The "highlight moment" of Android phones.

At 1:00 am on September 10, 2024, Apple held an online conference titled "Highlight Moment" as scheduled, unveiling multiple new products within its three major product lines: Apple Watch, AirPods, and iPhone. With the entire audience holding their breath in anticipation, the iPhone 16 series officially debuted.

Let's start with the upgrades in the iPhone 16 series:

1. Camera control button;

2. A18 Pro;

3. Enhanced heat dissipation;

4. Improved in-device audio and video processing;

As always, under Cook's "precise knife skills," each of the four models underwent subtle changes. Are you thinking, "Is that it?" Well, as I mentioned before, the iPhone 16 series is just a "transitional product," so don't expect too much.

Let's take a closer look together.

iPhone 16: No high refresh rate screen, but the camera button is the biggest breakthrough?

The iPhone 16 digital series comprises two phones: the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus, with screens measuring 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches, respectively. Notably, the brightness range of the iPhone 16 series screens is astonishing, reaching a maximum of 2000 nits and a minimum of 1 nit. Could this be Apple's version of a "highlight moment"?

High refresh rate and always-on display? Ha, forget about it. Apple didn't even mention it.

Image source: Apple

In terms of material composition, the iPhone 16 adopts a new generation of Ceramic Shield front cover glass, which offers a 50% improvement in durability compared to the first generation. The new camera control button allows for quick camera access and adjustment of camera parameters by swiping left and right. Additionally, the phone's camera setup returns to a vertical dual-camera layout similar to the iPhone X, and like the 15 Pro, it replaces the mute switch with physical buttons for control.

Image source: Apple

To accommodate the higher hardware demands of iOS 18's AI features, the iPhone 16 is equipped with the new A18 chip. This 3nm process technology chip features a 6-core CPU (2P+4E), a 5-core GPU, and a 16-core NPU.

Image source: Apple

Given that the iPhone 16 is a brand-new phone built around AI, Apple has also gone into great detail about the new iPhone's AI capabilities (which, for the time being, have little relevance to Chinese users. Skip to the next section if you're not interested in AI).

Apple Intelligence adopts a private AI model, ensuring that relevant data is not sent to Apple.

In terms of AI, Apple Intelligence, as introduced at WWDC, offers a range of features centered around text rewriting, text-to-image generation, and image search. Furthermore, the new AI engine significantly enhances Siri's capabilities and interactions, enabling "cross-app" operations across hundreds of apps.

Apple Intelligence is a free feature that will be available next month, but it currently only supports American English. According to Apple, Chinese AI services will be available next year.

Image source: Apple

The new camera control button employs a touch-sensitive design, utilizing haptic feedback to mimic the mechanical feel of pressing a physical button. In addition to quickly waking up the camera for taking photos or videos, it can also be swiped left and right like a professional camera's dial to adjust camera settings. Furthermore, this dedicated camera control button can integrate with Apple Intelligence to perform AI operations on live preview images. Will Apple fans consider this dedicated camera control button a "major interactive breakthrough"?

In terms of imaging capabilities, the primary camera is a 48MP 26mm wide-angle lens, capable of achieving a 2× telephoto camera at 12MP 52mm through digital zoom. The ultra-wide-angle camera is a 12MP 13mm lens, and Apple has finally brought the macro mode of the ultra-wide-angle camera to the iPhone 16, marking a "significant upgrade" over the iPhone 15 in terms of camera performance. Additionally, the iPhone 16 can capture spatial video.

Image source: Apple

The iPhone 16 has improved its heat dissipation performance by placing the CPU in the center of the motherboard and optimizing the phone's thermal structure. According to Apple, this results in up to a 30% improvement in sustained performance during gaming (take this with a grain of salt). The inclusion of the A18 chip also allows the iPhone 16 to run certain videos that were previously exclusive to the 15 Pro models, such as Ubisoft's upcoming Assassin's Creed Mirage.

The iPhone 16 also boasts an increased battery capacity, and the combination of the A18 chip's low power consumption and iOS 18's AI features extends the phone's battery life.

The iPhone 16 is available in five new colors (ultramarine, dark cyan, pink, white, and black) and comes in three storage options (128GB, 256GB, and 512GB). Prices start at 5,999 yuan (for the iPhone 16 128GB model) and top out at 9,999 yuan (for the 16 Plus 512GB model). Pre-orders open at 8 PM on September 13, with sales beginning on September 20. LeiTech will be among the first to review these devices, so stay tuned.

