Apple shows off the new iPhone 16 and 16 Plus

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are here!

As expected, four new iPhones were announced at Apple’s Sept. 9 “Glowtime” event on Monday: the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

This year, the base-level, non-Pro iPhones have some nice bonuses they didn’t have before. (Mashable’s also got you covered for the announced details of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.)

Here’s everything you need to know about the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models.

Apple announces iPhone 16 and 16 Plus

Apple noted a bunch of cool new features while showcasing the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, including:

• Brand new ultramarine, teal, and pink colors

• 2,000 nits peak brightness

• 6.1-inch display for iPhone 16, 6.7-inch display for Plus

• Customizable action button on the side of the phone (from iPhone 15 Pro)

• New camera control physical feature that you can use to, well, control the camera

• A18 Bionic chipset (iPhone 15 was A16)

• $799 starting price for iPhone 16, $899 for iPhone 16 Plus

See, the dog thing is real!
Credit: Apple

While the basic specs of the iPhone 16 tell most of the story, some deserve a deeper dive. The big one is the new camera control, a physical feature that sits flush with the side of the phone but doesn’t really qualify as a “button.” You can slide your finger across it to zoom in or out with the camera app open. It also supports both firm and light presses, which will do different things; for instance, a light press will bring up a UI overlay in the camera app with various settings to choose from.

Apple is also leveraging the new A18 Bionic chip (a two-generation jump from the A16 Bionic in iPhone 15) for Apple Intelligence features. Most of these have already been shown off and discussed ad nauseam, but Apple demonstrated a couple of new ones during the iPhone 16 presentation. For example, you can do visual Google searches from photos you’ve taken, so if you’re not sure of a dog’s breed, just snap a shot and ask Google. (You can also just ask the dog’s owner.)

There’s also detailed text searching for photos and videos in your library. If you want every photo on your phone of your dog sleeping on the futon, Apple Intelligence can theoretically pull those up for you.

Speaking of photos and cameras, Apple is fitting a 48MP main lens and 12MP ultra-wide lens on the back of the iPhone 16. There’s also 2X telephoto zoom, spatial capture for videos and photos on Apple Vision Pro, and macro photography for gettin’ up real close and taking photos of bugs or plants.

So, in summary, the iPhone 16 has upgraded cameras, a new button, a new thing that’s kind of a button but not really, and Apple Intelligence. Most importantly, it comes in pink.

Mashable’s currently on the ground in Cupertino for the Sept. 9 “Glowtime” Apple event. Check out our live blog to keep track of all things iPhone 16 before, during, and after the event.