Key Takeaways
- The iPhone 16’s Camera Control button integrates with third-party apps for multifunctional use.
- Battery life has improved by anywhere from 1-3 hours across all iPhone 16 models.
- The new Audio Mix feature is available on all iPhone 16 models, not just the Pro, enhancing editing capabilities.
Like most iPhones at this point, Apple’s iPhone 16s weren’t entirely a surprise. As expected, the company tweaked the design of the iPhone 16 Pro models, increasing their screen size, adding in a new A18 Pro chip, and rolling out some new colors. The base iPhone 16 got the Action Button, the A18 chip, and some rearranged cameras, and all the company’s new phones now feature a surprisingly versatile Camera Control button for controlling the Camera app and interacting with multimodal AI.
The story of Apple’s event, much like WWDC 2024, was what Apple Intelligence could make possible on the company’s phones. That doesn’t mean that there weren’t quite a few interesting details about the new iPhone 16 and 16 Pro that Apple didn’t have time to mention during its presentation. Here’s 5 iPhone 16 features you might have missed if you just watched Apple’s keynote.
The iPhone 16’s new input method is more than just a shutter button
Apple
Camera control feels like a feature that would have normally been limited to Apple’s premium phones, but both the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro have the new capacitive button. It’s a new elegant way to launch and control the camera app without using the touchscreen, but it’s capable of a lot more than that, too. Apple’s press release says developers will be able to integrate Camera Control with their third-party apps, which means Snapchat, Instagram, or Halide could use the new button to make capturing photos and videos in their apps easier.
Developers will be able to integrate Camera Control with their third-party apps.
Apple didn’t go in-depth on the feature, but a long press of the Camera Control button also opens Apple’s Visual Intelligence feature which, besides identifying locations, text, and animals, is also integrated into third-party tools like ChatGPT (already part of Apple Intelligence) and Google. It’s not clear if this will be limited to select partners or if Apple will eventually open up the feature to any developer willing to integrate their app or service, but it’s another indication that Camera Control could soon be much more useful than Apple initially let on.
2 The battery life of both iPhone 16s has improved by 1 to 3 hours
Apple was oddly coy about how it changed its phone’s battery
Apple
If you watched Apple’s It’s Glowtime event and came away confused about the iPhone 16 or 16 Pros’ battery, you’re not alone. The company was quick to mention that the battery life on the iPhone 16 and its Pro siblings was longer, but didn’t share how much longer or how their actual battery capacity changed beyond vague visuals.
While easier to measure, video playback isn’t the best metric for battery life on your phone.
Luckily, the company is a bit more forthcoming on its comparison page. Apple doesn’t share exact battery capacity, but does offer a video playback stat that should give us an idea of how the iPhone 16s will fair day-to-day. The base iPhone 16 lasts 22 hours in comparison to the iPhone 15’s 20 hours, the iPhone 16 Plus gets 27 hours to the iPhone 15 Plus’ 26 hours, the iPhone 16 Pro gets 27 hours to the iPhone 15 Pro’s 23 hours, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max gets 33 hours compared to the iPhone 15 Pro’s 29 hours. Few people are going to run down their phone’s battery on video watching alone, but at least we know each iPhone 16 is improving on the previous models.
3 Audio Mix isn’t a Pro-exclusive feature
Apple’s new audio editing options are available to anyone with an A18
Apple
The iPhone has been positioned as a photo and video tool for years at this point, adding the ability to rack focus, record in RAW and LOG file formats, and generally improve its visual fidelity year after year. One of the new features Apple introduced alongside the iPhone 16 Pro is something it calls Audio Mix. Essentially, for any video you record on your new phone, you can adjust the audio mix between a variety of different preset mixes thanks to the iPhone 16 Pro’s ability to distinguish voices from background sounds.
You’d think that would be limited to the iPhone 16 Pro running the A18 Pro, but Apple’s also making the feature available on the A18 and the iPhone 16. That way, you don’t need to lose out on more powerful editing features by getting Apple’s cheaper iPhone. It’s unusual for Apple to make a move like this, but it certainly works in anyone looking to upgrade to an iPhone 16’s favor.
4 Both iPhone 16s support faster MagSafe charging
Up to 25W charging with a 30W adapter
Apple / Pocket-lint
Both the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro support the Qi2 standard on top of the magnetic MagSafe accessories that were already made for past iPhones. Apple’s MagSafe charger already allows for anywhere from 15 to 20W charging depending on the power adapter you use, and for the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro, Apple is revising the charger to now go up to 25W if you have at least a 30W wall adapter.
That means 30 minutes of charging gets you 50% battery life on the iPhone 16 or the iPhone 16 Pro. Not the fastest, but nothing to sneeze at if you’re looking for a quick way to top up your phone wirelessly.
5 The iPhone 16 is better at removing wind noise
Apple appears to have mastered multiple types of voice isolation
Apple
The ability to isolate audio on the iPhone 16 extends beyond the mix of the video record and extends to all wind noise. The built-in wind noise reduction on the iPhone 16 uses machine learning to separate your voice from the environment around you so your friends can hear you on a FaceTime call, and every video recorded is watchable, even on super windy days.
How meaningful of a difference this will make to the average person remains to be seen, but Apple didn’t spend a lot of time on the feature during its presentation, and it seems like the kind of small change that could really stand out over time.
Apple iPhone 16
This year’s iPhone 16 line blurs the line between the “Pro” and the base-level iPhone by offering a new camera button and the Action Button, alongside the A18 chip.
Whatever you feel about Apple’s revision, the iPhone 16 certainly feels like a capable stage for Apple Intelligence to strut its stuff as it gets rolled out in the next year. Or at the very least, the new Apple Watch Series 10 didn’t completely outshine the new phones.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro
Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro line features a few notable upgrades over last year’s iPhone 15 Pro, including a dedicated camera button, a new A18 Pro chip, a bigger screen, and several AI-powered Apple Intelligence features.
