Apple CEO Tim Cook announces AI-powered iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro series

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook took the centre-stage to announce the iPhone 16, its latest standard iPhone that brings the latest chipset, support for the company's AI capabilities called Apple Intelligence, and a new physical camera button. It also has a different design from the iPhone 15, featuring dual cameras in a vertical alignment – last seen on the iPhone 12 from 2020. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus continue with their display sizes, but feature narrower bezels and higher brightness. Cook also took the wraps off the company's most advanced smartphones, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, which feature better A18 Pro chipsets and professional-level photography and filmmaking features on their cameras.

iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max price

The new iPhone 16 starts at Rs 79,900 ($799 in the US) for the 128GB model, while the iPhone 16 Plus price starts at Rs 89,900 ($899 in the US) for a 128GB version. The new iPhone models go on sale starting September 20, while pre-orders start September 13. It comes in Pink, Ultramarine, White, Black, and Teal colours.

On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Pro starts at Rs 1,19,900, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max is priced starting at Rs 1,44,900. They come in Desert Titanium, Natural Titanium, Black Titanium, and White Titanium.

iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus specifications

Apple 's new marquee smartphones, for the first time in recent years, have the same chip as the Pro models. The A18 chipset, according to the company, offers 30 per cent faster performance than the CPU on the iPhone 15 models. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus come with iOS 18 out of the box, packing support for the company's AI tools, Apple Intelligence. These tools will help users ask Siri anything, summarise notes and webpages, obtain important points from a note or just streamline reminders. Apple Intelligence will also offer features such as a Google Lens-like search functionality called Visual Intelligence, allowing users to point the camera and search for anything it sees.

Speaking of the cameras, the iPhone 16 duo has the same 48MP main camera, but the ultrawide camera now features a 48MP sensor with a larger aperture. The iPhone 16 has a 6.1-inch screen while the larger iPhone 16 Plus uses a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display. Apple claims the displays on the new iPhone 16 series offer a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. Design-wise, they look the same as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. However, the vertical cameras and a camera button on the side will set them apart.

iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max specifications

The iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR ProMotion display, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max comes with a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR ProMotion display. Both phones are powered by an A18 Pro CPU, Apple 's most powerful processor to date with a 16-core neural engine that “excels at generative AI workloads” with a 17 per cent increase in memory bandwidth. The cameras on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max include a 48MP Fusion camera lens, a 48MP ultrawide-angle lens, and a 12MP telephoto lens with 5x zoom.