Apple promised me a brand new iPhone, however all I received was final 12 months’s iPhone… for now

Somebody smarter than me as soon as wrote that the extra issues change, the extra they keep the identical. I’m certain it was conceived with a a lot deeper context in thoughts, nevertheless it’s turn into surprisingly relevant to Apple’s annual iPhone launch.

See, I do know that the most recent iPhone known as the iPhone 16, and it comes with the long run promise of Apple Intelligence options, however what’s in a reputation when these shiny new options haven’t arrived but? I used to be promised a brand new iPhone, however proper now, the iPhone 16 principally feels just like the iPhone 15 with its cameras twisted in a brand new course.

Alright, so I may need oversimplified how related the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 really feel just a bit bit — however not by a lot. From the entrance, they’re virtually indistinguishable, with an identical 60Hz shows, very related bezels, and the pill-shaped Dynamic Island sitting entrance and heart. Oh, and the iPhone 16 nonetheless doesn’t include an always-on show — that continues to be a Professional-level unique. Outdoors of the digital camera orientation and some new shade choices, the frosted glass again panels are a great match, too — although that’s extra of a trigger for pleasure than disappointment. Not less than the acquainted match and end means I knew the iPhone 16 would really feel good within the hand as quickly as I took it out of its field.

Once you shift your eyes across the aluminum body, nevertheless, you’ll discover that Apple made a number of modifications when it jumped from the iPhone 15 to the iPhone 16. No, it didn’t deliver again the SIM tray on US fashions. The mute change has been supplanted by the motion button — a multifunction management first launched on the iPhone 15 Professional collection. It sits in the identical pure place because the earlier change, proper above the quantity rockers, and gives the liberty to toggle considered one of a few dozen features with a single press.

At first, I assumed it appeared like a intelligent strategy to bounce into a favourite app, however after my first few days with the iPhone 16, I’m not so certain. As an alternative, I discover myself opening apps like I all the time have and have remapped the Motion Button to perform as my mute change. As I stated, the extra issues change, the extra they keep the identical.

The opposite new button that sits alongside the sting of the iPhone 16 is, effectively, probably not a button. As an alternative, it’s what Apple calls the Digital camera Management, and it’s designed to offer you management over your digital camera settings with out having to swipe by way of menus in your show. As an alternative of reaching across the edges of your show, the Digital camera Management permits you to swipe by way of issues like your aperture, photograph model, and zoom with a number of mild presses of the capacitive not-quite button. It’s a neat concept however not one which comes naturally to a brand new consumer.

At first, you would possibly suppose that the Digital camera Management is the one strategy to work together with its small set of menus. That’s not true. As an alternative, it’s a lot simpler to make use of the Digital camera Management to set off the menus after which swipe alongside your show to zoom out and in a lot quicker. I’m additionally nonetheless studying the place the Digital camera Management sits, as I’m not used to having a button sit so low on the facet of an iPhone.

Whereas there are a number of intelligent {hardware} buttons that make the iPhone 16 really feel slightly bit totally different from the iPhone 15, I can’t say the identical for its software program — although, once more, possibly that’s not a foul factor. Apple rolled out iOS 18 to its complete lineup of supported units simply earlier than the iPhone 16 collection started transport, which meant that I might load it up on my iPhone 15 whereas I waited for my new cellphone to reach. It felt like snooping on my presents forward of the vacations — certain, I received an early dose of pleasure, however I couldn’t assist feeling like I used to be skipping one of many joys of organising a brand new iPhone.

Don’t get me unsuitable, I used to be blissful to scrub up my house display screen, shifting folders to the place I might attain them and ditching the apps and widgets I’d beforehand used as ballast on the high of my display screen. I used to be additionally blissful to attempt RCS messaging with my dad once more, particularly now that a number of the beta quirks have been labored out. I used to be even blissful to start out studying my method across the revamped Pictures app, which is way simpler to prepare, even when the interface seems barely extra difficult at first.

