Apple has a new contender for the best phone of 2024—and a good portion of 2025. The iPhone 16 Pro and the Max were officially unveiled in San Francisco. They come alongside the new iPhone 16, the Apple Watch Series 10, the new AirPods 4, and the AirPods Max 2.

A new processor, camera improvements, Apple Intelligence as the main asset (although that’s a future today) and the promise of being the best iPhone Pro in history for another year.

This is everything you need to know about the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Two continuous phones, but with important new features in terms of camera functions, performance and autonomy.

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max spec sheet

Familiar faces. Small changes

To find the differences at the design level, you have to have the iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max next to the completely new models. The rears are almost the same as seen last year, with a triple camera module, an arrangement that Apple has repeated since the iPhone 11 Pro. It is now repeated in titanium, a fifth grade, and promises to be more resistant than the previous generation.

Yes there are changes on the front shrunken frames are the main charactersApple has reduced these to a minimum to deliver a front surface that covers the entire screen, preserving the complete symmetry that is one of the most defining features of the iPhone.

They are also larger devices. The screens have increased from 6.1 to 6.3 inches on the iPhone 16 Pro and from 6.7 to 6.9 inches on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The same resolution, OLED technology and Super Retina XDR name are retained as last year, reminding us that the calibration of these iPhones remains at the level of the best Macs.

New Camera Control

The new camera button doesn’t just open it. It also allows you to take a photo with a single click. If we leave it pressed, we will start recording a video. It can also be used with a light or double press to access functions such as zoom, depth, etc. It will be pressure sensitive, not just a touch button.

• Single press: turn on the camera
• Single press when camera is on: take photo
• Long press: video recording
• Soft press: access functions such as zoom
• Double soft press: select other camera settings

The button is cut from stainless steel and surrounded by sapphire crystal. Inside, there is a pressure sensor with a haptic response that tries to mimic the touch of an SLR camera. Whether the button will actually function or will simply fade away is yet to be seen, but it is one of the biggest innovations of the year.

With future updates (due later this year), the button will include a two-stage shutter release that allows focus and exposure to be locked automatically — two much-needed options for fine-tuning video recording to the millimeter.

A new processor to rule them all without bursting into flames

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are launching the new Apple 18 Pro, a much more powerful revision over the A18 used by its smaller sibling. The device, built with second-generation TSMC three-nanometer, introduces a new 16-core neural engine for Apple Intelligence. The six-core GPU promises to be 20% faster.

The CPU also has six cores, two high-performance and four efficiency cores, making it 15% faster than the processor. It also promises Consume 20% less energy.

One of the most important aspects of performance is related to thermal dissipation. For the first time, the iPhone 16 There is a cooling systemThanks to the thermal infrastructure made of 100% recycled aluminium and the “optimised” rear glass that dissipates heat better. Specifically, 20% more than the previous model.

Heat has been a historic problem with iPhones for generations, and investing in a cooling system (as with almost all of its competitors) has become more necessary than ever.

There are also changes in terms of autonomy. Apple has increased its dimensions, taking advantage of the fact that its devices are now larger, and promises the best autonomy in the Pro family, considering that the CPU consumes much less (as promised) and the greater battery capacity, the promise is relevant.

An improved camera system

Main camera Repeat with 48 megapixels For the main camera, there is a sensor crop option to achieve two times zoom without losing quality. It also features sensor stabilization instead of traditional OIS.

Despite what rumors suggest, There is no change in resolution level on the telephoto lensThe 12 megapixels are now held in a five-layer tetraprism shared by both models.

Yes, there are changes to the resolution of the iPhone’s weakest camera, the ultra-wide angle. It now sports a 48-megapixel sensor with an f/2.2 lens. This leap in sensor size will put the iPhone a step ahead of what we saw in the last generation.

4K 120FPSThe new processor allows recording at this speed for the first time frames As well as allowing new functions such as slow motion cinema mode in 4K.

There are also improvements in photo styles. Instead of minor corrections, we now talk about practically specific LUTs. Filters that we can add in real time to obtain photos with different aspects. Rendering analyzes our face to preserve the color of our skin realistically, even if the appearance changes completely.

Apple Intelligence

Apple’s AI will play a key role in the iPhone 16 Pro, although Europe is not making things easy for Apple and we don’t expect Apple Intelligence until 2025. Here are the main points they highlighted.

• Private Cloud Computing: Apple ensures that data is never stored and is only used to respond to your requests. While Apple Intelligence combines local functionality with other functions in the cloud, the common thread they promise is security.
• We will succeed create emojis with just a description. AI will do the rest. Yes, the possibilities are endless.
• Relive memories. All you have to do is write a description of a photo to make it appear in the gallery. They can also be added to private collections.
• Summaries in notifications: AI will be responsible for prioritizing notifications based on their importance, as well as providing complete summaries so that we don’t have to read notifications one by one.
• A new SiriIn addition to being able to not only talk to Siri but also type, Siri will be able to perform more functions than ever before.
• Visual Intelligence. Apple’s alternative to Google Lens takes this name. All you have to do to analyze the content you watch is open the camera with this function.
• Integration with ChatGPTAs previously announced in the Apple Intelligence presentation, ChatGPT 4o will be a free integration.

Apple Intelligence will arrive in the United States next month. We shouldn’t expect it in Spain until next year.

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max versions and price

Good news: The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are priced the same as last year. The iPhone 16 Pro 128 GB starts at €1,219, while the 16 Pro Max model goes up to €1,469. Reservations will start on Friday, September 13, with deliveries starting on the 20th of the same month.

iPhone 16 Pro prices

• iPhone 16 Pro 128GB | Starting at 1,219 Euros
• iPhone 16 Pro 256GB | Starting at 1,349 Euros
• iPhone 16 Pro 512GB | Starting at 1,599 Euros
• iPhone 16 Pro 1TB | Starting at 1,849 Euros

iPhone 16 Pro Max prices

• iPhone 16 Pro Max 256GB | Starting at 1,469 Euros
• iPhone 16 Pro Max 512 GB | Starting at 1,719 Euros
• iPhone 16 Pro Max 1 TB | Starting at 1,969 Euros

If you don’t want to wait for the iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max, here are today’s best deals on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max:

Image | Apple

On Xataka | I’ve tried all the iPhone 15s. I’m very clear on which one is the best buy