As September approaches, the "Apple" is also about to ripen. Today, Apple officially announced that it will hold a fall conference at 1:00 a.m. Beijing time on September 10th, with the theme of "Highlight Moments".

After the relatively flat iPhone 15 series, people naturally have higher expectations for the iPhone 16 series.

However, if you are still waiting for an iPhone that is significantly different from the previous ones, you may continue to be disappointed this year. Based on the leaks, the iPhone 16 series is still taking a steady and practical route, with more internal changes rather than external ones.

Compared to the iPhone 15 series, the iPhone 16 series will mainly bring these changes:

• A new shooting button, with the "operating button" placed below the standard version.

• Full support for Apple's smart features across the entire series.

• Upgrades the ultra-wide-angle lens across the entire series to 48 million pixels.

• All models use the A18 processor.

• The size of the iPhone 16 Pro series has increased, with the frame being the "narrowest in the world".

• The standard camera layout has been changed to a vertical distribution, supporting spatial video shooting.

The new look of the iPhone.

Starting from the iPhone 12, the design of the past 4 generations of iPhones has remained basically consistent. If the black iPhones 13-15 are placed back up together, even Tim Cook himself might need a moment to tell them apart.

So, if you want others to immediately notice you have the latest iPhone, the "brand new" design on the back of the iPhone 16 standard version may satisfy your vanity a little.

"New" should be in quotation marks because according to leaks and model drawings, the iPhone 16 has a vertical arrangement of two cameras and a flash design that is separate from the camera module, which has not strictly appeared on previous iPhones, but it is clearly reminiscent of the iPhone 12 and iPhone X.

As for the iPhone 16 Pro series, the classic "bathtub" camera module design remains unchanged, but the biggest change in appearance is the size: the iPhone 16 Pro expands from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max expands from 6.7 inches to 6.9 inches.

Blogger @刹那数码 revealed that the borders of the iPhone 16 Pro will continue to narrow, setting a new record for the narrowest borders on a global smartphone:

• iPhone 16: 2.0497 millimeters

• iPhone 16 Plus: 2.0599 millimeters

• iPhone 16 Pro: 1.2 millimeters

• iPhone 16 Pro Max: 1.15 millimeters

For comparison, the iPhone 15 Pro has a border of about 1.5 millimeters, while the Pro Max version has narrowed by over 20%.

It is reported that the iPhone 16 Pro series adopts a new Border Reduction Structure (BRS) technology, which allows the bottom layer circuits of the screen to be more compact and efficient, making the border narrower without affecting the screen's performance or the overall appearance of the device.

Another blogger, @iIceUniverse, based on CAD data theoretical calculations, suggests that the single-side frame data of the iPhone 16 Pro is 2.3456 millimeters, and is expected to set a new record.

In terms of color matching, well-known blogger Sonny Dickson has already exposed the color matching machine model of the iPhone 16 series:

The iPhone 16 will have white, black, blue, green, and pink colors. Compared to the soft and fresh colors of the iPhone 15, the blue and green colors of the iPhone 16 are more saturated, with the former being close to the blue of the iPhone XR and the latter leaning towards lake green. The pink color, on the other hand, is lighter than that of the iPhone 15.

As for the iPhone 16 Pro series, it will continue to use titanium alloy materials and colors. The leaked images of the phone models show white, black, and silver, but the most anticipated color is the rumored new 'Desert Titanium' color, which will replace the previous titanium blue color.

Based on the phone models, the 'Desert' color is darker than the 'Champagne Gold', closer to a coffee color, and has a touch of luxury, which is not commonly seen on previous iPhones.

Another possibility is the return of the long-lost 'Rose Gold' color, which is more eye-catching with its pink tone compared to the understated and deep 'Desert Titanium'.

"AI" is invisible, but the configuration is sincere

Apple's second quarter financial report this year revealed that the iPhone 16 series will be promoted with the "Apple Smart" AI function as its selling point.

The invitation letter this year also uses the same color as the new Siri "scrolling text" and pre-announces the protagonist of Apple Smart at the press conference.

