The normal person’s guide to the new iPhone 16 Series

As you may have seen, Apple announced the iPhone 16 Series in September. The range includes the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. All 4 phones look great and offer a wide range epic features, but which device is best for you?

You may decide you don’t need every single innovation. Buying a new phone is a big investment and you might prefer one feature over another. Everyone’s different and some things are more important than others.

So, this article will show you how each of the new iPhone 16 Series range can add value to your everyday life. Which might just help you make up your mind...

Apple describes Apple Intelligence¹ as the personal intelligence system that helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly. But what does that mean in reality? Quite a lot actually, so here are the main headlines.

Apple Intelligence is a suite of AI features that offers truly useful help, making everyday life on your iPhone even more enjoyable.

Do you use your phone to send emails or write articles and social media posts? There are writing tools that will rewrite and proofread your text anywhere you need to type (including third-party apps).

If you take a lot of photos, Apple Intelligence will clean up unwanted objects from images quickly.

Siri is smarter, too. Forget about clunky requests, because Siri will understand so much more now. It can also perform new actions with a deep awareness of personal context. For example, you can ask Siri to play a song that someone sent you recently. Or add an address to a contact card.

We all use our phones differently. And now the new iPhone 16 Series will be able to maximise your experience, whatever you’re doing.

Camera Control is a new touch-sensitive button that’s built into the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The button means you’ll be able to open the camera app quickly and access all the features you need to take the perfect pic.

To take a picture, you’ll just press down on the Camera Control button, meaning everything works just like a traditional camera. By holding the button down, you can start recording videos. Everything’s fast and easy.

But this isn’t just any old button. You can tap and physically depress it like a traditional button, but the surface is a smooth capacitive surface that responds to the motion of your fingertip. A light press will bring up an onscreen overlay, so you can use the surface like a touchpad and access all the features you need without dragging your fingers all over the screen.

That means it’s never been more convenient to zoom in and out, or adjust exposure and depth.

All four of the new devices in the iPhone 16 Series range look great. But more importantly, they’re strong and durable. No matter what the screen size, they all come with a Super Retina XDR display². Because they have the latest-generation Ceramic Shield front, the screens are twice as tough as any smartphone glass.

¹ Apple Intelligence will be available in beta on all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max, with Siri and device language set to U.S. English, as an iOS 18 update in October 2024. UK English support available December 2024. Some features and additional languages will be coming over the course of the next year.

² The displays have rounded corners. When measured as a rectangle, the screen is 6.12 inches (iPhone 16), 6.69 inches (iPhone 16 Plus), 6.27 inches (iPhone 16 Pro) or 6.86 inches (iPhone 16 Pro Max) diagonally. Actual viewable area is less.

So that’s great news if you’re thinking of treating yourself to a shiny new device. It gives you peace of mind that this your iPhone is built to last.

The new A18 chip is two generations ahead of the A16 Bionic chip in iPhone 15. The A18 chip is what enables Apple Intelligence, powers all the photo and video features, enables console-level gaming and delivers exceptional power efficiency.

And the power efficiency thing is crucial, because there’s no point having an awesome device if it doesn’t last long without a charge. Talking of which…

All 4 iPhone models team up with the A18 chip to offer longer battery life. The iPhone 16 Pro Max delivers up to 33 hours of video playback, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Plus offer up to 27 hours, with the iPhone 16 enjoying a very respectable 22 hours before needing a charge.

The iPhone 16 Series range can be charged with USB-C connector, or by snapping on a MagSafe charger for faster wireless charging³.

The iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max all offer something different.

Finding the right device means considering how you like to use your phone, what you enjoy doing on it and what would be most useful. Perhaps you could even consider something from the iPhone 15 range? Either way, enjoy your new iPhone on the UK’s Fastest 5G Network.

³ Accessories sold separately.