iPhone 16's Biggest Feature May Be A Single Button
The upcoming iPhone 16, which Apple unveiled during its September event, has at least one "new" and standout feature — an action button. Despite the newness, you may feel like you've seen the action button before. If you own a recent Pro model, then you'll be correct in that respect, but the 16th generation of iPhone sees the feature roll out across the entire lineup.
Exactly how useful the button is depends on what you intend on using it for. If you're addicted to fitness and need a health app on a hair trigger, it may be good for that. If you stumble around in the dark a lot and want a quick way of triggering the flashlight, you can set it to do that too. It can also be set to change function based on the time of day it is. So you can use it to quickly set an alarm at night, or launch your calendar first thing in the morning.
There may be a downside, though, as the action button replaces the mute switch — a much-loved feature among many iPhone users. You can sort of cancel this out by setting the action button to mute your device, but the tactile sensation will be a bit different. A new camera control button has also been added to the phone, which should please the Instagram aficionados.
Camera Control is a new way to snap photos
The iPhone 16 series has introduced a new feature Apple calls Camera Control, and as its name suggests, it has everything to do with controlling the phones' cameras. The hardware feature is essentially a button with a capacitive sensor that gives it both clicking and touch functionality. To take advantage of it, users can, for example, slide their finger on the Camera Control button/sensor to adjust various camera software features without touching the screen — for example, to zoom in on the subject or to change the exposure level.
This same button can be used to both launch the camera and to capture content — both photos and videos. Apple says third-party developers will be able to utilize the new feature by integrating it with their own apps' cameras — Snapchat is mentioned by name, though undoubtedly others will follow. Going forward, Apple also has plans to integrate the new button and sensor into its over all Apple Intelligence plans.
There's a new chip, too
The action button isn't the only new feature you may see on an iPhone 16. Inside the device is the new A18 chipset, which is ahead of the previous A16 chip in several ways. Its CPU and GPU are significantly faster — 30% and 40% faster, respectively. The phone's battery should last noticeably longer, as the new chip uses 30% less power than its predecessor. It also comes with 17% more memory bandwidth, so it should handle multitasking far easier. In case you were wondering, the new iPhone 16 Pro series sports the A18 Pro chip instead.
Apple seemingly had two things in mind when designing the iPhone 16 — gaming and AI. A boost to the chipset's neural network (along with the other performance enhancements) should give a major boost to the iPhone's growing list of AI features. In gaming terms, the chip is boosted further thanks to hardware acceleration. This should result in five times the frame rate when playing with features like ray tracing enabled. The thermal substructure has also been rejigged, which should help dissipate heat during gaming sessions and other intensive tasks. In addition to the new phone and new chipset, Apple has also unveiled a new generation of AirPods and the Apple Watch Series 10.