Image source: LeiTech

iPhone 16 Pro: Slight improvements in heat dissipation, battery life, and imaging

The iPhone 16 Pro also features camera control buttons.

The iPhone 16 Pro comes in two sizes: the iPhone 16 Pro with a 6.3-inch screen and the iPhone 16 Pro Max with a 6.9-inch screen, both slightly larger than their predecessors, and with significantly narrower bezels.

Image source: Apple

Like the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Pro also enhances its heat dissipation performance by optimizing its internal layout, achieving up to a 20% improvement, according to Apple. Additionally, it also sees an increase in battery life. In terms of AI, the more powerful on-device AI brings faster search capabilities and improved Siri rewriting performance to the iPhone 16 Pro (note that this is currently not relevant to Chinese users).

The iPhone 16 Pro is powered by the A18 Pro processor, which utilizes 3nm process technology and features a 6-core CPU (2P+4E), a 6-core GPU, and a 16-core NPU. In other words, the A18 used in the digital series iPhone 16 has one less GPU core compared to the A18 Pro.

Image source: Apple

In terms of camera capabilities, the iPhone 16 Pro boasts a triple-camera setup, including a 48MP 26mm wide-angle lens, a 48MP 13mm ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 12MP 120mm periscope lens. The 48MP wide-angle lens employs a second-generation 48MP solution, offering significantly improved response speed and read/write speed. Leveraging the AI capabilities of the A18 Pro, the iPhone 16 Pro provides a wider range of camera color styles.

Image source: Apple

The iPhone 16 Pro's camera configuration also sees notable upgrades. The new 48MP Fusion camera brings enhanced slow-motion shooting capabilities, improved color grading in cinematic mode, and the ability to capture 4K 120fps video. Thanks to the more powerful ISP in the iPhone 16 Pro series, users can now perform richer post-production frame rate conversions on 4K 120fps videos.

To ensure optimal audio quality during video recording, the iPhone 16 Pro employs a four-microphone setup and supports spatial audio recording. The new Audio Mix feature leverages the A18 Pro's performance to perform audio track separation and reverberation processing within the phone, enhancing the video creation experience. Even the native iOS voice recorder app now includes audio track overlay and separation functions.

The iPhone 16 Pro starts at 128GB of storage and is available in four colors (Desert Sand Titanium, Silver Titanium, White Titanium, and Space Black Titanium). Prices range from 7,999 yuan (for the iPhone 16 Pro 128GB model) to 13,999 yuan (for the iPhone 16 Pro Max 1TB model). Pre-orders open at 8 PM on September 13, with sales beginning on September 20.

Image source: LeiTech

To accommodate the new camera control buttons, Apple has incorporated sapphire buttons into the official iPhone 16 series cases. The second-generation MagSafe chargers are available in 1-meter and 2-meter lengths, offering improved charging speeds.

Judging from this product launch, the base model iPhone 16 will continue to be Apple's main sales driver during the year-end "Singles' Day" and next year's "618" shopping festivals. However, the hardware "knife skills" employed also pose significant challenges for the iPhone 16 during its initial launch phase. The absence of AI features in the Chinese market further clouds the future of the iPhone 16 Pro series.

Sure enough, the iPhone 16 series has turned out to be a transitional model, dealing the harshest blow to Chinese users yet: the core AI upgrades won't arrive until next year, but by then, the iPhone 17 will already be on the horizon.

I finally understand why Huawei dared to "collide with Mars" by scheduling its conference on the same day as Apple's, and not just before but after, watching from the sidelines. It seems that Huawei has enough confidence in its foldable phones, a decision likely based on a precise assessment of the iPhone 16 series. Apple's "Highlight Moment" poster, it seems, is a tribute to its competitors: This is the highlight moment for Android phones, as Apple steps down from its pedestal, and Android phones officially take over as the innovators in the mobile industry.

So, what exactly is the iPhone 16 Pro Max relying on to justify its staggering price tag of 13,999 yuan? And how can the iPhone 16, which still lacks a high refresh rate screen, always-on display, and even uses a USB 2.0 port, retain its fan base? I think the answer is simple: "Adapt to Apple fans, and let love power everything."

Source: LeiTech