Apple debuts the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus with an Action button, a 3nm A18 chip for 30% faster CPU performance vs iPhone 15, a side Camera Control button, and more

Apple today announced the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, which Apple said “is built from the ground up” for Apple Intelligence.

9to5Mac 2024-09-10 Benjamin Mayo

Context & Ripple Effects

The Action button had been introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro models, and reporting before this launch indicated Apple intended to bring it across the iPhone 16 range. Its arrival on the standard models therefore shifts a former Pro-only control into the core lineup.

Apple is pairing that hardware broadening with an A18-based Apple Intelligence message. The approach later extended to the lower-priced iPhone 16e, which also used A18 and supported Apple Intelligence, showing that the chip-and-AI platform was not confined to one price tier.

First-order effects

Standard iPhone 16 buyers gain the Action button and a dedicated Camera Control, while the A18 raises CPU performance relative to iPhone 15 and supplies the hardware basis Apple cites for Apple Intelligence.
Apple narrows one visible hardware distinction between its standard phones and the prior iPhone 15 Pro generation, where the Action button had been exclusive.

Second-order effects

Shared A18 and Apple Intelligence positioning makes it easier for Apple to carry a common capability baseline into adjacent iPhone tiers, as the subsequent iPhone 16e launch illustrates.
Camera Control creates a new interface Apple must make consistently useful across its camera experience; the later iPhone 16 review characterized it as a mixed bag, underscoring that a dedicated control does not automatically translate into a clear user benefit.

Third-order effects

If Apple continues to move advanced chips and controls down-market, iPhone segmentation may rely less on withholding basic interaction features and more on higher-end display, camera, and design differences.
The launch is part of a broader shift toward smartphones treating local silicon capability as a prerequisite for assistant features, making the device hardware baseline central to AI product distribution.

The trend: Apple is turning AI-capable silicon and formerly premium hardware controls into baseline iPhone features, extending the assistant distribution layer across more of its lineup.

Discussion

@parmesanpapi17 Adam Molina on threads
Jokes aside this is the best regular iPhone they've released in a while...instant recommendation to all iPhone ppl in my life
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
@HSajwanization For only $50B in R&D, what a bargain! 😂
@ijustine @ijustine on x
Coolest new iPhone 16 feature? The camera control button! [video]
@raywongy Ray Wong on x
The iPhone 16 colors look sooo good. Especially the teal and the ultramarine blue. Pink is good too if you're into pink! #AppleEvent [video]
@betaprofiles @betaprofiles on x
Thank God the colors of the iPhone 16 aren't as bad as the leaks suggested. [image]
@ijustine @ijustine on x
So hyped on these new iPhone 16 colors wow!!! Wish these were pros! The pink is so PERF! #AppleEvent [image]
@hsajwanization @hsajwanization on x
iPhone 16 : same phone just 2 new buttons 😂 and a new color 😁
@neilcybart Neil Cybart on x
Apple keeping iPhone 16 pricing the same as iPhone 15. When you take into account 2020s inflation, iPhone value to price ratio continues to rise and has never been higher.
@neilcybart Neil Cybart on x
iPhone 16 Camera Control in action. [video]
@eliblumenthal Eli Blumenthal on x
Odd that Apple didn't explain the battery increases during the event. According to specs, the iPhone 16 will have two more hours of video playback (22 hours local, 18 streamed) vs iPhone 15. The 16 Plus is one hour better locally but four hours better streaming (vs 15 Plus). [ima…
@firstadopter Tae Kim on x
Extra button and slightly larger display? I say this every year but that should have been a press release not a drawn out one hour 45 minute event.
@ijustine @ijustine on x
Here it is! The new iPhone 16 and we've got a REALLY NICE PINK COLOR!! It's got a new action and camera control button to slide your finger to control features. #AppleEvent [image]
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
More iPhone 16: Camera Control: Design: Flush with surface, sapphire crystal cover, stainless steel trim, color-matched. Functionality: Click to launch camera, click again to take a photo. Click and hold for quick video recording. Light press for clean preview and quick access [i…
@asymco Horace Dediu on x
Apple shares plummeting on announcement of iPhone 16.
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
iPhone 16: Device & Colors: - Aerospace-grade Aluminum: 85% recycled content. - New Color-Infused Back Glass: Richer colors with ultramarine, teal, and pink options, along with classic white and black. - Improved Durability: Ceramic Shield front cover is 50% tougher than the [ima…
@mkbhd Marques Brownlee on x
iPhone 16 - New colors with aluminum finish - Action button - New 3nm A18 chip with 2x faster neural engine - Camera control capacitive slider [image]
@mkbhd Marques Brownlee on x
Next up: iPhone 16. With a new button [image]
@varunkrish Varun Krishnan on x
The last time Apple used a vertical camera arrangement for the iPhone was in 2018 for the Xs and Xs Max #AppleEvent [image]
@vadimyuryev Vadim Yuryev on x
WiFi 7 on iPhone 16 is a surprise! I think it confirms that the A18 chip is a binned-down version of the A18 Pro. They must share the same feature-set, including 8GB of RAM and same Neural Engine. Just less enabled cores than A18 Pro. Let's see! #appleevent [image]
@caro_milanesi Carolina Milanesi on x
Between the action button. the new camera, the camera control, the A18 there is no doubt in my mind this cycle is about upgrading as much as possible of the base to get it ready for Apple Intelligence #AppleEvent [image]
@lanceulanoff Lance Ulanoff on x
Oooh. New thermal substructure on the iPhone 16. #AppleEvent [image]
@maxwinebach Max Weinbach on x
This is 100% the best base model that Apple's ever done Almost to the point there's little-to-no reason to get a Pro model Definitely want people to upgrade their older iPhones
@vadimyuryev Vadim Yuryev on x
iPhone 16 camera quickly summed up... “same same but different” **same camera specs and features that we already had from iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 Pro lol** #appleevent [image]
@neilcybart Neil Cybart on x
iPhone 16 will be able to capture spatial photos and video. Nice - Apple making spatial photos and video capture more accessible. These steps are important as we all will one day want to look back at our old photos and videos (the ones we are taking now) on spatial computers.
@benbajarin Ben Bajarin on x
The technologist in me appreciates the tech behind the iPhone 16 line up camera control.
@richontech Rich DeMuro on x
Apple just added their own version of Google Lens to the iPhones' new camera control button #AppleEvent [video]
@bengeskin Ben Geskin on x
iPhone 16 GPU performance is 40% faster than iPhone 15 #AppleEvent [image]
@benbajarin Ben Bajarin on x
iPhone 16 gets A18 (most current SoC) for the first time in many years. Means Apple finally got enough capacity at TSMC on 3nm for their whole lineup. Should be a boon for TSMC revenue as well.
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
Apple has absolutely made up for last year's iPhone 15 colors.

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