Every year, the calculus of choosing which iPhone to get feels increasingly frustrating. Do you opt for the standard iPhone? Do you splurge for the latest and greatest Pro model, something that might take two years to pay off completely? Or should you just buy a slightly older used or refurbished model to get the best deal possible? And of course, there's always the safest bet: Save your money and keep your current phone for as long as possible.
After sitting with Apple's announcements for a day, one thing has become clear: The plain $799 iPhone 16 is a pretty solid deal, at least compared to basic iPhones from the last few years. It actually has a new processor, Apple's A18, instead of reusing an older chip. It brings over the Action button from the iPhone 15 Pro and it also has Apple's new camera button. The iPhone 16 is also relatively future-proof since it supports Apple Intelligence, something that doesn't work on the non-Pro iPhone 15 and older models.
Apple
While the $999 iPhone 16 Pro has an additional camera and supports more powerful photography and filmmaking features, the line between that device and the standard iPhone 16 is blurrier than ever before.
It certainly makes more sense to invest in the iPhone 16 today, instead of the poor, beleaguered iPhone SE. That device sports an aging A15 chip, the tiny 4.7-inch screen of yore and it still costs $429 like it did in 2022. It's rumored that we'll see a new iPhone SE sometime next year, but the current model is simply a terrible option in Apple's current lineup.
If you don't care about Apple Intelligence and you'd like to replace an older device, you can currently find a refurbished iPhone 15 on Amazon and elsewhere between $500 and $600. But really, if you're willing to shell out that much money for a used device with a limited warranty, it might make more sense to grab an iPhone 16 and pay it off over time via your carrier. Trade-in deals can also shave off a significant chunk of a new phone's price. Verizon, for example, is currently offering $800 off a Pixel 9 or iPhone 15 when you swap out an older device.
To be clear, all of the preceding advice only applies if you need to replace a trashed iPhone, or you’re excited to play with Apple Intelligence. Judging from the latest rumors, we’ll likely see an ultra-thin iPhone model next year (similar to the latest iPad Pro), so it might just make sense to hold onto your existing device. And don’t forget, Apple’s AI features won’t be immediately available at launch — you’ll have to wait until an October update for the first batch of features, and Siri won’t get all of its new smarts until the first half of 2025.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/its-a-good-year-to-buy-the-vanilla-iphone-16-and-avoid-the-se-at-all-costs-192919611.html?src=rss
Amazon’s Fire HD 8 tablet is more than half off, bringing the cost down to just $55. The original asking price is a whopping $130, so this is quite a bargain. As a matter of fact, it’s just $5 shy of the Amazon Prime Day price.
This is a decent tablet, even at the original sum. It boasts a hexa-core processor, 13 hours of battery life per charge, 2GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and a microSD slot for up to 1TB of additional storage.
It’s fairly thin and light, making it a budget-friendly option for a “kick around the house” tablet. Just plop it on the nightstand and use it for emergency Netflix sessions. We recommended the tablet in our official review, calling it “a great communal device.” It’s not going to win any design awards, but it gets the job done.
There are two caveats. First of all, this is an ad-supported model. There are ads on the lockscreen. I hate advertisements with the heat of 1,000 suns, but this never bothered me. The whole thing is fairly innocuous. The other potential downside involves the app store. This tablet can only access the Amazon Appstore and not Google Play. You’ll be able to find all of the big apps and games, but the more niche titles may not be available.
Amazon is also selling the slightly beefier Fire HD 10 tablet for $90, which is close to its Prime Day price. This one boasts a 10.1” FHD screen, an octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM.
October Prime Day 2024 is around the corner, serving as Amazon’s (un)official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. If you’re eager to snag some early holiday deals for those on your list (or yourself), here’s what we know so far about the next Prime Day shopping event.
When is October Prime Day 2024?
Amazon has not announced the dates of fall Prime Day 2024 yet, but we do know it will be returning sometime in October.
What is October Prime Day?
October Prime Day is an extension of the regular Prime Day sale held annually in July. It features exclusive deals on Amazon for Prime members, although not quite on as big of a scale as the main summer Prime Day.
How long is October Prime Day?
In years past, October Prime Day has been two days long, just like Prime Day in July.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazons-fire-hd-8-tablet-is-more-than-half-off-and-close-to-its-prime-day-price-164258054.html?src=rss
If you're eager to get your hands on a MacBook Pro but want to save some cash, Amazon has a good deal right now on the 14-inch MacBook Pro M3. That laptop is down to $1,300 for the model with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which represents a $300 discount (a steeper sale than what we saw during Amazon Prime Day in July). The typical price for this version is $1,500, so you're saving a good chunk of change. Keep in mind, though, that October Prime Day is likely right around the corner — Amazon announced it would return this year, although no specific dates yet. There's a chance we could see a deeper discount during that sale event, but there's no guarantee.
This is the latest MacBook pro with an M3 chip that was released last year. It comes with a 14-inch display, an 8-core CPU and a 10-core GPU. We loved this laptop in our official review, calling the design a “major improvement” over previous MacBook Pro releases and praising the “gorgeous” Liquid Retina XDR display, the abundant selection of ports and that speedy M3 processor.
This machine also made our list of the best MacBooks, and for good reason. We called it “the best MacBook for creatives” due to the incredibly efficient and powerful CPU. Apple silicon ain’t no joke. The battery life is on point, lasting around 24 hours per charge. That’s about three full work days.
There’s one caveat here. This is the model with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The storage is fine, as there are plenty of ports for external drives and an SD card slot. If you are going with a MacBook Pro over an Air, however, it might be a good idea to spring for a model with 16GB of RAM to get the most out of the machine. Luckily, the 1TB/16GB version is also on sale via Amazon for $1,700.
October Prime Day 2024 is around the corner, serving as Amazon’s (un)official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. If you’re eager to snag some early holiday deals for those on your list (or yourself), here’s what we know so far about the next Prime Day shopping event.
When is October Prime Day 2024?
Amazon has not announced the dates of fall Prime Day 2024 yet, but we do know it will be returning sometime in October.
What is October Prime Day?
October Prime Day is an extension of the regular Prime Day sale held annually in July. It features exclusive deals on Amazon for Prime members, although not quite on as big of a scale as the main summer Prime Day.
How long is October Prime Day?
In years past, October Prime Day has been two days long, just like Prime Day in July.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/amazon-discounts-the-apple-14-inch-m3-macbook-pro-below-its-prime-day-price-152341957.html?src=rss
If you thought the price of a fully specced iPhone 16 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 was high, Huawei has a new flagship that might require some folks to pull off a bank heist to afford. The Mate XT, which the company claims is the first triple-fold phone to hit the market, will debut in China and start at 19,999 yuan (approximately $2,800). That's enough to buy an 11-inch iPad Pro, M3 MacBook Air and an iPhone 16 — and still have cash to spare.
It took Huawei five years to develop the Mate XT, according to the chairman of its consumer business, Richard Yu. As part of that process, the company is said to have made breakthroughs in screen and hinge technology. The device folds up accordion-style, with one hinge bending outward and the other inward, leaving one of the panels available to use as a 6.4-inch exterior display.
“Huawei Mate XT is the world’s first triple-fold smartphone, and the largest and thinnest foldable handset globally,” Yu said during a launch event, according to CNN. “We are the first in the world to achieve outward folding (in smartphones) and the first to create an inward-folding phone with no gaps.”
Despite the high price, the Mate XT has already caught the imagination of Chinese consumers. By early Tuesday, Huawei had received 3.7 million preorders.
It's no surprise as to why Huawei formally revealed the device hours after Monday's iPhone event — it's looking to steal some of Apple's thunder. Given its pre-order numbers and the relatively modest iPhone hardware updates this year (Apple is banking on the delayed Apple Intelligence features as a key selling point), Huawei may have just pulled that off.
When completely unfolded, the Mate XT has a 10.2-inch 3K display with a 92 percent screen-to-body ratio. Buyers can use one, two or all three panels at once (the size of the two-panel display is 7.9 inches). It comes in red or black with a leather finish on the rear and gold trim on the edges and folds. When they're out of range of a cell network, owners will be able to communicate with the rest of the world via satellite.
As you might imagine, there are a bunch of generative AI features too, including a voice input function that can polish and translate a transcript. There's the option to have a chatbot open on one side of the screen to answer questions and summarize articles. There's an AI photo-editing tool too. On that note, Huawei says the triple-camera system (which features a periscope telephoto camera and an ultra-wide-angle camera) includes an approximate optical zoom of 5.5x.
The rollout plans for the Mate XT outside China are not yet clear. The Mate XT is unlikely to officially come to the US, given sanctions that have been in place against the company over the last few years.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/huaweis-first-tri-fold-phone-starts-at-an-eye-watering-2800-145113669.html?src=rss
There’s a meme that comes around when people are urged to see a movie on the biggest screen as the filmmaker intended. People then mock up images of them watching it on the worst, least-immersive devices possible, from iPods to Game Boys. It came to mind during the iPhones 16 launch event, Apple said its new models have CPUs that can challenge “even high-end desktop PCs” and “desktop-class GPU architecture.” And it made me wonder if anyone is actually playing AAA games on a 6-inch smartphone for any real length of time?
Look, we all know this is just Apple flexing the power of its homegrown silicon, given even its A-Series SOCs run almost as fast as a flagship Intel CPU. We also all know that if you tried to run your iPhone with the same load as you could put on a desktop, you’d quickly burn it out. (Case in point, Resident Evil Village caused GamesHub’s iPhone 15 Pro to run “uncomfortably hot” and burned through 30 percent of its battery life in an hour.) All of that power is great for the sort of tasks an iPhone needs to do which are only demanding in short bursts. Processing audio and video, or the odd blast of generative AI (when it arrives) that Apple is understandably proud of being able to do on-device.
But this emphasis on raw power suggests the company has lost sight of what the iPhone is for, and what its limitations are. Yes, I’m sure some people love playing Death Stranding on the bus into school, or work. I’m sure there are some people who will try and use the Notes app to write their term papers, and one or two filmmakers who will use the iPhone instead of a Red, but those can’t be massive constituencies of the overall user base.
It’s hard to see people using their iPhone to get the sort of Serious Work done that you’d need a better user interface to achieve. iPhones are great for photography, social media, communication, casual gaming, but they can’t be a comprehensive replacement for a laptop or games console. Well, you can use them for those purposes, but I’m not sure anyone should.
Another telling example was the demo showing a person using Voice Notes to record a new vocal over a backing track they’d previously recorded. It’s a great way to show the iPhones 16’s ability to isolate audio even when the sources are so close together. Apple added the feature to Voice Notes because it has seen user feedback that it’s become a valuable tool in a musician’s arsenal. But it’s also something of an own-goal given Apple’s own multi-track recording platform, Garageband, has been left (deservedly) ignored and unloved for the last decade.
I suspect all of this points to the fact that Apple, with its key strengths of merging hardware and software, has run out of worlds to conquer in the former. After all, as glorious as the new iPhone is, the upgrades have been incremental for a long while now. As fancy and high-tech as the new camera shutter button is, it’s not as if adding a dedicated button for capture is groundbreaking — I had one of those on my Sony Ericsson K750i. I’m also curious how many iPhone users actually harness those extra camera features (like adjusting the focal length, or shooting in RAW) when they’re snapping clips for TikTok. And if you, like me, don’t really value Apple Intelligence, or just think those features aren’t really compelling, then there’s little reason to rush out and upgrade.
It doesn’t help that I was also reminded of what Steve Jobs said in 2010, describing personal computers as “trucks” whose prominence would fall as people switched to the “cars” of phones and tablets. Trucks were go-anywhere, do-anything tools that were vital a century or more ago but were phased out when people started using more specific tools suited to their needs. The iPhone 16 launch event, however, felt like Apple showing everyone that it’d managed to cram a Big Rig engine into a Porsche.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-needs-to-remember-what-the-iphone-16-is-for-134535338.html?src=rss
Apple Intelligence is coming next month. The company has revealed that its artificial intelligence platform is arriving on iPhones, iPads and MacBooks with the iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1 updates rolling out in October. It will only work on Apple's newer and more powerful devices, though, including the iPhone 15 Pro and the upcoming iPhone 16 models, as well as MacBooks and iPads running on M-series chips. In addition, the first batch of Apple Intelligence features will only be available in US English. Support for English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK will be available in December, while for other languages, including Chinese, French, Japanese and Spanish is coming next year.
One of the first Apple Intelligence features you'll be able to use is Writing Tools, which can rewrite, proofread and summarize text for you in Mail, Notes, Pages and even in third-party apps. The Memories feature will give you a way to easily create movies in Photos when you type a description for the kind of images you're looking for. You'll even be able to search for specific photos and videos by using natural language. And if you want to quickly remove background objects in images without damaging the rest of the photo, you can use the Clean Up tool.
There's also a feature you can use to record, transcribe and summarize audio in Notes and Phone. If you initiate a recording while on a call, for instance, Apple Intelligence will generate a summary after it ends. A new Focus feature called "Reduce Interruptions" will surface only notifications that need immediate attention, while Priority Messages in Mail will put time-sensitive messages at the top based on the contents of those emails. You'll also see summaries of an email's most important information across your inbox and then use Smart Reply, which identifies questions and suggests quick responses, to fire off a quick message.
Apple says its AI technology will make Siri more natural and more integrated into its platforms, as well. The voice assistant will apparently be able to understand your inquiries, even if you stutter or stumble over your words, and it can follow your train of thought even if you switch between text and voice. Apple says it's releasing more AI features over the next few months, including one that can generate an image using context when you circle an empty space and another that can create original emoji (or "Genmoji") based on a description you type.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-intelligence-for-iphone-ipad-and-mac-arrives-in-october-120502268.html?src=rss
If you missed it, Apple unveiled all the new iPhones we expected, a new Apple Watch that might steal a lot of the headlines (bigger, thinner, better!) and a surprising new push for its wireless headphones, with three new models and a software update for AirPods Pro that brings the company into a new product category, through software alone.
We’ll chew over those below, but first up: the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro. There’s a surprising parity of new features in the two devices this year. The iPhone 16 gets an action button (left edge, above the volume buttons) and a new camera button, too.
Well, it’s more than just a button. With all sorts of sensors and tech crammed inside, you can adjust controls and settings in the camera — think zoom, exposure and aperture — with gentle slides and presses. Apple is already planning an update for a half-press to focus the camera and a full press to capture.
Why did Apple redesign the iPhone 16 camera module? The cynic in me thought this change, with lenses stacked vertically, was just a desperate indicator to show that folks had the newest iPhone, but there’s a reason. Apparently, this arrangement means the cameras can work in tandem to capture spatial video and photos.
The iPhone 16 Pro (and Pro Max) both get an array of upgraded shooting features. There is (thankfully!) parity between the 6.9-inch Pro Max and 6.2-inch Pro, with the smaller Pro getting 5x optical zoom this year. The ultra-wide-angle camera has been upgraded from 12 megapixels to 48 megapixels in both Pro models. The iPhone 16 Pro can shoot video in 4K at 120 fps, so you can switch to and from slow-mo footage after the fact — no slow-motion recording mode necessary.
The iPhone 16 Pros have a larger battery, delivering us that perennial line: the “best iPhone battery life ever.” However, on Apple’s own specification cheat sheet, it gets a little more specific, saying it was the “Best iPhone battery life on Pro Max.” That’s something to scrutinize in reviews. But after last year’s shift to USB-C, the lightness of a titanium build and an action button is not quite as convincing an upgrade.
Having said that, what am I doing? I currently juggle an Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and a Pixel 9 Pro XL, which are too big for me. Last year, I leaned on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, instead of the iPhone 15 Pro, for 5x camera zoom… and nothing else.
This time around, like the iPhone 14 series, there are pretty much identical specs across the iPhone 16 Pro duo — which is how it should be — so I’m lining up a pre-order for a black iPhone 16 Pro, with 1TB of storage. I might change my mind.
If you’re a Pro Max kind of iPhone owner, I think you could probably wait a year, but it’s also a great time to upgrade to the base iPhone 16. It gets those new buttons, it’ll work with Apple Intelligence in a few months and it has a pretty gorgeous lineup of colors.
We’ve got hands-on impressions on everything below.
— Mat Smith
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Apple’s wearable had the biggest spec jump at its event yesterday, with the biggest display and thinnest design ever on an Apple Watch. The wide-angle OLED display is even a bit larger than the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Apple claims the screen is 40 percent brighter when looked at from an angle, thanks to that new OLED tech, and it’ll show a second hand ticking away even when your wrist is down. The company claims an 18-hour battery life, which someone needs to remind Apple is not a full day.
Apple launched its fourth-generation AirPods this week, as rumors suggested. They have a redesigned bud shape that’s supposed to fit more ear shapes. The new entry-level AirPods also have the H2 chip to power features like Spatial Audio. The charging case has a USB-C port, and it’s the smallest AirPods charging case to date. To throw a wrench into the works, Apple announced a second model supporting active noise cancellation and Transparency mode. Not to be confused with the AirPods Pro, which still exist.
Spare a thought for Deputy Editor Cherlynn Low. As we bundled her into a plane for Cupertino to report on all that Apple stuff, she was wrapping up her review of Google’s Pixel Watch 3. While we had compared Google’s latest wearable to Apple’s Watch Series 9, we think Apple has some wearable competition here, thanks to solid battery life and a comprehensive and intuitive suite of health-tracking features.
Sony has announced a PlayStation 5 Technical Presentation stream at 11AM ET today on the PlayStation YouTube channel. All indications point toward this being the official unveiling of the PS5 Pro. Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PS5, will host the stream, which will focus on the PS5 and innovations in gaming technology. For less than 10 minutes.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-should-you-upgrade-to-an-iphone-16-111524098.html?src=rss
At its big iPhone 16 event, which also included a new Apple Watch and AirPods, the company snuck in a new MagSafe charging cable. Although there’s nothing to see here if you’re standing pat with an older handset, the new magnetic accessory will boost charging speeds for iPhone 16 owners.
9to5Macspotted that the new MagSafe charger supports maximum charging speeds of 25W when paired with an iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro and a 30W (or higher) wall charger. The OG MagSafe charger only offers speeds of up to 15W, the same max speed the new accessory will give you when used with an iPhone 15 or older. So, other than future-proofing, there’s no reason to get the new charger if you have an older handset and already own the original MagSafe charger.
The new MagSafe accessory comes in two variants: One with a 1m (3.3 ft) cable and another with a 2m (6.6 ft) cable. The shorter cable costs $39 (the same as the original), while the longer one will set you back $49.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apples-new-magsafe-charger-will-juice-up-the-iphone-16-faster-than-the-old-accessory-can-203435004.html?src=rss
Apple unveiled a quartet of iPhones on Monday, including the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. As expected, the updates are largely iterative. The standard models now have the programmable Action button from last year's Pro series, slightly improved battery life and an updated camera module that's stacked vertically instead of diagonally.
The Pro phones, meanwhile, feature bigger displays with slimmer bezels, improved battery life and a handful of camera upgrades, including a 5x optical zoom for the smaller Pro and a sharper ultrawide camera. The standard models run on Apple's new A18 silicon, while the Pro models, fittingly, use a faster and more efficient chip called the A18 Pro.
The most notable hardware change across the board might be a new touch-sensitive "Camera Control" button that makes capturing photos and video a little more DSLR-like. Mostly, though, these phones don't look to be massive departures from the iPhone 15s before them. Much of Apple's sales pitch will come down to how helpful its "Apple Intelligence" AI tools are out in the wild.
We already have a hands-on preview for the iPhone 16 Pro up on the site, and we'll have full reviews for the entire iPhone 16 lineup in the near future. But if you're thinking about pre-ordering right away, we've broken down how the new iPhone 16 Pro compares to two of its most prominent rivals in the $1,000 price bracket, the Google Pixel 9 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24+, on the spec sheet. Per usual, raw specs won't tell the full story — you'd probably buy an iPhone because you want iOS and an Android phone because you prefer Android — but if you're wondering what a $1,000 smartphone gets you in 2024, here's how Apple's latest handset stacks up.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/apple-iphone-16-pro-vs-the-competition-bigger-with-more-buttons-194622608.html?src=rss
Apple's latest attempt to slightly differentiate the iPhone 16 series is... a faux button it's calling Camera Control. But unlike last year's new button, this one doesn't actually physically depress, and uses a mix of sensors and haptic feedback to simulate the sensation of movement. And in my brief hands-on right after Apple's iPhone 16 launch event, I have to say I actually thought it was a real button.
Editors' Note: After some investigation, it turns out that at least part of the camera control is a real, depressable button. You'll feel the actual movement when you push all the way down, but the half-press is what's simulated by the iPhone 16's haptic feedback. It does a remarkably good job of simulating a two-stage button.
I got a quick look at the iPhone 16 Pro here in Apple Park, and got a deep walkthrough of the new camera control and its corresponding interface. When I first picked up the iPhone 16 Pro Max, I felt like it looked sleeker and thinner than my iPhone 15 Pro Max, which was nice. My fingers were then drawn to the new "button," which has a groove that surrounds it, which helps with identification by touch.
From the home screen, I pressed down on the camera control and the camera app quickly opened. The Apple rep guarding these phones encouraged me to push the camera control with varying pressures, as a lighter touch changed the dial that popped up onscreen next to where the button sat. I dragged my finger on this surface, and the digital knob moved along with me, although I at first found the direction of the movement slightly counterintuitive. I am, however, one of those gamers that needs to flip the direction of my controllers when looking around and navigating any environment though, so that might be just me.
There is no way to change the direction of camera control's direction when you're swiping, but you can tweak the settings to adjust pressure sensitivity. When the Apple rep asked me to push harder on the control, I was shocked at what felt like a real button moving below my fingertip. I confirmed again with the Apple rep that this was not a mechanical button that actually moves, and was met with reassuring nods. Next to me, fellow reviewer Brian Tong echoed my sentiment that the camera control feels remarkably like an actual button.
Cherlynn Low for Engadget
Aside from marveling at the physical sensation on the iPhone 16 Pro, I also took a closer look at the changes to the interface. When I first light-pushed on the camera control, a selection of options came up, allowing me to select Exposure, Zoom, Camera, Styles and Tone. Pressing harder down on each of these locked those modes and a different dial with more markings came up, and swiping on the sensor would move the wheel. In the Camera mode, I was able to quickly switch between the ultrawide, main and zoom options, similar to how the viewfinder currently operates. If you prefer to use the existing interface to switch cameras, you can still do so.
When you pick the Styles option, you'll swipe between the new Photographic Styles that Apple introduced this year. In each of these, you can tap an icon on the top right of the app to edit them with the new touchpad-ish interface. Dragging your finger around this square at the bottom will adjust color temperature and hue settings. You can also make changes to the Photographic Style in your picture after it's been taken, so you don't have to worry too much about not liking the way something looks.
Cherlynn Low for Engadget
I also got to hold the iPhone 16 Pro Max in portrait mode and take a selfie. At first, my thumb was placed too high on the device's edge, and pressing down did nothing. I shifted the phone in my hand slightly, which felt a little precarious, then found the camera control and quickly took a shot. I'm not sure of the position here just yet, but it feels like something I'll figure out in time.
Some of the camera improvements on the iPhone 16 Pro are new video editing features, but I didn't quite get to recording 4K120 footage yet. I did get to peek at the updated video-editing interface, which has a tab on the side for Audio Mix, which lets you isolate the voices of people on camera or make the shot sound like it was recorded inside a studio. It's all so very cinematic. I don't know that I believe people can shoot IMAX-friendly films on any iPhone ever, but the idea that you can is certainly intriguing.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max vs the iPhone 15 Pro Max display
Part of the reason I found the iPhone 16 Pro slightly sleeker than its predecessor is likely to do with its display. It's 6.9 inches large now, compared to its predecessor's 6.7-inch screen. However, Apple has managed to keep the handset at the same size as before, shaving the bezels down even further to do so. It's not something you'll notice without putting the two devices side by side and really scrutinizing the borders, but it makes a small difference in making this year's Pro Max feel new.
Whether that makes a meaningful difference in maneuvering the phone or reading more content at once is something I'll wait till I can scroll Reddit for hours on my couch before judging. I'd also need more time to see if Apple Intelligence and the new A18 Pro chip will improve the iPhone 16 Pro experience and battery life. I know I'm super stoked for the update to the Voice Memo app and will be loudly singing into my iPhone 16 Pro whenever I get the chance. If you want the most comprehensive review from an aspiring singer, definitely come back to check out our full impressions soon. If not, well, you have been warned.
Update, September 09 2024, 8:04PM ET: This story has been updated to clarify that there is a real button in Camera Control, and that the half-step is what's simulated by haptic feedback.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/iphone-16-pro-hands-on-how-does-a-faux-camera-control-button-feel-so-real-191406863.html?src=rss