software.
Most of the pre-event reporting on the iPhone 16 models was accurate, but there were a few surprises, with a mix of pleasant and unpleasant ones…
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus stand out visually with their new colors – black, white, pink, teal, and ultramarine – and the aligned cameras for capturing Spatial Video.
Both models of course get the A18 chip needed to run Apple Intelligence features. Notably, Apple said the new models were “built from the ground up” for AI. However, what’s most remarkable is how few features Apple has held back for the two Pro models: the base and Plus models get most of the new goodies.
The standard models get the Action button from last year’s Pro models, as well as the new Camera Control – a combination of a two-stage button and touch-sensitive swipe pad for controlling zoom and other camera features. They also get the 48MP Fusion camera and macro photography feature (though not the 48MP Ultra Wide camera added to the two Pro models).
Video recording has the option of Spatial Audio, with new audio filtering options and wind-noise reduction. There are larger batteries on both, resulting in improved battery life. The base model boosts maximum battery life from 20 hours to 22 (based on the best case of video playback only). All iPhone 16 models also get faster MagSafe charging of up to 25W when using a 30W charger or better.
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have the new multi-function Camera Control button and touchpad as a common feature among all the iPhone 16 models. The headline feature is this. The two new Pro models get the slightly larger display size we anticipated, at 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches respectively. They also have a new color lineup, including the expected gold finish Apple refers to as “desert”: black titanium, natural titanium, white titanium, and desert titanium.
The Pro models get a more powerful A18 Pro chip with a 6-core GPU instead of the 5-core GPU of the standard models. ProMotion and the Always-On display are also exclusive to the Pro. The Pro models get a new 48MP Ultra Wide camera, and the 5x telephoto lens comes to the standard Pro, not just the Pro Max. For video recording, both Pro models get Dolby Vision 4K video at up to 120fps, for even more dramatic slow-motion footage. Apple also claims the models have “studio-quality” microphones. Maximum battery life is up to 27 hours for the Pro and up to 33 hours for the Pro Max, again based on the ideal scenario of video playback only. Pro Max storage tiers start at 256GB, against the 128GB starting point of the Pro. This effectively means just $100 difference between the two models on a like-for-like basis.
The Apple Watch got a fairly significant upgrade, with a larger screen and a thinner design. There’s also a new polished Jet Black option for the aluminum models, and what Apple describes as a “jewelry-like shine” for the natural, gold, and slate titanium ones. There’s now a built-in speaker capable of playing music or podcasts, though with such a tiny speaker, you should obviously not expect too much in terms of audio quality. You get faster charging, and the Watch now offers up to an 80% charge in just 30 minutes, ideal for those who like to use it as a sleep tracker overnight – just put it on charge while you shower and get ready to leave. The S10 also debuts a new health feature: the ability to detect sleep apnea. This is a serious condition that can be hard to detect, usually requiring an overnight stay at a sleep clinic or fairly sophisticated at-home equipment, so this is a significant upgrade – though there was a surprise here, which we’ll get to. A new Watch face also aims to change to reflect the ambient lighting conditions. Finally, water resistance has been boosted, with the Depth app now available on the watch (this was previously exclusive to the Ultra).
There was no update to the Ultra 2 itself, but Apple did announce a couple of additional options for the existing model. First, there’s a new black titanium finish, which Apple says uses a “diamond-like carbon physical vapor deposition coating over the grade 5 titanium [to make] it scratch-resistant.” Second, there’s a Hermès Ultra 2, which combines a natural titanium case with a new Hermès En Mer band in what Apple/Hermès calls “Bleu Nuit” and the rest of us would call navy blue. You also get an exclusive Hermès Maritime watch face. Apple says the band, despite being a fashion brand, is still intended for rugged use.
Apple launched the 4th generation of the standard AirPods model, into two variants intended to replace both AirPods 2 and AirPods 3. AirPods 4 are powered by a new H2 chip bringing AirPods Pro features to the standard model for the first time. This includes Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, Voice Isolation, and responding to Siri by nodding or shaking your head. Audio quality is upgraded to 16-bit, 48kHz. You get a more compact charging case, with the Lightning socket finally replaced by USB-C. Apple also offers an upgraded version with active noise cancellation. These are named AirPods 4 with ANC, which seems an unnecessarily confusing naming system. AirPods Max got the minimum possible update, with a switch to USB-C charging and some new colors: midnight, starlight, blue, purple, and orange.
Finally, AirPods Pro 2 get the long-expected hearing aid feature – with built-in hearing testing too.
Apple is providing the world’s first all-in-one hearing health experience with AirPods Pro with active Hearing Protection, a clinically validated Hearing Test feature, and an over-the-counter Hearing Aid feature. The first-of-its-kind software-based Hearing Aid feature helps make access to hearing assistance easier than ever at an approachable price point. The Hearing Test and Hearing Aid features are expected to receive marketing authorization from global health authorities soon, and will be available this fall in more than 100 countries and regions, including the US, Germany, and Japan.
Top of the pleasant surprises, as described above, was the remarkably few feature differences between the standard and Plus models of the iPhone 16, and the two Pro models. The new Camera Capture button is more powerful than we expected, and I’m really looking forward to trying that (though see below). Apple finally launching the hearing aid feature was expected at some point, but it was still a very nice surprise that it arrived yesterday. On the Apple Watch side, the new sleep apnea detection isn’t exclusive to the new Series 10, but also comes to the Series 9 and Ultra 2.
But there were a few unwanted surprises too. Top of these for me is that the core feature of Camera Control – the ability to lock focus and exposure before reframing the shot – won’t be available on day one. That’s what I really wanted from the button, with the other features secondary ones to me. Apple says that will come in a later update.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 may get some shiny new cosmetics, but it doesn’t get an upgrade from the S9 to S10 chip. This means that the new standard model is now more powerful than the Ultra. (Admittedly the Ultra still wins when it comes to display size (while the face is larger, and the display height almost identical, it turns out the S10 screen is slightly wider), brightness, siren feature, water resistance, scuba diving support to 40m, dual-frequency GPS, and had twice the battery-life.).
Similarly, the slightly-upgraded AirPods Max don’t get any new audio features. There’s no upgrade to the H2 chip, so no adaptive audio or voice isolation, for example. That’s a pretty major disappointment.
What did you think of yesterday’s event, and what are your purchase plans? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
All images: Apple