And but, I nonetheless suppose that the iPhone 16 ought to have been the primary to get iOS 18, even when it was prepared simply forward of launch day. I feel it ought to have been used as the rationale to seize a brand new iPhone, particularly within the face of {hardware} tweaks that really feel largely elective. Whilst you might skip the Digital camera Management and hold your Motion Button programmed as a mute change like I’ve, saving software program wrinkles like the power to customise your Management Middle and color-match your app icons would have no less than made the software program expertise on the iPhone 16 really feel recent and new.

In fact, the true cause that the iPhone 16 feels so much just like the iPhone 15 is due to Apple Intelligence — or somewhat, the shortage of Apple Intelligence. Apple spent the biggest portion of its fall keynote speaking about its progress in growing AI for the iPhone, however none of it’s right here but. We’ll begin to see the primary fruits of Apple Intelligence in beta kind beginning someday in October when iOS 18.1 rolls out, however till then, they’re simply form of a pipedream.

After I first unboxed and arrange my iPhone 16 Professional, I did a cursory test for any hint of Apple Intelligence — you realize, simply in case. I discovered none. No new Siri animation, no new writing instruments, simply the identical dependable iPhone expertise that I’m used to. In some way, it’s extra disappointing than the half-baked options that some Android OEMs have launched, like the power to generate wallpapers from a selected set of prompts.

And but, I do know that Apple has lofty targets for AI on the iPhone. When issues like the brand new, extra conversational Siri and generative Picture Playground roll out, they’ll most likely be properly polished. I’m even excited concerning the skill to sort inquiries to Siri, as I don’t all the time like to ask my silliest queries out loud.

Nonetheless, I’ve to mood my pleasure for every thing (or something) to do with Apple Intelligence as a result of I do not know when it’ll arrive on my iPhone 16. Certain, the primary options would possibly land in a month or two, nevertheless it feels like lots of the heavy hitters must wait till 2025, and even then, they’ll be in beta, too. Now that I give it some thought, paying at the moment for the promise of AI options tomorrow has turn into slightly too standard with latest flagship launches — and it’s not simply Apple.

Within the immortal phrases of former president George W Bush, “Idiot me as soon as, disgrace on you. Idiot me — you may’t get fooled once more.” Solely this time, I really feel like I’ve been fooled, or no less than anybody trying to improve their cellphone has been fooled again and again. We’re promised thrilling new options, however they usually take a number of months to reach after launch — lengthy after we’ve began paying for our costly new telephones. Proper now, my irritation is centered round Apple and its promise of upcoming AI options, however Google and Samsung have achieved the identical factor to me prior to now 12 months or so.

Samsung appears decided to promote me on generative Galaxy AI options that really feel half-baked, like the power to attract something on high of an present image with Sketch to Picture or flip family and friends into cartoons with the Portrait Studio. Each are artistic, however I don’t suppose both makes my life higher. Nor do they actually encourage me to spend the additional $100 for a brand new Galaxy Z Flip 6 once I fairly preferred the earlier mannequin.

Google did one thing related when it introduced Zoom Improve, which might sharpen your zoomed-in photographs, alongside the Pixel 8 collection. It then took practically a 12 months to launch the characteristic, rolling it out on the day the Pixel 9 collection broke cowl. And certain, I’m prepared to offer Google a little bit of a move as a result of it has a behavior of stringing out its Characteristic Drops, nevertheless it hardly looks like a good strategy to market a $1,000 smartphone.

If not for the numerous enhancements to Magic Editor, the revamped, AI-powered Pixel Climate app, and the extremely conversational Gemini Stay, I most likely would have given the Pixel 9 Professional loads of grief for the options it’s lacking. In spite of everything, it did the alternative of Apple — launching the Pixel 9 collection lengthy earlier than Android 15 was able to roll out. And but, it seems like Google is setting the most effective instance for on-device AI.

I’ve little question that the iPhone 16 will finally really feel like a brand new machine. Someday, I’ll have the ability to choose it up and use the Digital camera Management as if it had been second nature and depend on the up to date model of Siri to get me the solutions I want. Proper now, although, it seems like I simply have final 12 months’s cellphone in a fairly new shade.