CUPERTINO—Fresh color options, a new Camera Control sensor, slick silicon, and Apple Intelligence are the big updates across the Apple iPhone 16 lineup. As it has for the last several years, Apple introduced four new phones: the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
I had the opportunity to spend time with the new smartphones at Apple’s Glowtime event at its headquarters in Cupertino. Read on for my first impressions.
Bold Colors
In addition to basic black and white, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus come in three fun colors: pink, teal, and ultramarine. All three colors are more vibrant than the muted tones of the iPhone 15 lineup, and they look nice in person.
Regardless of your color choice, the phones feature a two-tone, dual-finish design. The back has a matte finish in a slightly lighter hue that nicely contrasts the brighter, polished metal edges.
Comparing the pink colors of the iPhone 16 with the iPhone 15, I actually prefer the lighter pastel tone of last year’s model over the more berry-like hue Apple chose this year. That said, the pink iPhone 16 is definitely more eye-catching than the pink iPhone 15.
The most interesting color in the iPhone 16 lineup is ultramarine, a bright bluish-purple that reminds me of Dyson’s signature Prussian Blue. The periwinkle tone should coordinate well with the new AirPods Max in purple, and possibly blue and midnight, without being too matchy-matchy. That said, I can’t understand why Apple wouldn’t keep the same color scheme for both product lines.
Coincidentally, the teal iPhone 16 matched the shirt I wore to the Glowtime event almost perfectly, which was a fun surprise.
iPhone 16 Pro models also feature a two-tone look but more muted color options, including black titanium, desert titanium, natural titanium, and white titanium. Desert titanium is the standout for me because of its shiny golden edges, even if the tan color on the back is sort of meh.
Built for Apple Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence has been the biggest tech trend of the year, and Apple is taking part with its latest smartphones. In the demo room at the Glowtime event, I saw useful Apple Intelligence features integrated within the Mail, Notes, and Photos apps.
Inside Mail, for example, Apple Intelligence can summarize email threads or write thoughtful email replies. In response to a party invitation, for instance, it gives you the option to accept or decline. During the demo, I opted to decline the hypothetical invite, and Apple Intelligence wrote a very polite reply thanking the party host anyway.
Inside Notes, Apple Intelligence can summarize paragraphs of text within seconds. You simply highlight what you want it to summarize, and it does so with a tap.
In the Photos app, you can use Apple Intelligence to erase photobombers in your pictures with a couple of taps. Finding a specific photo or video in your library should be a lot easier with Apple Intelligence. For known faces, the search field supports complex queries such as “Maya playing trumpet,” for instance.
Google’s latest Pixel phones support similar features.
Quick Camera Control
If the Camera is your favorite iPhone app, you should be pleased with the iPhone 16 lineup, which features a new physical Camera Control sensor on the right edge of the case. You press it once to launch the Camera app, then press it again to snap a photo or hold it to record a video. It works in both horizontal and vertical formats and makes it quick to start snapping photos or videos. In a world where everything is documented, the iPhone Camera Control feature should help ensure you never miss a moment you want to capture.
The Camera Control reacts to force. With a light press, it brings up the zoom feature, and then you can swipe on the sensor to zoom in and out. With a light double tap, it brings up other camera options like exposure and depth of field. When I briefly tested the feature at the Glowtime event, I had some trouble scrolling between camera modes using the light press gestures, but I’m sure I’d get better at it with some practice.
More on the iPhone 16 Lineup
In this first look, I’m just scratching the surface of what the iPhone 16 lineup entails. Other changes for this generation include the new A18 and A18 Pro chips and a promised increase in battery life. We can’t wait to get our hands on all of Apple’s new smartphones, so stay tuned for PCMag’s full review of the iPhone 16 lineup soon. Don’t forget to catch up on all of PCMag’s Glowtime coverage.
