Apple iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max were launched early this morning with two different configurations. Pre-orders will open in Malaysia on September 13 while sales will be on September 20. For those who don't know which model best suits their personal needs, here is a list of 16 interesting and disappointing things about this year's iPhone 16 series.
INTERESTING
1. The iPhone 16 Pro screen is getting bigger
This year's iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max screen sizes are slightly larger than last year's iPhone 15 Pro series. On the 16 Pro it increased from 6.1" to 6.3" while on the 16 Pro Max it increased from 6.7" to 6.9". This is done by simply making the bezel of the device even thinner than before.
With the new bezel design, the front of the iPhone 16 Pro is getting closer to looking like the glass panel that fans have been craving for over a decade. The 16 Pro model also still maintains the 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate and also supports Dolby Vision's HDR system. From the angle, there are significant changes to this year's model.
2. Both Models Comes With New A18 Chip
Last year there was some disappointment as the non-Pro models simply recycled last year's Apple A16 Bionic processor. Somewhat makes there are two different castes of performance between the Pro and normal models. This year it is still the case but at least the Apple A18 and Apple A18 Pro chips are from the same family.
Changes are made on different GPUs. The performance improvement is up to 20% compared to the previous generation chip and the power consumption reduction is up to 30%. The 16-core NPU performance is also equivalent on the A18 and A18 Pro ensuring no caste difference when using Apple Intelligence.
3. Finally 8GB RAM On All Models
The only difference is the amount of RAM with All iPhone 16 models equipped with 8GB of RAM. Last year, only the Pro model came with this much memory, with non-standard models having to settle for 6GB of RAM. It is understood that 8GB of memory is the minimum required to use Apple Intelligence. This is the reason why only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will receive Apple Intelligence through iOS 18. Owners of previous iPhone devices can only bite their fingers and have to buy a new model.
4. Apple Intelligence – Apple's AI ERA Begins
Apple's era of artificial intelligence (AI) began with Apple Intelligence announced three months ago. With AI, owners of all iPhone 16 models can enjoy writer assistance features in email, iMessage and various other software that requires them to type. This kind of tedious work can be submitted to Writing Tools to be completed. Transcripts for audio notes in Notes can be automatically generated with a time stamp. Unable to read the transcript? AI will be an easier summary to understand with less time.
Then there is the Genmoji feature to generate your own emoji, Visual Intelligence support such as Circle to Search and Image Playground to quickly generate images based on proms that can then be used in various applications. Siri Search is also faster assisted with ChatGPT to provide more accurate information for questions asked by users. The "Siri just isn't smart enough" era can officially be forgotten with a new update.
5. 4K 120PFS Dolby Vision Video Recording
Apple's strength from the beginning lies not in photography but in videography. It rarely causes problems and is a favorite of the our TV team when we go on assignments overseas. This year the iPhone 16 Pro series can record 4K video up to 120FPS in Dolby Vision mode as well as ProRes. Like last year's Pro model, there is no need to worry about video recording taking up storage in the device because you can save the video directly to an external SSD via the USB-C connection.
6. Audio Mix For Better Audio
The robust video is also supported by the Audio Mix system which according to Apple can offer "studio quality" sound. The four microphones on the iPhone 16 Pro give creators four options for recording audio for their videos. First is the same Standard as now. Second is In Frame which focuses on audio from the main subject. The third is Studio which offers audio as if in a studio that can block the surrounding noise and finally Cinematic which provides audio like a movie.
7. Camera Control – Newly Built Camera Button
Last year Apple borrowed the use of the USB-C jack on all iPhone 15 models. This year they took inspiration from the Sony Xperia with the introduction of the new Camera Control button. This button is not just a camera shutter button but can also be used to change the camera mode, aperture opening and zoom control as it can detect touch. The button can be pressed to launch the camera quickly like on a Sony Xperia.
The built-in haptic vibration system on the Camera Control makes the finger feel as if it is touching the physical buttons on a real digital camera. All iPhone 16 models are equipped with Camera Control on the right side of the device.
8. 48MP Sensor On iPhone 16 Pro Wide Angle Lens
Last year on the wide angle lens finally a larger 48MP sensor was used to offer better image quality as well as a brighter night mode. This year on the Pro model, the ultra-wide-angle lens is upgraded as well with a new 48MP sensor. This year's camera features are enhanced with macro photography capability also at 48MP resolution for the first time. Complaints from users of the ultra wide angle image not being as sharp as the prime lens were heard by Tim Cook and friends so changes were made.
9. New Photographic Style
Photographic Style is a feature launched with the iPhone 13 series. Through it several built-in photography styles have been included once in the camera application. It is useful for those who want to get a certain photo mode without having to do any editing after the photo is taken. On the iPhone 16 series, the Photographic Style has been updated to make it easier to use.
More and more styles can also be chosen. This style can then be changed by the user according to personal taste. More interesting is how the picture looks if taken using Photographic Style can be seen in real time in the camera application before the picture is taken.
10. iOS 18 Lots of New Features
iOS 18 further narrows the feature gap with Android. If it used to be like the Grand Canyon, it has now shrunk like the banks of a large drain in the middle of Kuala Lumpur. I will not list all the new features of iOS 18 as I have written about them before. Among the new features are RCS support, further personalizing the interface, changing color themes, more manageable Control Center and more.
11. Cheaper Selling Price
Apple and cheap rarely appear in the same word but they did this year. All iPhone 16 series received a price reduction of RM400 while the iPhone 16 Pro series received a price reduction of RM500 by Apple compared to the selling price of the iPhone 15 series. If you remember, last year the average selling price of iPhones increased by RM200. This is due to the fall in the value of the Ringgit against the US Dollar. The strengthening of the Ringgit over the past three weeks had the opposite effect on the price of the new iPhone.
DISAPPOINTING
12. Not All Features are Supported in Malaysia
I criticized Google because some Pixel features like accident detection and Assistant answering the phone are still exclusive only in the United States. So it is also fair to rebuke Apple for doing the same. Emergency SOS and Road Side Assistance features that use satellite systems can still only be enjoyed by users in North America, Western Europe, Japan and Australasia at the time the article was written. With the satellite feature only being given free for two years, it seems that the majority of iPhone 16 buyers will not be able to use this feature that saves dozens of lives in Malaysia in the near future.
13. Fast USB-3 Only On iPhone 16 Pro
Only iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max support USB-C with USB 3.0 speed which allows data transfer up to 10Gbps. On iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, only USB 2.0 format is used which supports 480 Mbps data transfer which is around 20X slower. Why are the features we listed as disappointing last year persisting again this year?
14. The Charging System Is Still Slow
Wired charging is still at the old notch of 20W on the iPhone 16 and 27W on the iPhone 16 Pro this year. Apple still refuses to offer a much faster charging system than those used in mid-range devices from Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, Redmi, Nothing, Tecno and more.
Charging is again limited to reduce damage to the battery. But this reason is hard to swallow because the manufacturer from China can guarantee that the battery remains at 80% capacity after more than 1000 charging cycles. If China can do it why is Cupertino still lagging behind?
15. iPhone 16 and 16 Plus Screens Still 60Hz
Last but not least is the overly anemic Apple Intelligence language support. When it launches next month it will only support US English before also supporting Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, South African and UK English. Then Chinese, French, Japanese and Spanish language support will only be provided next year without a final date. In comparison Galaxy AI supports 13 languages at launch with 3 more added (including Bahasa Indonesia) in April.
So does this list of 16 things get you excited to buy the iPhone 16 series? If so, what features are most interesting to you and what might we have overlooked. Please leave a comment below this article to share your thoughts.