Apple promised me a new iPhone, but all I got was last year’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 positive it was conceived with a a lot deeper context in thoughts, however it’s change into surprisingly relevant to Apple’s annual iPhone launch.

See, I do know that the newest iPhone known as the iPhone 16, and it comes with the longer term 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 largely feels just like the iPhone 15 with its cameras twisted in a brand new path.

Alright, so I may need oversimplified how comparable 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 equivalent 60Hz shows, very comparable 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 is still a Professional-level unique. Outdoors of the digicam orientation and some new colour choices, the frosted glass again panels are 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, nonetheless, you’ll discover that Apple made a couple of adjustments when it jumped from the iPhone 15 to the iPhone 16. No, it didn’t carry again the SIM tray on US fashions. The mute swap has been supplanted by the motion button — a multifunction management first launched on the iPhone 15 Pro collection. It sits in the identical pure place because the earlier swap, proper above the amount rockers, and presents the liberty to toggle one in every of a couple of dozen capabilities with a single press.

At first, I believed it appeared like a intelligent option to bounce into a favourite app, however after my first few days with the iPhone 16, I’m not so positive. As a substitute, I discover myself opening apps like I all the time have and have remapped the Motion Button to perform as my mute swap. 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, properly, probably not a button. As a substitute, it’s what Apple calls the Camera Control, and it’s designed to present you management over your digicam settings with out having to swipe by way of menus in your show. As a substitute of reaching across the edges of your show, the Digital camera Management lets you swipe by way of issues like your aperture, photograph type, and zoom with a couple of mild presses of the capacitive not-quite button. It’s a neat thought however not one which comes naturally to a brand new person.

At first, you may assume that the Digital camera Management is the one option to work together with its small set of menus. That’s not true. As a substitute, 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 aspect of an iPhone.

Whereas there are a couple of intelligent {hardware} buttons that make the iPhone 16 really feel somewhat bit completely different from the iPhone 15, I can’t say the identical for its software program — although, once more, perhaps that’s not a foul factor. Apple rolled out iOS 18 to its total lineup of supported gadgets simply earlier than the iPhone 16 collection started delivery, which meant that I may load it up on my iPhone 15 whereas I waited for my new telephone to reach. It felt like snooping on my items forward of the vacations — positive, I bought an early dose of pleasure, however I couldn’t assist feeling like I used to be skipping one of many joys of establishing a brand new iPhone.

Don’t get me improper, I used to be pleased to scrub up my house display screen, shifting folders to the place I may attain them and ditching the apps and widgets I’d beforehand used as ballast on the prime of my display screen. I used to be additionally pleased to strive RCS messaging with my dad once more, particularly now that among the beta quirks have been labored out. I used to be even pleased to begin studying my approach across the revamped Photographs app, which is way simpler to arrange, even when the interface seems barely extra difficult at first.

And but, I nonetheless assume 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 believe it ought to have been used as the explanation to seize a brand new iPhone, particularly within the face of {hardware} tweaks that really feel largely non-obligatory. When you may skip the Digital camera Management and hold your Action Button programmed as a mute swap like I’ve, saving software program wrinkles like the flexibility to customise your Management Middle and color-match your app icons would have not less than made the software program expertise on the iPhone 16 really feel contemporary and new.

After all, the true cause that the iPhone 16 feels so much just like the iPhone 15 is due to Apple Intelligence — or relatively, the dearth of Apple Intelligence. Apple spent the most important portion of its fall keynote speaking about its progress in creating 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 verify for any hint of Apple Intelligence — , 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. One way or the other, it’s extra disappointing than the half-baked options that some Android OEMs have launched, like the flexibility to generate wallpapers from a selected set of prompts.

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

Nevertheless, I’ve to mood my pleasure for every part (or something) to do with Apple Intelligence as a result of I do not know when it’ll arrive on my iPhone 16. Positive, the primary options may land in a month or two, however it seems 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 right now for the promise of AI options tomorrow has change into somewhat too well-liked with current 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 not less than anybody trying to improve their telephone has been fooled time 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 carried out 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 flexibility to attract something on prime of an present image with Sketch to Picture or flip family and friends into cartoons with the Portrait Studio. Each are inventive, however I don’t assume both makes my life higher. Nor do they actually encourage me to spend the additional $100 for a brand new Galaxy Z Flip 6 after I fairly preferred the earlier mannequin.

Google did one thing comparable when it introduced Zoom Improve, which might sharpen your zoomed-in photographs, alongside the Pixel 8 collection. It then took almost a 12 months to launch the function, rolling it out on the day the Pixel 9 collection broke cowl. And positive, I’m prepared to present Google a little bit of a move as a result of it has a behavior of stringing out its Characteristic Drops, however it hardly looks like a good option 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 Live, I in all probability would have given the Pixel 9 Professional loads of grief for the options it’s lacking. In spite of everything, it did the other of Apple — launching the Pixel 9 collection lengthy earlier than Android 15 was able to roll out. And but, it appears like Google is setting the perfect instance for on-device AI.

I’ve little doubt that the iPhone 16 will finally really feel like a brand new system. Sooner or later, I’ll have the ability to decide it up and use the Digital camera Management as if it have been second nature and depend on the up to date model of Siri to get me the solutions I would like. Proper now, although, it appears like I simply have final 12 months’s telephone in a fairly new colour.