Here's how you can pre-order the new iPhone at the Apple Store

After last year's major update, we weren't expecting any major changes to the design of Apple's standard smartphone, but we were pleasantly surprised.

He iPhone 16 The new iPhone 12 features a more powerful A18 chip, which Apple says is so capable it can compete with desktop computers. This chip will help power Apple Intelligence features like built-in Private Cloud Compute, generatively generated emoji, Image Playground, and updated Photo Search. Apple Intelligence features will begin rolling out next month. Apple also made sure to point out how good the new chip will be for gaming on the iPhone.

Base iPhone models typically include legacy features previously only available on Pro models (such as the addition of Dynamic Island last year). Apple is now giving the iPhone 16 the Action button introduced with the iPhone 15 Pro. It replaces the mute switch and can handle different functions, like taking a photo or starting a voice memo, depending on what you designate in Settings.

There's also a new force-sensitive capacitive button on the side called Camera Control. But it does a lot more than just launch, take photos, and adjust camera settings — it also appears to be a major part of Apple's new Visual Intelligence features, coming later this year.

The display measures 6.1 inches in the standard size and 6.7 inches on the iPhone 16 Plus. The Super Retina XDR displays are the same as last year’s models, but are now covered by a new glass-ceramic display that Apple says is 50 percent more durable than before.

This time around, the cameras are oriented a little differently, with a vertical (rather than diagonal) stack that can support spatial video recording for integration with the Vision Pro headset. There's a 48MP main lens and a 12MP telephoto lens. The battery is larger, too.

The new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will be available in new colors — navy blue, teal, and pink — in addition to black and white. The starting price will be $799 for the standard model and $899 for the Plus. You can reserve your new phone directly from Apple starting Friday, September 13 at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time (8:00 a.m. Eastern Time), and the phones will begin shipping on September 20.

He iPhone 16 Pro It appears to be geared toward creators, with more cinematic audio and video features. It also looks a bit different from its predecessor, thanks to a larger display. The screens now measure 6.3 inches for the Pro and 6.9 inches for the Pro Max — that’s 0.2 inches larger than last year for each model and the largest iPhone display to date.

The new Pro models will feature a new A18 Pro chip with a 16-core Neural Engine, enabling faster Apple Intelligence processing. In fact, Apple called it the fastest chip in any smartphone.

You’ll also notice the same new button on the side as on the standard iPhone 16: Camera Control. It allows for a light press to focus and a full press to take a photo like a standalone camera. The capacitive button will also let you swipe to switch modes and will handle features in Apple’s upcoming Visual Intelligence.

Taking advantage of that new button are some improved lenses. The iPhone 16 Pro has a new 48-megapixel selfie camera on the front and three cameras on the back: a 48MP Fusion camera, a 48MP Ultra Wide, and a 12MP Telephoto with up to 5x optical zoom. They can shoot 4K video at 120 fps (and in slow motion), and offer four studio-quality microphones that enable spatial audio capture and more “cinematic” audio overall. A new Voice Memo feature lets you record an additional track over an existing memo.

All iPhone 16 models also support Qi2 charging.

The new Pro models will be available in four colors — a new desert titanium along with three other titanium colors from last year. They’ll start at $999 for the iPhone 16 Pro and $1,199 for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Preorders open Friday, September 13 at 5 a.m. Pacific time (8 a.m. Eastern time), with the phones arriving in stores on September 20.