It’s always the same thing when a new iPhone comes out. Has Apple done enough to significantly move the dial forward or is this another largely iterative update?
Now criticisms lodged at the iPhone are perfectly reasonable. There are just some things Android still does better, from the customisation to photo processing. But to say each iPhone is slow-moving is laughable. Apple’s changes may not always be sexy from a consumer standpoint, but each generation has brought about meaningful changes and refinements when it comes to approachability, sustainable design and value.
Apple’s interesting approach to their smartphone lineup has always tried to atone for the alarmingly high price with extra value and little ambient details that make upgrading worth it.
Most people, that I know anyway, upgrade once every two generations. Does the iPhone 16 do enough to justify closing that gap so that 15 users can even get on board with the 16?
The Action Button wasn’t much of a change… the Camera Control button will be
The Action Button was a bit of anti-climax after Apple made such a big deal about getting rid of the beloved mute switch and replacing it with a button. Most people just keep it mapped to mute, rather than the dozens of other functions it’s built for (like opening the camera quickly).
Now I haven’t gone hands on with on of the iPhone 16 models yet, but from what I’ve read from early reviews, it’s looking like the new Camera Control button is a winner. On paper, it seemed like just another novelty for Apple. The reality seems to be quite different – changing the way people use an iPhone and nodding heavily to the uptick in content creation.
The design has shifted a bit to accommodate the new button. Apple has now integrated the low latency 5G mmWave antenna with the other antennas. The Camera Control button, which sits on the lower right-hand side of the device, is a complex capacitive physical switch that you can press, scroll and use other gestures on to directly manipulate the camera app. Not that pressing the big circle on the display is difficult, but it’s a game-changing way to quickly and efficiently take photo and record videos.
Remarkably, it’s on all four new iPhone 16 models as well. Not just the Pro models. Apple’s feeling generous.
This isn’t just so you can take good, focused photos quickly without even unlocking your phone (catnip for travel writers), it also opens up a bit of functionality for Apple Intelligence (which is in its very nascent stages).
The switch now lets you control advanced features beyond just taking a photo. You can control exposure (no more wiping your finger all over the display), as well as zoom in/out, control depth-of-field and scroll through different photographic styles using touch gestures.
It means much more than the Dynamic Island and Action Button. It means we’ve got an important design feature that now actually changes how we use an iPhone, mirroring the setting dial on a DSLR.
I won’t know until I go hands-on with the phone but it also seems like Apple has fixed the previous generation’s most glaring photography issue. That being just how bloody aggressive the software is when it comes to computational photography. Either everything is too bright and loud, or it’s not. Google is currently still the front-runner when it comes to processing images (although the Pixel 9 Pro is notably slow at doing so), but it’s looking like Apple has found a way to catch up.
Now there is tone setting. You won’t have to contend with unnaturally overexposed shadows anymore, which will help make photos look more realistic and less washed.
There’s more to this button as well. Once Apple really starts to play around with one of its most exciting AI features, Visual Lookup, the Camera Control button will become even more valuable.
Not familiar? Okay, Visual Lookup is basically a way that the iPhone can quickly and effectively recognise certain objects (like furniture, insects or plants) in your photo and give you quick details so you can build context around these photos. It’s a feature that’ll be rolling out with software updates, hopefully later this year. And it seems like the Camera Control button could be key in how we access this features quickly. If I’m right, the iPhone 16 will feel like the most futuristic smartphone to date.
The iPhone 16 models are now available in Australia.
