Forget the new iPhone 16 Pro, there are far better alternatives

Updated September 8 with details on Apple's AI delay.

Tim Cook's subtle showmanship will be on full display at Apple's Glowtime event this Monday. The launch of this year's iPhone range will take place in front of a no doubt enthusiastic crowd at the Steve Jobs Theater, as Cook's team showcases features that “sweet in a way that only Apple can.”

But they are just telephones.

Apple has no exclusivity when it comes to innovating or introducing new technologies to the market. In the current market, countless alternatives offer a better experience, a more robust offering, and more features than the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro.

However, if you're plugged into Apple's ecosystem, have invested thousands of dollars in apps, services and subscriptions, and your other digital hardware is also Apple-made, there's only one option. To experience new smartphone technology, you'll have to wait until Apple determines the right time.

For many, “just a phone” is enough. The capabilities of modern smartphones ensure that the basic functions are always there, no matter what platform or manufacturer you choose. This includes the iPhone. I don't look at that grouping. I look at the top limit. I look at innovation, experimentation and evolution. I look at the cutting edge of mobile communications. There are more voices than Apple.

Let's take three features of the iPhone 16 family that Apple will use as big selling points: artificial intelligence, improved zoom and the new record button. All of these features are not only available on competing devices, but have also been developed several times over many years.

Google launched the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones in 2023 as the first AI smartphones. Since then, major manufacturers have released generative AI suites – Samsung's Galaxy AI is probably the one with the largest user base – and with the start of a new smartphone cycle, we'll see the second generation of AI software and hardware. Google's recent Pixel 9 event brought Gemini AI and a whole host of new AI-powered tools to the Android platform.

The version with the odd backronym Apple Intelligence won't be available at the launch of the iPhone 16. Instead, a subset of features will be available in October, ChatGPT is planned “before the end of the year,” and the full first-generation AI won't be available until March, about fifteen months after Android.

Update: Sunday, September 8:

In his article for the Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman reports that Apple has delayed further sections of its generative AI platform:

“The new Apple Intelligence tools will indeed be a big part of Monday's launch event for the iPhone 16. But it's also becoming increasingly clear that consumers will have to wait for the best features.”

The first version will focus on summarizing text, such as notifications and web content, AI-powered editing tools for photos, and transcription of phone conversations. The most well-known AI feature – at least among consumers – is ChatGPT's text generation engine. Although this will be part of Apple Intelligence, Gurman reiterated the timeframe for a possible late December release.

In addition to the implementation issues of Apple Intelligence itself, Apple must contend with the Digital Markets Act and the possibility that the implementation could be seen as anti-competitive. This means that Apple Intelligence will not be available in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden when it launches.

While competitors continue to innovate and collect anonymized data from millions of users, Apple will be years behind when it finally decides to enter the AI ​​race.

Apple introduced a foldable periscope lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max last year and will also introduce it on the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max this year. Optical zoom offers far greater clarity and fidelity than the digital zoom that manufacturers have been striving for for many years. Apple's debut of folding lens technology in 2023 came three years after Huawei and Xiaomi's first smartphone lenses. Samsung and Google are both joining the party in 2021.

Last year's programmable action button on the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max will be available on all iPhone 16 and 16 Pro models, along with an additional capture button that supports the camera. Physical buttons and sliders have long been a staple of phone design. There's Samsung's Bixby button, OnePlus' alert slider, Sony's camera shutter buttons, and more.

Innovations in the Android world seem to be years ahead of Apple's efforts. The current generation of foldable phones hitting the mainstream have evolved from the first slim-body devices to today's designs that can easily be mistaken for a regular phone when closed, but open up to the nearly nine-inch screens of the Honor Magic V3 or Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

There is a growing emphasis on ease of repair and replacement with Android devices, not just from first- and third-party repair centers, but also from users who want the ability to replace parts on their own smartphones themselves, rather than paying a hefty premium to have a sealed unit cracked open to replace a simple component. Fairphone has been a leader in this direction for many years, and HMD's new Skyline handset makes repairability a strong selling point.

While they may not pick up as many titles as Sony or Nintendo consoles, the market for smartphone gaming is huge. Still, it's noticeable that the big titles are predominantly Android-focused. No wonder you can find dedicated gaming phones in a wide range of Android phones. The phones are specifically designed to meet the needs of gamers, offering fast-responding and refreshing screens, shoulder buttons, active cooling, and increased processing power. The all-round phone is used for casual gamers, but for those who need an edge, there are phones designed specifically for their needs.

When Tim Cook and his team take the stage at the Glowtime event on Monday, they will tell their story of challenges and adversity to bring you the best iPhone and new features as only Apple can. Every manufacturer tells the same story; no phone launch would be complete without these moments.

The iPhone 16 family isn't a one-off that stands out from the rest of the smartphone market. It doesn't dominate the market, nor does it monopolize all the best features. The mix of software and services that make up iOS has created a phone that's popular with its user base, but it's not the only all-around smartphone that offers a good browser, solid connectivity, and a well-stocked library of third-party apps.

Apple's iPhone is not the smartphone that beats all others. For some people, the iPhone is the right choice, for others there are better alternatives. When Tim Cook takes the stage to tell the story of the iPhone 16 family, remember that it is just one of many.

Read more about the iPhone 17 and how Apple plans to reduce its dependence on Qualcomm…