Apple adds a camera button for iPhone 16 family

AI has officially killed off hardware innovation, as nearly every single OEM has dedicated 2024 refreshes of their flagship phones to adding artificial intelligence processing capabilities over significant hardware evolution.

One of the biggest influencers in smartphone history is also joining that trend as Apple has just announced the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 pro.

iPhone 16 Gets AI

Prioritizing AI didn’t start with this year’s iPhones. While they were limited to the more expensive models last year, Apple has now opened the gate to the base iPhone 16 this year as all iPhones released in the 16 lineup will utilize Visual Intelligence - an AI feature that Apple will begin rolling out later this year.

The 16 will have a slightly larger display as well as a new A18 processor to go along with the upgrades. Like in previous years, the base 16 is the smaller model with a screen size of 6.1 inches, while the Plus model is 6.7 inches.

The biggest addition in the hardware department is a dedicated photo taking/opening/zooming button on the frame. While Apple doesn’t use the word shutter button, it appears that the functionality is similar to that on Sony phones. Apple has also added the Action Button from the 15 Pro onto the base iPhone configurations for the 16 as well.

iPhone 16:

• Display: 6.1-inch OLED, 2556 x 1179p

• Processor: A18

• Storage: 128GB or 256GB or 512GB

• Camera: 48MP main, 12MP ultrawide

• Price: From $799

iPhone 16 Plus:

• Display: 6.7-inch OLED, 2796 x 1290p

• Processor: A18

• Storage: 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB

• Camera: 48MP main, 12MP ultrawide

• Price: From $899

iPhone 16 Pro doesn’t see much change

The Pro models of the iPhone 16 don’t have drastic changes compared to the 15 Pro. They’re still made out of titanium, the Action Button is still there, and its still Apple’s best phone available. Other than better battery life, in which Apple claims will be able to playback up to 33 hours of video, the Camera Control Button is the only real hardware addition worthy of talking points.

From a camera perspective though, the iPhone 16 Pro will be able to shoot 4K 120fps Dolby Vision which is an impressive ability for such a compact device in any nature.

iPhone 16 Pro:

• Display: 6.3-inch OLED, 2622 x 1206p

• Processor: A18 Pro

• Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB

• Camera: 48MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 12 MP Telephoto

  Price: From $999

iPhone 16 Pro Max:

• Display: 6.9-inch OLED, 2868 x 1320 p

• Processor: A18 Pro

• Storage: 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB, or 1TB

• Camera: 48MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 12 MP Telephoto

• Price: From $1199

The phones will be available to pre-order starting September 13, 2024.