iPhone 16 Pro Launch: A18 Pro Chip, Advanced Cameras, Release Date & More Revealed!

Apple has officially unveiled the iPhone 16 Pro during its recent event held on September 10, where we had the opportunity to examine this new mid-sized flagship closely.

For a detailed look at our experiences with the new Pro model, you can read our full iPhone 16 Pro review. You’ll find that this device is hailed as “one of the best iPhones Apple has ever crafted” and offers a “promising glimpse into future Apple innovations.”

If you’re looking for a quick overview of the iPhone 16 Pro, the following guide covers the essentials about its specifications, features, and pricing. You’ll discover intriguing details such as each iPhone 16 model boasting 8GB of RAM, a significant enhancement in wireless charging capabilities that Apple briefly mentioned, and a quirky feature encouraging you to scan your friend’s dog using the iPhone 16’s Visual Intelligence… sort of.

Essential Facts About the iPhone 16 Pro

• The iPhone 16 Pro debuted on September 9 during Apple’s Glowtime event.
• Starting price for the iPhone 16 Pro is $999 / £999 / AU$1,799 for the 128GB version.
• The device features a 6.3-inch display, made possible by thinner bezels.
• It includes a new Camera Control button to enhance photo shooting options.
• The iPhone 16 Pro shares the 5x optical zoom periscope camera with its larger counterpart and introduces a new 48MP ultra-wide camera.
• The upgraded 48MP camera supports 4K video recording at 120 frames per second, enhancing both slow-motion and professional-quality video capabilities.
• It is powered by Apple’s latest A18 Pro chipset.
• The device also features four ‘studio quality’ microphones and supports Spatial Audio capture during video recording.
• Storage options range from 256GB to 1TB.
• It boasts a larger battery.
• The iPhone 16 Pro comes with iOS 18 installed.
• Available colors include Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium.

Pricing, Release Dates, and Preorder Details for the iPhone 16 Pro

• Prices start at $999 / £999 / AU$1,799.
• Pre-orders began on September 13, with shipping starting on September 20.

Preorders for the iPhone 16 went live on September 13 and will continue until the official shipping date of September 20. If you’re uncertain about which color to choose, consider the most popular options among consumers.

Despite some concerns, the starting price for the iPhone 16 Pro remains the same as its predecessor in the US and UK, and it has actually seen a price decrease in Australia. The available storage options range from 128GB to 1TB.

However, the expected delivery dates for the iPhone 16 Pro are beginning to extend beyond September 20. This is happening even though pre-order numbers for the iPhone 16 Pro are reportedly lower than those for its predecessor.

For potential savings or special offers on the iPhone 16 Pro, keep an eye on our dedicated iPhone 16 deals page.

Specifications of the iPhone 16 Pro

We’ll explore the major upgrades to the iPhone 16 Pro later, but here’s a brief rundown of its key specifications.

Significant Upgrades in the iPhone 16 Pro

While Apple may often opt for iterative improvements rather than complete overhauls, the iPhone 16 Pro includes several enhancements that distinguish it from prior models. Let’s delve deeper.

Introducing the Camera Control Button

• The new Camera Control button combines haptic feedback and advanced software for hands-on management of camera settings and modes.
• Color options include Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, and Desert Titanium.

At first glance, the iPhone 16 Pro might seem similar to its predecessor, except for the new color options. However, upon closer inspection, you’ll notice the innovative Camera Control button.

This button is positioned below the power button and uses capacitive sensors and touch recognition to activate various camera functions. Sliding your finger across this oblong button can adjust settings such as exposure, depth of field, or zoom. Double pressing the button allows you to cycle through different camera settings, enabling access to a host of camera functions without needing to touch the screen and potentially disrupt your shot.

Apple has announced that later this year, the Camera Control will feature a two-stage shutter that allows you to lock focus and exposure on a subject with a light press, then reframe the shot without losing focus. It will also enable “unlocking visual intelligence” to help users quickly learn about objects and places, such as pulling up information about a restaurant, adding events from a flyer to their calendar, identifying a dog breed, and more.

Apple also plans to allow third-party developers to integrate the Camera Control into their apps, potentially expanding the functionality of this feature further than the Dynamic Island.

A Larger Display

• A 6.3-inch 120Hz OLED screen, now with slimmer bezels.
• The latest Ceramic Shield claims to be twice as tough as any other smartphone glass.

It’s been a long-awaited upgrade, but the iPhone 16 Pro now boasts a larger OLED display, measuring 6.3 inches. This increase in size is achieved by slimming down the bezels to almost nothing and slightly adjusting the dimensions of the phone compared to the iPhone 15 Pro.

The new display looks impressive, and I anticipate appreciating the larger screen size without a significant increase in the overall size of the device; I currently use the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and it can sometimes feel overly large.

The introduction of the latest Ceramic Shield coating, which Apple claims is twice as tough as the glass on other smartphones, adds to the potential durability of the iPhone 16 Pro’s screen. The LTPO panel and dynamic refresh rate ranging from 1Hz to 120Hz are also retained.

Enhanced Camera Capabilities

• A new 48MP main camera, a 48MP ultra-wide camera, and a 12MP 5x optical zoom telephoto camera.
• New camera modes and capabilities.
• Improved control over colors and new Photography Styles.
• Four new studio-quality microphones for enhanced audio recording.

Complementing the new Camera Control button, the iPhone 16 Pro features three upgraded rear cameras. The 48-megapixel main camera remains at the same resolution but is now a “Fusion” camera, which means it can offer various shooting modes in one and has a faster quad-pixel sensor capable of recording 4K video at 120 frames per second. Apple has noted that this provides some professional-grade shooting options with Dolby Vision and smooth super-slow-motion video capabilities.

