Should you upgrade to an iPhone 16?
If you missed it, Apple unveiled all the new iPhones we expected, a new Apple Watch that might steal a lot of the headlines (bigger, thinner, better!) and a surprising new push for its wireless headphones, with three new models and a software update for AirPods Pro that brings the company into a new product category, through software alone.
We’ll chew over those below, but first up: the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro. There’s a surprising parity of new features in the two devices this year. The iPhone 16 gets an action button (left edge, above the volume buttons) and a new camera button, too.
Well, it’s more than just a button. With all sorts of sensors and tech crammed inside, you can adjust controls and settings in the camera — think zoom, exposure and aperture — with gentle slides and presses. Apple is already planning an update for a half-press to focus the camera and a full press to capture.
Why did Apple redesign the iPhone 16 camera module? The cynic in me thought this change, with lenses stacked vertically, was just a desperate indicator to show that folks had the newest iPhone, but there’s a reason. Apparently, this arrangement means the cameras can work in tandem to capture spatial video and photos.
The iPhone 16 Pro (and Pro Max) both get an array of upgraded shooting features. There is (thankfully!) parity between the 6.9-inch Pro Max and 6.2-inch Pro, with the smaller Pro getting 5x optical zoom this year. The ultra-wide-angle camera has been upgraded from 12 megapixels to 48 megapixels in both Pro models. The iPhone 16 Pro can shoot video in 4K at 120 fps, so you can switch to and from slow-mo footage after the fact — no slow-motion recording mode necessary.
The iPhone 16 Pros have a larger battery, delivering us that perennial line: the “best iPhone battery life ever.” However, on Apple’s own specification cheat sheet, it gets a little more specific, saying it was the “Best iPhone battery life on Pro Max.” That’s something to scrutinize in reviews. But after last year’s shift to USB-C, the lightness of a titanium build and an action button is not quite as convincing an upgrade.
Having said that, what am I doing? I currently juggle an Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and a Pixel 9 Pro XL, which are too big for me. Last year, I leaned on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, instead of the iPhone 15 Pro, for 5x camera zoom… and nothing else.
This time around, like the iPhone 14 series, there are pretty much identical specs across the iPhone 16 Pro duo — which is how it should be — so I’m lining up a pre-order for a black iPhone 16 Pro, with 1TB of storage. I might change my mind.
If you’re a Pro Max kind of iPhone owner, I think you could probably wait a year, but it’s also a great time to upgrade to the base iPhone 16. It gets those new buttons, it’ll work with Apple Intelligence in a few months and it has a pretty gorgeous lineup of colors.
We’ve got hands-on impressions on everything below.
— Mat Smith
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Everything Apple revealed at the iPhone 16 launch event
Can you notice 9 percent?
Apple’s wearable had the biggest spec jump at its event yesterday, with the biggest display and thinnest design ever on an Apple Watch. The wide-angle OLED display is even a bit larger than the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Apple claims the screen is 40 percent brighter when looked at from an angle, thanks to that new OLED tech, and it’ll show a second hand ticking away even when your wrist is down. The company claims an 18-hour battery life, which someone needs to remind Apple is not a full day.
And an extra ANC option to confuse shoppers.
Apple launched its fourth-generation AirPods this week, as rumors suggested. They have a redesigned bud shape that’s supposed to fit more ear shapes. The new entry-level AirPods also have the H2 chip to power features like Spatial Audio. The charging case has a USB-C port, and it’s the smallest AirPods charging case to date. To throw a wrench into the works, Apple announced a second model supporting active noise cancellation and Transparency mode. Not to be confused with the AirPods Pro, which still exist.
Google finally got it right, especially with the battery life.
Spare a thought for Deputy Editor Cherlynn Low. As we bundled her into a plane for Cupertino to report on all that Apple stuff, she was wrapping up her review of Google’s Pixel Watch 3. While we had compared Google’s latest wearable to Apple’s Watch Series 9, we think Apple has some wearable competition here, thanks to solid battery life and a comprehensive and intuitive suite of health-tracking features.
In under 9 minutes.
Sony has announced a PlayStation 5 Technical Presentation stream at 11AM ET today on the PlayStation YouTube channel. All indications point toward this being the official unveiling of the PS5 Pro. Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PS5, will host the stream, which will focus on the PS5 and innovations in gaming technology. For less than 10 minutes.
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