One new button on the iPhone 16 Pro opens the camera, takes the photo and starts the video. Slide a finger along it and you change zoom, exposure or depth of field.
The button is the headline hardware change on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, which Apple introduced on September 9, 2024. It has a tactile switch, a force sensor that reads a light press and a capacitive sensor for touch. Later in the fall, Apple said, a two-stage shutter will lock focus and exposure on a light press, so users can reframe a shot without losing the subject. Developers can also bring it to third-party apps such as Kino.
Both phones run on the A18 Pro chip, built on second-generation 3-nanometer technology. The screens are bigger: 6.3 inches on the Pro and 6.9 inches on the Pro Max, the largest display ever on an iPhone. Borders are the thinnest on any Apple product. The body is titanium, with a newer Ceramic Shield that Apple says is twice as tough as the glass on any other smartphone.
Cameras
A new 48MP Fusion camera and a faster quad-pixel sensor allow 4K video at 120 frames per second in Dolby Vision. Apple said no iPhone has offered that mix of resolution and frame rate before. The Ultra Wide camera also moves to 48MP and handles macro shots, and the 5x Telephoto lens is now on both Pro models. Four new studio-quality microphones record sound, and an Audio Mix tool lets users change the balance of voices and background noise after the fact.
Apple says larger batteries and a new internal design bring a big jump in battery life, with the Pro Max lasting longest of any iPhone. The company also credits the redesigned internals with up to 20 percent better sustained performance.
Apple Intelligence
The Pro models are built around Apple Intelligence, the company’s generative AI system. Writing Tools can rewrite a note in a friendlier or more professional tone, check grammar and summarize text. Siri gets a new glowing light around the screen edge, follows along when a user stumbles over words and accepts typed requests. Apple said the first features arrive the following month in U.S. English, with more, including Image Playground and Genmoji, coming later. Users will also be able to reach ChatGPT from Siri and Writing Tools.
“iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are the most advanced iPhone models we’ve ever made,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.
Pre-orders open Friday, September 13, and the phones go on sale September 20 in black, natural, white and desert titanium.
