Indonesia has officially banned the sale and use of the iPhone 16 series. According to Indonesia’s Ministry of Industry, Apple’s delayed contributions to local infrastructure and sourcing have prevented the tech giant from meeting essential regulatory requirements. Indonesia’s Industry Minister, Gumiwang Kartasasmita, emphasized the ban: “If there is an iPhone 16 that can operate in Indonesia, that means it is illegal. Do report it to us.” The warning underscores the government’s intent to ensure compliance from foreign tech firms operating in the country. Apple initially committed to a $109 million (1.7 trillion rupiah) investment in Indonesia to boost infrastructure and support local sourcing initiatives. However, the Indonesian government reports that Apple has invested only 1.48 trillion rupiah ($95 million) to date, leaving a shortfall of 230 billion rupiah ($14.75 million). This shortfall has effectively blocked Apple from obtaining the crucial International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) certification, a mandatory requirement for legally selling devices in Indonesia. Minister Kartasasmita explained, “We, the Ministry of Industry, are yet to issue permits for the iPhone 16 because there are still commitments that Apple must realize.” Reports also indicate that Indonesia’s ban extends beyond the iPhone 16 to include the newly launched Watch Series 10, which debuted alongside Apple’s latest smartphone. Both devices currently lack approval for legal sale within Indonesian borders.

Apple has officially introduced the iPhone 16 series, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the show's biggest star. With a release set for September 20, 2024, the Pro Max model brings a blend of subtle but impactful updates, particularly in terms of display, battery life, and camera performance. Let's dive into what this phone has to offer and see if bigger truly means better. Key Features and Specs of the iPhone 16 Pro Max Design The iPhone 16 Pro Max follows a similar design approach to its predecessor but with minor tweaks. It measures 163 mm by 77.6 mm by 8.3 mm and weighs a hefty 227 grams, making it a larger and slightly heavier device compared to the iPhone 16 Pro. It retains the premium titanium frame, offering increased durability without the bulk, and features Corning-made glass on both the front and back. Like the other iPhone 16 models, the Pro Max is IP68-rated, meaning it’s resistant to dust and water (up to 6 meters for 30 minutes). It comes in four colors: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, and Desert Titanium. Moreover, the inclusion of a USB-C port with USB 3 speeds, makes it more versatile for connectivity. Display One of the major highlights of the iPhone 16 Pro Max is its expansive 6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. The screen-to-body ratio is an impressive 91.4%, ensuring an immersive experience with its thinner bezels. The display is protected by 2024 gen Ceramic Shield glass. Read more: Apple iPhone 16 Review: Can It Set New Standards for the Brand? With a resolution of 1320 by 2868 pixels (~460 ppi), everything looks sharp, vibrant, and fluid thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate. Brightness reaches up to 2000 nits in high-brightness mode, ensuring readability in outdoor conditions. Additionally, the Always-On display feature and Dynamic Island return, keep the phone’s design familiar while enhancing user interaction. Cameras The iPhone 16 Pro Max features a versatile triple-camera system. The 48 MP wide camera, with an f/1.8 aperture, dual pixel PDAF, and sensor-shift OIS, ensures sharp, stable images even in low light. It also includes a 48 MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide lens for capturing broad scenes and a new 12 MP (f/2.8) periscope telephoto lens offering 5x optical zoom with enhanced stabilization, perfect for distant shots. Read more: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Review: Does a Bigger Phone Come with Better Features? The device excels in video with 4K recording at various frame rates, including 120 fps for smooth slow motion. Dolby Vision HDR and stereo sound recording further enhance the cinematic quality. The front camera offers 12 MP (f/1.9) with PDAF and OIS, making it ideal for selfies and video calls. The TOF 3D LiDAR scanner adds advanced depth-sensing for photography and AR. It can capture a maximum of 4K footage with gyro-EIS support. Overall, the iPhone 16 Pro Max camera system is designed for professional-level photography and videography.

