According to the financial and economic app, Soochow Securities released a research report stating that the release of the iPhone 16 series is expected to drive a new round of growth in the AI terminal trend of the industry chain.

Event: In the early hours of September 10, Beijing time, Apple held a themed autumn product launch called "High Light Moment." Apple released the iPhone 16 series, Apple Watch Series 10 smartwatches, and new AirPods 4 headphones, and launched the all-new colored Apple Watch Ultra 2 and AirPods Max. Apple Intelligence will be released later after approval by regulatory authorities. The initial Apple Intelligence features will be launched in October, supporting American English at the time of release, and will support other languages such as Chinese next year.

The iPhone 16 series phones have been upgraded in many aspects: 1. Continuous improvement in chip performance: The iPhone 16/Plus is equipped with the second generation 3nm A18 chip, with a 2+4 core CPU that is 30% faster than the iPhone 15 CPU, and is also equipped with a 5-core GPU, 16-core NPU, and a 35TOPS computing power. The Pro version is equipped with the A18 Pro chip, a 6-core CPU that is 15% faster than the A17 Pro, and has reduced power consumption by 20%. A18 Pro has a larger cache than A18, and supports the next generation of machine learning (ML) accelerators. In addition, A18 Pro adopts a desktop-level architecture, with a 6-core GPU that is 20% faster than the A17 Pro. 2. Increase in display screen area and addition of a new camera control button: The iPhone 16 uses a new generation of ceramic crystal glass, with a slight 50% improvement over the first generation. In terms of size, the iPhone 16 Pro is 6.3 inches, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max is 6.9 inches, making it the largest screen in Apple's history with the narrowest borders. All models are equipped with an "action button", and the side is equipped with a capacitive "camera control" button with a sapphire glass, allowing users to adjust camera functions such as exposure, depth of field, and zoom by sliding their fingers. The new visual AI feature can also be quickly accessed through the camera control. 3. Image upgrade: The 16 Pro/Max models are equipped with an upgraded 48 million-pixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and the 5x periscope telephoto camera has been moved down to the Pro model. The iPhone 16 Pro/Max supports recording 4K 120 FPS video, compared to the iPhone 15 series which only records 4K video at 60 FPS.

The initial Apple Intelligence will be launched in October, and the Chinese version will be launched in 2025. Apple Intelligence is deeply integrated into iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, making full use of Apple chips for language and image understanding and creative abilities, enabling various cross-app operations while combining personal scenarios to simplify and expedite daily tasks for users. In terms of language, the iPhone is equipped with intelligent text tools to help users automatically process input text. In terms of image, Apple has fully integrated visual intelligence into the new generation iPhone series, allowing users to press the camera control button to let AI analyze the content of the photos and further retrieve related information, execute translations, add schedules, and query ChatGPT, etc. Siri as Apple's voice assistant has become a major entry point for Apple Intelligence. The current version supports text and voice input, and has screen-awareness capability to analyze the content displayed on the user's current screen, further enhancing its understanding of the user's personal context. The initial features will be launched in October, supporting only English, and additional languages such as Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish will be added next year.

The new Apple Watch Series 10, equipped with the new S10 chip, has been redesigned with the largest screen in the history of the Apple Watch series, and features sleep apnea detection. Apple also released AirPods 4, which come with the H2 chip, priced at $129, and the noise-canceling version of AirPods 4 is priced at $179. AirPodsPro2 focuses on auditory health, adding hearing protection and hearing tests. The hearing test assesses the user's hearing level by testing different volumes and frequencies of sound for five minutes. Apple also released an upgraded version of AirPods Max, which supports USB-C charging and comes in three new colors.