It's finally here! After months of anticipation and rumours, the iPhone 16 was unveiled at the Keynote on 9 September 2024. Here's what you need to know.

Design

The rumours about the new design of the iPhone 16 were therefore well founded!

The iPhone 16 has two cameras positioned vertically, rather than diagonally as on the latest series, reminiscent of those on the iPhone 11.

In terms of materials, the iPhone 16 retains an aluminium chassis and a tinted glass back.

The screen features Super Retina XDR technology, already present on the iPhone 15. The new feature is a ceramic glass that is said to be twice as resistant as previous conventional glass.

In terms of size, the iPhone 16 remains at 6.1 inches and the iPhone 16 Plus at 6.7 inches.

Finally, in terms of colours, Apple has unveiled five options: Ultramarine (blue), Teal (green), Pink, White and Black. However, these colours are brighter than rumours had predicted.

New features

The camera button

This is the big new feature in this series: a dedicated camera button.

Located on the right side of the iPhone (below the power button), simply press it to directly access the cameras and take photos or videos in no time.

You can also zoom in and access various settings such as brightness, focus and flash by sliding your finger over the button to scroll through the controls, as you can see in the images below.

This "camera control" button is intelligently designed with the Taptic Engine system. Several pressure modes are available, allowing you to access multiple commands depending on the force exerted. It also features a touch system for scrolling through your settings.

Another feature of this camera button is that you can now take photos from your iPhone and share them directly on social media via the button. The button has a command that will upload the photo you have just taken directly to Instagram or Snapchat, for example.

On the camera front, Apple promises four times the quality of the iPhone 14.

There is a 48-megapixel camera and a second 12-megapixel camera.

The new feature is a "fusion camera" system, offering automatic 24-megapixel shots, merging the two 48- and 12-megapixel lenses.

The wide-angle function is still present with a brightness sensor that is 26 times more powerful.

Another new feature in terms of photography is macro mode. Previously only available on the pro versions of previous models, it is now available on the iPhone 16.

For AppleVision Pro owners, you can now take photos in "spatial capture" mode to view them in 3D.

Finally, you can add "styles" to your photos, filters similar to those previously available when editing your photos. This time, you'll find new filters and can adjust them yourself according to the desired colour scheme, either after taking the photo or before taking it.

On the audio side, you can remove noise and adjust the sound on your videos to keep only the sound of what you are filming and not the surrounding sounds.

Power and autonomy

In terms of power and battery life, the Apple has made a considerable "leap forward", as they themselves stated during the Keynote.

While the iPhone 15 was equipped with an A16 chip, the iPhone 16 will not feature an A17 chip but an A18 chip. This is a super-powerful chip that promises twice the speed of the previous model with improved performance.

In terms of battery life, Apple also promises considerable improvements, which are eagerly awaited by users who complain about the poor battery life of the devices.

The iPhone 16's battery is larger than the previous model, providing better performance, with 22 hours of battery life compared to 20 hours for the iPhone 15 when playing videos.

The combination of this new chip and a higher-capacity battery will enable faster, smoother use with superior battery life.

Apple Intelligence

This is the big new feature, and Apple is placing a lot of emphasis on it. The iPhone 16 has been designed to be the iPhone that best accommodates Apple, although it will be available with future updates on previous models. Apple was already mentioned during last June's Keynote announcing the new features of iOS 18.

Here are some of the features of Apple:

Private Cloud Compute: Apple is adamant that its AI will be the only one in the world to protect your privacy. This system will not only allow your iPhone to adapt to your behaviour and usage habits to assist you in using your device, but also keep your data confidential. No data will be shared with the brand.

Chat GPT: Need to summarise a meeting and then send a summary email to your boss? No problem, Chat GPT will take care of it. Whether from text or even an audio recording, Apple Intelligence and Chat GPT will summarise everything for you. You can even ask them to change the tone of your text to make it more professional and formal.

Notification summaries: Apple Intelligence will highlight the part of the message that interests you within the notification itself. Even in a long message, it will be able to highlight the main information, such as the time of an appointment, for example. Also, no more sorting notifications by order of arrival. Apple Intelligence will sort your notifications in order of importance, based on your habits.

Emoji on demand: Can't find the emoji you need? No problem, just describe it and Apple Intelligence will create it for you!

Photo search: Can't find a photo in your photo library? No problem, just describe your photo to your device and it will find it instantly!

Siri: When it comes to Siri, Apple provides a more "natural and personal" experience, with more human-like interaction. Just speak to it normally, without worrying about how you phrase things to be understood. You can stumble over your words or correct yourself, and Siri will understand you. You can also write to Siri if you can't speak to it.

Smart camera: Apple Intelligence will also be integrated into your camera thanks to visual recognition. For example, simply take a photo of a restaurant's front window and your device will suggest its menu! Or, if an event poster catches your eye, take a photo of it and your iPhone will give you the location, date and details, even offering to add it to your calendar.

In terms of availability, however, you'll have to wait, as Apple Intelligence will only be available in English from October, with full roll-out (for the English version) in December. For France, you'll have to wait until 2025!

Price

In terms of price, there are no surprises: Apple is maintaining its prices.

The iPhone 16 starts at £969, the same price as the iPhone 15 when it was released, for the 128 GB version.

The 256 GB version costs £1,099, and the 521 GB version costs £1,349.

Availability in France

Pre-orders for the iPhone 16 will begin on Friday the 13th, including in France. You will be able to purchase your iPhone 16 directly from 20 September.