The new iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have been announced, and they have a larger display, thinner bezels, an improved camera, and Apple's newly configured camera control buttons, which are very attractive.
The all-new camera control button is a physical button – it's gently embedded in the bezel, and Apple's Taptic engine can provide additional haptic feedback that feels heavier when pressed.
Shutter button
It's more than just a shutter button. We can use it as if we were using the shutter button, with a single press and the 48MP main camera lens starts taking photos with zero lag.
The reason to say it's more than just a shutter button is that it's also a versatile capacitive controller surface. This physical button itself is very sensitive, so a light press will open up the lens zoom controls, and a double press will open up other controls that can be selected by swiping across the screen, such as lens selection, exposure, and new photo styles available on Pro.
Apple says that as part of a software update later this year, the button will have a two-stage shutter function that locks the focal length and exposure.
The iPhone 16 Pro comes with a 48MP "Fusion camera", a new 48MP ultra-wide camera, and a 12MP 5x telephoto camera. The iPhone 16 Pro will also be able to shoot 4K video at 120fps, and we can adjust the playback speed after shooting in the Photos app.
Apple has also improved the audio hardware on the iPhone 16 Pro, including four "studio-grade" microphones.
The iPhone 16 Pro is slightly taller and wider than the 15 Pro model, with the 16 Pro featuring a 6.3-inch screen and a large 6.9-inch screen on the 16 Pro Max, which also benefits in part from the new thinner bezels.
In terms of processors, both feature the A18 Pro chip, equipped with a 16-core Neural Engine, which Apple claims is 15% faster than the iPhone 15 Pro. It also improves graphics performance thanks to a six-core GPU, 20% faster than the A15 Pro of the iPhone 17 Pro.
The iPhone 16 Pro starts at $999 (7,200 yuan) with 128GB of storage, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1,199 (8,650 yuan) with 256GB of storage.