Currently, the Apple Smart feature is still in testing. Technology journalist Mark Gurman predicts that the iPhone 16 series will fully support Apple Smart, but the official version of the related features may not be released along with the iPhone 16 series.

In other words, the early versions of the iPhone 16 series, which are marketed with AI functions as the selling point, may not come with AI functions preloaded, but will need to be obtained through updates later on. Furthermore, more "killer" features, such as enhanced Siri, may not be released until next year.

It is currently unclear whether Apple will introduce exclusive AI features for the iPhone 16 series, but even if they do, AI will not be available in the short term within the domestic market. Therefore, the iPhone 16 series targeted at the domestic market may need to adopt a completely different promotional strategy from overseas.

We may not have access to AI features for the time being, but the upgraded configurations to better support AI features are equally important both domestically and internationally.

First of all, the standard version of iPhone 16 will upgrade its memory from 6GB in the previous generation to 8GB, the same as the iPhone 16 Pro series, to meet the minimum configuration requirements of Apple's smart.

Although the iPhone does not emphasize the size of memory as much as Android, more memory also means that the phone is not easily killed in the background during normal use. In the long run, the phone can also provide a longer-term user experience and have the potential to become a "nail house".

In addition to the memory upgrade, the standard version of the processor is also expected to achieve a "big leap" to smoothly run Apple's end-to-end AI function.

Technical personnel have discovered through leaked iPhone 16 series model codes that the identifiers of the four iPhones all start with "iPhone 17", which symbolizes that the four iPhones will be equipped with the same series of chips.

In comparison, the identifier of the iPhone 15 Pro with the A17 Pro chip is "iPhone 16,1", and the identifier of the iPhone 15 with the A16 chip is "iPhone 15,4".

This indicates that whether it is the standard version or the Pro version of the iPhone 16, both are expected to use the new A18 processor synchronously. This is also the first time since the iPhone 14 that the standard version and the Pro version are equipped with a new generation of processors at the same time.

However, Apple is likely to differentiate in terms of chip performance. For example, the standard version of the iPhone 16 will use "A18", while the iPhone 16 Pro will use "A18 Pro".

Many media outlets speculate that A18 may be a slight modification of A17 Pro, and A18 Pro is the true "A18".

Last year's iPhone 15 Pro brought the world's first 3nm chip. This year's A18 series is likely to be consistent with the M4 chip on the iPad Pro, using Taiwan Semiconductor's improved second-generation 3nm process.

In terms of specifications, according to leaks, the A18 Pro will continue to maintain the configuration of 6 CPU + 6 GPU, and the performance improvement mainly comes from architectural upgrades. However, based on the results of the M4 almost completely surpassing the M3 in single-core and multi-core tests, the performance of the A18 Pro is still worth looking forward to.

Regarding AI capabilities, X blogger @MappleGold revealed that the neural engine performance of the A18 is even stronger than that of the M4 chip, with a performance of over 38 trillion operations, enabling better on-device execution of large-scale models.

When the iPhone 15 Pro series was launched last year, there were initial issues with overheating, which were later resolved through software updates. Apple may be more cautious about the heating situation of this year's iPhone 16 Pro. There are leaks suggesting that Apple may use a graphene layer on the processor to enhance chip cooling.

In addition to the expected high-performance performance of the iPhone 16 Pro and A18 Pro, the standard version of the iPhone is also impressive in terms of AI capabilities. It is packed with features and may be the most worthy upgrade in the iPhone series in recent years.

More and more buttons.

The most visible functional change in the iPhone 16 series is perhaps the most talked-about "shutter button".

The elongated "shutter button" is located below the power button, replacing the position of the U.S. millimeter wave antenna line.

There are currently two rumored forms of the shutter button: one is a conventional mechanical structure, which is no different from a regular button; the other is a capacitive solid-state button that simulates a real pressing experience through vibration motors.

As for its function, it may be similar to the shutter button on a camera:

• A light touch on the button can autofocus

• Pressing the button can take a photo

• Sliding the button left or right can zoom in or out

• There may also be a gesture, such as a hard press or long press, for quickly switching between photo and video modes

In some leaked CAD renderings and machine models, the shutter button appears on all four new iPhones, but Mark Gurman believes that the shutter button may only appear on the Pro models.

In addition to the camera app that comes with the iPhone, the shutter button is also expected to support third-party apps, developers can call the API of this shutter button.

At present, the function of the shutter button is relatively ordinary, and similar designs have also appeared on other manufacturers' phones.

However, Apple has always had its own ideas when it comes to the combination of hardware and software, as can be seen from the leaked "hole-punch" screen to the actual "dynamic island" design.

Therefore, until the official introduction at the launch event, the functionality and interaction design of this shutter button are still worth looking forward to.

Although the "operation button" on the iPhone 15 Pro has received mixed reviews, Apple is still determined to stick to this design, and it is expected to be included in the iPhone 16 standard version.

As for the "capacitive pressure-sensitive button" that has been circulating for several years but has never been actually implemented, there is new evidence this year: media reports that Taiwan semiconductor manufacturer TSMC has received orders for this key module.

In iOS 18, there is a new button animation that adds credibility to this rumor.

The ultra-wide-angle lens is the protagonist of the image upgrade.

The theme of this year's press conference is "Highlight Moments," with a dynamic and dazzling logo, which has led many media outlets to speculate that the iPhone 16 series will have significant improvements in imaging, especially in low-light photography capabilities.

Apple Insider has obtained the imaging specifications of the entire iPhone 16 series, with upgrades mainly focused on the ultra-wide-angle lens.

The main camera of the iPhone 16 series will remain unchanged, still 48 million pixels with an f/1.6 aperture, and continue to support optical-quality 2x zoom.

Another wide-angle lens will be the focus of this upgrade. The lens aperture will be upgraded from f/2.4 to f/2.2, allowing the sensor to capture more light and improve shooting results in low-light environments. There are also reports that the ultra-wide camera in iPhone 16 upgrade will support macro photography for the first time.

The two cameras will be arranged vertically, returning to the layout used in previous generations. With the improvement of the wide-angle lens, it is highly likely that the standard version will have the 'spatial photography' capability of iPhone 15 Pro.

Most of the updates for iPhone 16 come from previous generations, and the real imaging power of Apple still depends on the iPhone 16 Pro series.

According to Apple Insider, the main camera of iPhone 16 Pro series will maintain a specification of 48 million pixels, f/1.78 aperture, and support 2x optical zoom for high-quality 12 million pixel telephoto photos with a pixel size of 1.22 microns.

Domestic source @数码闲聊站 once revealed that Apple and Sony have customized a large 1/1.14-inch sensor and will use a '1MG+7P' plastic-glass lens with one molded glass lens and seven plastic lenses to achieve better optical performance.

In terms of telephoto lens, the iPhone 16 Pro is expected to match the Pro Max version, equipped with the same "four-reflection prism telephoto" lens, achieving 5x optical zoom, maintaining a pixel count of 12 million, and an aperture of f/2.8.

The larger upgrade is also given to the ultra-wide-angle lens, which will be upgraded from 12 million pixels to 48 million pixels, supporting the same pixel grading function as the main camera, which means multiple levels of pixel fusion. When shooting at full resolution, it uses 0.7 micrometer pixels, and when four pixels are merged, it uses 1.4 micrometer pixels.

The wide-angle lens and the main camera will have synchronized 48 million pixels, which is expected to bring 4K spatial video shooting capability to the iPhone 16 series. Previously, the spatial video resolution of the iPhone 15 Pro was highest at 1080P.

The iPhone 16 Pro series is also expected to use Sony's brand-new stacked main camera sensor, adopting a new design that separates the photodiode and pixel transistor.

This new design can make the volume of the photodiode that actually captures light larger without changing the pixel count, which helps the camera to achieve better low-light performance. However, this is likely to be an exclusive update for the Pro Max.

In complex lighting conditions at night, whether it's the standard version or the Pro version, the issue of "ghosting" with the lens will equally appear on previous iPhones. However, this year, Apple may put an end to this long-standing problem.

According to blogger yeux1122's information obtained from the supply chain, Apple may introduce the "atomic layer deposition" technology for the iPhone 16 series. This is a thin film technology that can be used to spray anti-reflection coatings on the lens, helping to reduce the problem of "ghosting" caused by light refraction.

In addition to hardware and parameter upgrades, the entire iPhone 16 series is expected to support the new "JPEG-XL" format, which has higher compression efficiency and better image quality than traditional JPEG format.

JPEG-XL performs especially well in preserving high dynamic range (HDR) and color depth, making it more flexible and efficient in image editing and storage. It is also more conducive for sharing and dissemination without taking up too much storage space.

As for the front 'Magic Island' lens, DigiTimes revealed that Apple is exploring a 'super-translucent lens', which is a thinner lens with a smaller sensor. It can achieve the current 3D face recognition function with a single lens, without sacrificing imaging quality.

However, the iPhone 16 series is very likely not to adopt this technology in time, and the 'Mini Magic Island' may not be available until next year.

The coexistence of upgrades and downgrades in battery life

Although battery life may not be the most concerned upgrade point for the public every time, it is the basic configuration that can greatly affect the user experience.

Although the battery of almost every generation of iPhone is larger than the previous one, this year's situation may be different. The leaked battery capacities of the four iPhone 16 models are as follows:

• iPhone 16: 3561mAh

• iPhone 16 Plus: 4006mAh

• iPhone 16 Pro: 3355mAh

• iPhone 16 Pro Max: 4676mAh

One of the most noteworthy is the iPhone 16 Plus, which has a 8.6% decrease in battery capacity compared to the previous iPhone 15 Plus, with a capacity of 4383mAh.

The batteries of the other three models have a small increase, especially the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which has a size of 4676mAh and will be the largest iPhone battery so far.

The downgrade on the iPhone 16 Plus may be to give the most expensive iPhone, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the best battery life. Before this, the "Plus" models were known for their battery life.

Analyst Guo Mingchi also revealed that the iPhone 16 Pro Max will use a battery with higher energy density, which will provide better battery life in the same volume or a smaller volume for the same battery life.

To reduce the heat generated by high-energy density batteries, Apple may equip the batteries with a stainless steel "battery case" for heat dissipation.

This stainless steel battery case also reduces the difficulty of removing the battery, allowing the iPhone to meet the EU's requirements for removable and repairable batteries.

ETnews' report also points out that Apple is exploring the current popular "carby-silicon battery", a battery technology with extremely high energy density, but it is unlikely to be used in the iPhone 16 series.

The 20W "fast charging" that has been criticized every year is expected to change this year. Li Nan, the founder of Angery Cat Technology, revealed on Weibo that the maximum charging power of the iPhone 16 series will be upgraded to 40W.

As for MagSafe magnetic charging, the power may be upgraded from 15W to 20W, and the coil will also be "slimmer" than before.

It may be a practical generation.

Compared to the also expected dual-version AirPods 4 and the Apple Watch "10th Anniversary", the iPhone 16 series seems a bit ordinary.

The financial report for the previous quarter showed a 1% year-on-year decline in iPhone revenue. According to the IDC report, iPhone shipments in the Chinese market fell by 3.1%, dropping out of the top five for the first time in 4 years.

As the biggest selling point, Apple's iPhone failed to launch in the largest market in China, making the iPhone 16 series, which is not eye-catching enough on its own, even more mediocre.

Based on the current leaks, the iPhone 16 series is taking a very practical approach to updates, which may lack novelty but can bring a more sustainable user experience.

Of course, whether the iPhone 16 series has any secret weapons hidden remains unknown until the release event. We will continue to follow and report on more details about Apple's new products at the launch event. Stay tuned!

Apple's autumn new product launch event will be held on September 10th (Tuesday) at 1:00 am Beijing time, and Mooer is welcome to make an appointment to watch and witness the "highlight moment" together!

Editor/Somer