iPhone 16 Launches on September 20 With These New Features

Apple will launch its new iPhone 16 lineup in stores on Friday, September 20, and the company has already shown off the new devices at its fall event, which ran with the the tagline "It's Glowtime."

iphone 16 design
Apple plans to release the new iPhone 16 models, along with the next-generation Apple Watch Series 10, as well as new AirPods 4.

iPhone 16: What's New

The iPhone 16 series brings a host of new features and enhancements. Here's a rundown of the biggest new features:

Bigger Displays

  • While the 6.1-inch iPhone 16 and 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus have retained the same display sizes, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have larger display sizes this year. The iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch display up from 6.1 inches, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a 6.9-inch display, up from 6.7 inches. Due to the new display size, the iPhone 16 models are slightly taller, heavier, and wider than the iPhone 15 Pro models, but some of the change was implemented through a major reduction in bezels.
  • Apple added an all-new Camera Control button that's like an Action Button for the Camera. It is touch and pressure sensitive and can be used to launch the camera and take a photo, capture a video, and adjust all kinds of camera settings.

Design Changes

  • The camera system is largely the same as the iPhone 15 models, but Apple is now calling the 48-megapixel Wide-Angle lens a "Fusion" lens because of its ability to be used for both standard photos and cropped-in 2x zoom photos.
  • The iPhone 15 Pro models include an Action Button, and in 2024, the Action Button has been expanded to the standard iPhone 16 models. The Action Button used across the iPhone 16 lineup is identical to the iPhone 15 Pro Action Button. The Action button, which replaces the traditional mute switch, can perform multiple functions such as activating the Flashlight, turning on the Camera, launching a Shortcut, enabling or disabling a Focus mode, using Translate, turning on/off Silent Mode, and more.

Apple Intelligence and Improved Siri

  • With iOS 18.1, due to be released in October, Apple will introduce Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI tools powered by large language models. Apple Intelligence only works with the iPhone 16 lineup and existing iPhone 15 Pro models.
  • Among the new capabilities are writing tools for generating and summarizing text, as well as a feature that provides concise summaries of notifications. The Messages app will gain the ability to suggest replies, while a new function will allow users to record and transcribe phone calls. Lastly, the Photos app will benefit from the "Clean Up" tool, which is designed to swiftly remove unwanted objects from images. Apple plans to make the Image Playground feature for generating images and the Genmoji feature for generating custom emoji available in iOS 18.2, which will likely be released in December.

New Camera Technology

  • The 48-megapixel Fusion camera has a faster quad-pixel sensor. Like the prior iPhone 15 Pro camera, there's a 24-megapixel default image resolution that offers high-quality images at a practical file size. The Fusion camera can be adjusted to different focal lengths, including 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm, and there's an option to capture 48-megapixel HEIF images that take up less space than RAW images.
  • There's a new 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera that lets in more light for crisper photos in macro mode. Both iPhone 16 Pro models have the upgraded 5x Telephoto lens that uses a tetraprism design this year.

Battery Innovations

  • With the iPhone 16 lineup, Apple has increased battery life for all models compared to the prior-generation iPhone 15 models. Battery life is up at least an hour for each device for video playback, with bigger increases for the ‌iPhone 16‌ and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
  • All iPhone 16 models support up to 45W of wired fast charging via the USB-C port, up from 29W on the iPhone 15. The new iPhone 16 models also support upgraded MagSafe charging: With a 30W charger, the new iPhones can charge at up to 25W via MagSafe, which is an improvement over the prior 15W limit.

Processor Upgrades

  • Apple introduced new second-generation 3-nanometer chips for both the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro models, bringing notable improvements in performance. The ‌iPhone 16‌ and 16 Plus have an A18 chip, while the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ and Pro Max have an A18 Pro chip.
  • The A18 chip is built using a second-generation 3-nanometer process, so it is more efficient and faster than the A16 Bionic chip used in the iPhone 15 models. The A18 chip is capable of handling Apple Intelligence tasks, and it runs the Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.1.

Other Notable Features

  • According to Apple, the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ models now have the thinnest borders on any Apple product, thanks to a reduction in bezels. Some of the increase in display size comes from the bezels, but the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ models are a little taller and a tiny bit wider than their predecessors.
  • The iPhone 16 Pro models are equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X75 modem, allowing for faster and more efficient 5G connectivity. The iPhone 16 Pro Models Reportedly Boast Up to 26% Faster 5G Speeds.
  • The iPhone 16, ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max include support for the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard, which provides speeds of "at least 30" gigabits per second, and could hit up to 40Gb/s.

For in-depth information on everything we know about the iPhone 16 series, follow the links to our dedicated iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro roundups.

Related Roundups: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
terminal macos tahoe

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Monday June 16, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader...