Going backwards through the presentation, I started by covering the Pro, then the Air. Now, about the iPhone that is neither thin nor professional, the one most people will buy.

Same procedure as every year

• The display is larger, and the edges are thinner.
• The chip is more powerful and more energy efficient.
• The display is brighter.
• The durability of the display is improved.
• The battery lasts longer.

What I learned from a source here in Germany: The camera lenses are worse because Apple now relies on AI to correct imperfections in the glass. That means if you use your phone for forensic work, the images are worthless, but nobody is going to know, and that is bad.

The good stuff

Apple is actually innovating on the front camera. This new front camera is in all new iPhones; the sensor is no longer in a 4:3 format but a square and almost 2x the size of the previous front camera. This means you can now take landscape photos with the front camera while holding your phone upright/in portrait mode. Apple will use AI to frame you nicely, and if you’re taking a selfie with many people, the AI will expand the frame to capture a wider angle. Nice!

The best iPhone?

I recently bought an iPhone 16e because it was the one with the biggest battery and has almost no camera bump. Do I regret it? No. Would I still buy the 16e after today’s release? Probably. Those of us using the iPhone mainly as a phone for calling, texting, and CarPlay do not need a camera/gaming handheld, and although the iPhone lineup did not get more expensive this year, I’d still get the one without a camera bump that is also the cheapest.