In terms of video, the iPhone 16 Pro now includes four new “studio-quality mics” to better capture sound during video recording, alongside capturing Spatial Audio. These new mics also enable editing using the Audio Mix feature to focus on a specific person’s voice in the video.

The ultra-wide camera has been upgraded from a 12MP sensor to a 48MP quad-pixel sensor, which can capture wide shots in 48MP ProRAW and HEFI formats, promising more detailed macro shots. As someone who enjoys taking close-up photos of watches and plants, this feature has caught my attention.

The 5x optical zoom 12MP telephoto camera, a feature previously found in the iPhone 15 Pro Max, is now included in the new Pro model. Having enjoyed this camera on the 15 Pro Max, I’m pleased to see it included in the new Pro model, providing a powerful telephoto option in a more compact frame.

On the software side, there are new Photographic Styles that allow you to adjust the look of a shot and revert to another style if you’re not satisfied with the result. Additionally, there are tools to adjust the intensity of specific colors in a shot rather than applying a one-size-fits-all adjustment. Apple states that the photo style now offers a better understanding of skin tones.

All these features make for a comprehensive camera experience, and I’m eager to try them out. While the best Google Pixel phones and top Samsung models offer similar capabilities, I’ve found that I consistently achieve the shots I want more easily with the iOS Camera app than with Android alternatives.

Increased Power and Performance

• The new A18 Pro chip provides enhanced power for AI tasks, gaming, image processing, and more.
• The iPhone 16 Pro features a larger battery, although Apple has not specified its exact size.

While I never found the A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro lacking in speed, Apple has upgraded to the A18 Pro for the iPhone 16 Pro. Manufactured using a second-generation 3-nanometer process, the chip includes a new 16-core Neural Engine for faster AI-related tasks and image processing, offers a 17% increase in system memory bandwidth, features a 6-core GPU that’s 20% faster than the A17 Pro’s, and has a 6-core CPU that’s 15% faster while consuming 20% less power.

Apple has noted that hardware-accelerated ray tracing is up to 2x faster, resulting in more realistic light sources and reflections. Additionally, when in Game Mode on iOS 18, the iPhone 16 Pro maintains more consistent frame rates while offering responsive connections to AirPods, game controllers, and other wireless accessories.

While the iPhone 15 Pro models could run console games like Death Stranding, they didn’t achieve high frame rates. Apple has indicated that improved performance is expected, and I’m hopeful that the A18 Pro will deliver on this promise.

The performance enhancements of the A18 Pro also extend to image signal processing and ProRes video recording, offering 2x the data throughput when encoding video.

Apple has stated that the iPhone 16 Pro features a larger battery than previous models, but the company typically does not provide specific battery specifications. However, I would expect the iPhone 16 Pro to last through a full day of use with some power to spare. Apple claims that the iPhone 16 Pro offers 27 hours of video playback.

Wireless charging capabilities have been increased to up to 25W, and it appears that wired charging may reach up to 45W, which is a significant improvement over the iPhone 15 Pro’s charging speed.

The First iPhone with Apple Intelligence

• A suite of Apple Intelligence features is planned, but they will not all be available at launch.

“Powered by the A18 Pro chip and designed for Apple Intelligence.” These are Apple’s words, but when the iPhone 16 Pro is released, it will not include all the AI-centric features initially.

Capabilities such as using generative AI models for visual intelligence in the Camera Controls function, generating summaries of calls, or using the Clean Up tool for photo edits similar to Google’s Magic Eraser, will not be available until after the phone’s launch, and even then, only in selected countries.

This delay is somewhat disappointing. I understand that AI features often roll out gradually for devices like the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Google Pixel 9, but it’s less than ideal for a new iPhone to arrive without any Apple Intelligence features ready to use.

However, when these features do become available as a free update in iOS 18, we should see a smarter and more capable Siri that can adjust photo blur, retrieve specific shots from the Photos app, and utilize the Darkroom editing tool. So, there is potential for significant improvements.

It’s worth noting that Apple Intelligence will initially be unavailable to nearly two billion people, and it’s unclear how long this restriction will last.

My Personal Take

I would have preferred the iPhone 16 Pro to launch with a full suite of Apple Intelligence features, but we’ll have to wait. Nevertheless, I believe the iPhone 16 Pro offers a substantial number of upgrades over its predecessor (and certainly over older Apple smartphones) that make it worthy of consideration.

As noted by TechRadar’s Editor-at-Large, Lance Ulanoff, in his iPhone 16 Pro review, this device “represents a significant leap if you’re still using an iPhone 12 Pro, but it may not be worth upgrading from an iPhone 15 Pro.”

Regarding the AI capabilities, Lance mentions that the iPhone 16 Pro provides “a promising glimpse of what’s to come” in terms of AI, and that Apple Intelligence itself “is a useful addition in some situations but remains underdeveloped in others.”

I’ve always felt that recent iPhone Pro models have refined the Apple phone formula to a precise degree. However, it’s clear there’s still room for improvement. I’m particularly excited about the gaming performance of the A18 Pro, and Lance has confirmed that the new Camera Control button “makes this the most traditional camera-like iPhone ever.”

So, should you buy an iPhone 16 Pro? If you’re in desperate need of a new iPhone and have been using an older model, then absolutely. If you’re currently using a more recent Pro model, I would recommend waiting until the Apple Intelligence features are fully implemented before upgrading based on that feature alone. But overall, the iPhone 16 Pro is arguably the best iPhone you can buy today.