Apple turned around Apple’s calendar page to introduce the next iPhone. Unsurprisingly, the iPhone 16 is the next model, following the iPhone 15. The lineup includes the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The handsets debuted at the company’s annual hardware event in September in Cupertino, California. (New Apple Watches were also announced.)
The latest iPhones have a few new tricks to distinguish them from their predecessors—the Action Button is now available on all iPhones in this lineup, and there’s a new Camera Control button dedicated to taking pictures. All in all, many of the improvements are in the software—iOS 18—which is also available to download next week if you have a compatible device. iPhone 16 models are designed to take advantage all the Apple Intelligence features announced earlier this year, however, you won’t see many of them until the iOS 18.1 update arrives in October.
I’ve compiled everything you need to know about the iPhone 16 range below. Preorders for the iPhone 16 begin on September 13, and here are the prices: iPhone 16 is $799, iPhone 16 Plus is $899, iPhone 16 Pro is $999, and iPhone 16 Pro Max is $1,199. They will be available in stores starting September 20.
The iPhone 16s
The iPhone 16 looks different from previous iPhones—the camera arrangement is vertical instead of diagonal—but otherwise, they’re identical. The iPhone 16 Pro range better resembles their predecessors but is slightly larger: the iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch screen (from 6.1 inches), and the iPhone 16 Pro Max is 6.9 inches (from 6.7 inches). The phones aren’t noticeably bigger, but Apple has shaved borders around the screen to maximize screen space.
Every iPhone in this lineup has an Action Button, which Apple launched last year. This replaces the mute switch. you can customize the Action Button to toggle to a flashlight, a Shortcut, or other settings. You can also set it to work exactly like the mute switch if you miss the mute switch (although it’s less fun).
Apple says the ceramic glass in these models is 50 percent harder than the first generation Ceramic Shield, and there’s a new manufacturing process that enriches body colors. The iPhone 16 comes in pink, teal, ultramarine, white, and black.
But there’s a new button that makes iPhone hardware even better: Camera Control. It’s like a physical shutter button on cameras—a hard press takes a photo, a long press takes a video, and you can now do a light press to enable a cleaner viewfinder when all user interface elements are absent. Within this soft touch, you can slide your finger on the Camera Control button to swipe through the zoom levels; if you do a double light press, you can switch to other modes. On Pro models, you can use this light press to maintain focus on a specific subject.
