Apple unveiled its long-awaited, artificial intelligence-boosted iPhone 16 on September 9 and promised improvements in its Siri personal assistant as it rolled out new software, beginning in test mode in October.
“The next generation of iPhone has been designed for Apple Intelligence from the ground up. It marks the beginning of an exciting new era,” chief executive Tim Cook said at a product launch.
Apple and technology companies worldwide are racing to add AI to products, and phones are expected to be one of the most important battlegrounds.
The California-based company is also betting that the AI feature will encourage consumers to upgrade amid a slowdown in iPhone sales.
Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI software, will improve Siri and enhance features such as understanding and identifying objects captured by the phone camera, executives said.
A test version of Apple Intelligence will be available in the US version of English in October. It will be available for other localized versions of English in December, and in 2025, versions in Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish will follow.
Apple said that features, including improvements to Siri, will be rolled out over time. It did not say, however, when it would move beyond the test.
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will use a new chip and an aluminum case.
A customizable button that can control the camera was one of the most touted hardware features in a format similar to previous models. The iPhone 16 will start at US$799 (S$1040), and the iPhone 16 Plus will start at US$899.
The higher-end 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are made from titanium and have more AI capability, such as offering suggestions on how to set up a photo shoot more effectively and audio-editing capabilities aimed at professional-level video production. The iPhone 16 Pro will start at US$999 and the 16 Pro Max starts at US$1,199.
Apple’s new iPhone chips use the latest version of Arm’s architecture that includes specific features to speed AI applications.
