Updated Sept 10 with more details from the keynote.
The speculation is over and Apple has announced its fall products in a lengthy keynote film broadcast on Monday, September 9. So, which of the predictions were right and are the new products worth having?
More information has now come to light about exactly what’s coming to the new iPhones when they go on sale on Friday, September 20 in 58 countries, including the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Türkiye and the UAE. Twenty-one more countries including Vietnam and Macao follow a week later, Apple says, on Friday, September 27.
First up, Apple says that Apple Intelligence “will be available as a free software update. The first set of Apple Intelligence features will be available in beta next month as part of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, with more features rolling out in the months to come.”
Note that this is in stark contrast to when Apple announced SOS messages by satellite, when it stipulated that the service would be free for two years. That’s since been extended, and I suspect will be again, but there’s been no suggestion from Apple that this will become a paid service. I believe that Apple thinks of Apple Intelligence as just the beginning.
Camera Control, the capture button discussed below, has led to changes in Apple’s iPhone cases. There are no FineWoven cases this time around, I suspect because the move to include an all-new button means Apple decided to reinvent cases from the ground up. That doesn’t mean that FineWoven is gone—Apple has announced that “FineWoven Wallet with MagSafe will be available for $59 (U.S.) in black, blackberry, dark green, and deep blue.” Even so, the material’s absence from the iPhone 16 case line-up suggests it may not be coming back. Apple has chosen its two most popular case models, clear and silicone, for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro.
There’s also, and nobody predicted this, an all-new MagSafe charger which, “enables faster wireless charging up to 25W, is Qi2 certified, and is available in a 1-meter length for $39 (U.S.) or a 2-meter length for $49 (U.S.).”
Another complete surprise, something nobody had leaked, is one that could be really important. The Ceramic Shield that covers the front of the iPhone, that material that’s stronger than glass, has just been upgraded. The latest-generation Ceramic Shield has “an advanced formulation that is 50 percent tougher than the first generation and 2x tougher than glass on any other smartphone,” Apple says.
And one more thing: some iPhone 15 Pro users found thermal issues early one, later corrected by software update. This time around, “The internal design of iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus has been reengineered to allow for an even larger battery and to better dissipate heat, while making battery service easier. With the new internal design and advanced power management of iOS 18, the batteries are optimized to offer a big boost in battery life.”
Back to details of Camera Control, which has indeed landed on all four versions of iPhone 16. Tap it to launch the camera instantly from standby, press again to take a shot. More features are available, such as a light press that reveals new menu options and will have more functions later.
I’d say this is the best new addition to the iPhone 16 series, providing great new functionality.
The iPhone 16, as predicted, now has the Action button instead of the older Mute/Ring switch.
Also key to the new iPhones is improved battery life, that real crowd-pleaser. Even without all the other new features, better battery life could be enough to persuade a lot of users to upgrade.
As predicted below, the price of the iPhone has remained the same across the board, which is also good news compared to the price rises that had been rumored.
While the iPhone 16’s most visible design changes are the colors, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are both bigger, with thinner borders around the screen. Screen sizes rise to 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches, meaning the imperative to feel these phones in your hand before buying is greater than ever.
All phones have better cameras and the standout was the ultra wide camera on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max which leaps from 12-megapixel to 48-megapixel resolution.
Above all, Apple Intelligence was as key to the presentation as had been thought, with details of what’s coming where and when. It will start arriving later this year, for U.S. English users only, with British English, for instance, arriving in December.
Apple emphasized that it was a free update, and certainly didn’t say that it was for two years only, as it has done for services like SOS satellite messaging.
It will be one of the key reasons people will upgrade and the demonstrations Apple showed were pretty persuasive. Add in the new colors, improved cameras, bigger Pro screen sizes and improved battery life and the new iPhones could be very tempting.
The next iPhone series is about to be revealed—full schedule of what’s happening when are here and details of how to watch are here. A new report says that the price of the iPhone 16 Pro will not increase as other rumors have claimed, and that there will be improvements in the battery life.
The report comes in the form of a post on X from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman who said this: “I expect the touch sensitive camera button to be on all iPhone 16 models tomorrow. The slimmer bezels on the Pro line are noticeable, as are battery life improvements. I don’t expect the Pro entry price to be raised from $999. Big focus will be on AI & A18 chip across the board.”
Let’s unpack these details.
iPhone 16 And iPhone 16 Pro: Capture Button
Having previously hedged his bets about the new button designed to help you shoot video and take photos, saying that it may only appear on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, Gurman has now said he thinks it will be on all four models of iPhone this fall.
I’ve believed that for some time so either we’re both right or both wide of the mark.
iPhone 16 Pro: Design
Slimmer bezels around the edge of the display have been predicted before but now Gurman is suggesting they will be big enough to be noticeable. Since many people use their phones with a case, it could give a completely edge-to-edge effect.
iPhone 16 Pro: Battery Life
Do you know anyone who doesn’t want better battery life? Me neither. So if the combination of a new processor, smarter software or a bigger cell can increase battery life, that’s great news.
iPhone 16 Pro: Price
Reports as recent as last week said that the price of the new phones would go up, perhaps by $100 across the board. Gurman hasn’t commented on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, so there could be an increase there, but I suspect not. If the Pro and Pro Max are price-matched this year to last, I believe the regular models will be as well.
iPhone 16 And iPhone 16 Pro: Apple Intelligence
I fully agree that Apple Intelligence and the A18 processor that powers it will be front-and-center at the keynote. Even though the new features will come later in the year, the fact that it’s on the way will be enough for Apple to champion it now. And they’ll do so persuasively enough to drive a super-cycle, I believe.
Only hours until we know everything.
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