Apple has just introduced the new iPhone 16 Plus and its Plus variant. Before we get to the nitty-gritty, here’s what you need to know: the base model starts at Rs. 79,900, while the iPhone 16 Plus will cost you Rs. 89,900 at the very least.
The pre-order window for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus opens on Friday the 13th – because why not add a little superstition to the excitement, right? As for the grand release: Friday, September 20th. Get ready to empty those wallets!
Now, let’s get all the jokes from this revolutionary no-design shizz aside, and focus on what’s new. The revolutionary Action button graces the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, at last, because who needs simplicity when you can have a button for everything? The Action button also unlocks in-app functionality, like magically unlocking and locking your car.
Then we have another new button. Apple calls it Camera Control. It's packed with innovation, including a tactile switch that powers the click experience, a high-precision force sensor that enables the light press gesture, and a capacitive sensor that allows for touch interactions. Camera Control can quickly launch the camera, take a photo, and start video recording so users don’t miss the moment.
A new camera preview helps users frame the shot and adjust other control options — such as zoom, exposure, or depth of field — to compose a stunning photo or video by sliding their finger on the fancy new button. Additionally, developers will be able to bring Camera Control pizzazz to third-party apps such as Snapchat, because why not overcomplicate things further?
Later this year, Camera Control will unlock something called Visual Intelligence (think Apple Intelligence with a world eye) to help users learn about objects and places faster than ever before. Users can click and hold Camera Control to pull up the hours or ratings for a restaurant they pass, add an event from a flyer to their calendar, quickly identify a dog by breed, and more.
Let’s talk about the cameras now. The 48MP Fusion camera enables a 2x optical-quality Telephoto option, which is like having two cameras in one, so users can get closer to the subject to easily frame a photo. In addition to wide-angle shots, the new 12MP Ultra Wide camera with autofocus enables macro photography.
Powering the whole kit is the new A18 processor, which Apple says delivers a huge leap in performance and power efficiency. Based on the second-generation 3-nanometer technology, it also brings a 16-core Neural Engine that is optimized for AI and runs ML models up to 2x faster than the A16 Bionic chip.
The 6-core CPU is 30 percent faster and it is also more power efficient, letting it run the same workload with 30 percent less power than A16 Bionic. The 5-core GPU is up to 40 percent faster and 35 percent more efficient than A16 Bionic.
Coming to the battery, well, of course, Apple won’t reveal the capacity. Apple's engineers have been hard at work, completely overhauling the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus's innards to cram in a bigger battery and keep things cool, all while making battery swaps a breeze.
If you’re interested in numbers, well, the iPhone 16 can last about 22 hours of video playback, about 10% higher than its predecessor. And yeah, it also supports the new Qi2 wireless charging tech.