Apple has launched its latest iPhone 16 series worldwide on 9th September 2024. With a few basic updates on its overall design, the latest iPhone series sticks to the norm in terms of variability. Besides the basic iPhone 16, it has launched Pro and Pro Max versions. Let’s dive into the details of the iPhone 16 Pro to get a better grip on its updates and new features. Key Features and Specs of the iPhone 16 Pro Design The iPhone 16 Pro features a sleek design with dimensions of 149.6 mm by 71.5 mm by 8.3 mm and weighs 199 grams, making it slightly larger than the iPhone 15 Pro but still compact. Its frame is made from strong grade 5 titanium, with Corning-made glass on both the front and back for durability. It has a flat-edged design, continuing the signature iPhone look, and includes a camera island in the top left corner. The device is IP68 rated, meaning it can withstand dust and water immersion up to 6 meters for 30 minutes. The new Camera Control button is a standout feature, located below the power key. This capacitive button allows for precise camera functions like zoom and background blur. The iPhone 16 Pro comes in four color options: Desert Titanium, Natural Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium. Plus, it features a USB-C charging port with USB 3 speeds. Read more: Top Smartphones Launching in September 2024: iPhone 16 and More Display The iPhone 16 Pro features a 6.3-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display, slightly larger than previous models, up from 6.1 inches on the 15 Pro. It sports a 1206 by 2622 pixels resolution, a 19.5:9 ratio, and about 460 ppi density. With a screen-to-body ratio of about 90.1%, the display feels expansive thanks to slimmer borders. It supports a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10, and Dolby Vision, providing vibrant visuals. The screen also reaches 2000 nits brightness in high brightness mode, ideal for outdoor use, but lacks the anti-reflective coating seen on some competitors. One practical feature is the display’s ability to drop to just 1 nit, making it more comfortable for low-light use, especially at night. Protection is provided by the new generation of Ceramic Shield glass, which improves durability. The iPhone 16 Pro also maintains the Always-On display feature and the Dynamic Island for Face ID, keeping familiar elements while upgrading in size and performance. Read more: Nothing CMF Phone 1 Review: Budget-friendly Phone with Innovative Modular Design Cameras The iPhone 16 Pro comes with significant camera upgrades. Its triple-camera system includes a new 48MP (f/2.2, 13mm and .7 micron sensor) ultra-wide sensor, up from the previous 12MP, enabling quad-pixel binning for better low-light photos and the option to shoot at the full 48MP resolution. The 12 MP (f/2.8, 120mm, 1/3.06", and 1.12µm sensor) periscope telephoto camera now supports 5x optical zoom, an improvement over the previous 3x, using the same tetraprism lens as the Pro Max, perfect for capturing distant subjects. The main 48MP (f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.28-inch, and 1.22µm) wide camera remains, delivering sharp and detailed shots. Photographic Styles have been redesigned, allowing you to change the style of an image after capture, with more control over tone, color, and palette. Its selfie shooter is a 12 MP, camera (f/1.9, 23mm wide, and 1/3.6-inch lens). Read more: Motorola Moto G85 5G Review: A Flagship Grade Display on a Lower Mid-Range Smartphone For video, the iPhone 16 Pro’s back and front cameras support 4K footage at maximum with different fps ranges. The quality of videos is much crisper than its ancestor 15 Pro.  A new "Clean up" tool in iOS 18.1 lets you easily remove unwanted objects from photos. Altogether, these improvements make the camera system more versatile for both photos and videos.

Apple launched its latest iPhone 16 worldwide on 9th September 2024. With a few basic updates on its overall design, the latest iPhone is better than the past versions, maintaining the brand's standard. Let’s dive into the details of the iPhone 16 to get a better understanding of its updates and new features. Key Features and Specs of the Apple iPhone 16 Design The iPhone 16 brings subtle yet functional design updates, continuing Apple's gradual evolution trend. One key change is the vertical arrangement of the rear cameras, giving the phone a slightly different look from its predecessor. Introducing an Action button and a capacitive Camera Control button adds more utility to the design, allowing users to control camera functions and other features more easily. These additions align the iPhone 16 more closely with the Pro models in terms of functionality, including the ability to capture spatial photos and videos for viewing in 3D on devices like the Apple Vision Pro. With dimensions of about 147.6 mm by 71.6 mm by 7.8 mm, the iPhone 16 weighs 170 gm.  Read more: realme C61 Review with Price in Bangladesh In terms of build, the iPhone 16 retains a familiar design, with a glass front and back, both made from Corning glass and an aluminum frame that contributes to its lightweight feel. The phone is IP68-rated for dust and water resistance, which means it can survive submersion in up to 6 meters of water for 30 minutes. Display The iPhone 16’s display sticks to Apple’s Super Retina XDR OLED technology, maintaining a 6.1-inch screen size. It supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision, offering a peak brightness of up to 2,000 nits. However, whether it can consistently reach that level in practical use remains uncertain. The phone has an 1179 by 2556 pixel resolution, with a density of about 460 ppi, ensuring detailed visuals. The design includes the familiar pill-shaped cutout for Dynamic Island, which integrates notifications and controls into the display. Protection comes from the latest generation of Ceramic Shield glass, enhancing durability. Read more: Honor X6b Review: Style Meets Budget Although the iPhone 16’s display looks sharp and vibrant, Apple still limits the refresh rate to 60Hz, which feels outdated compared to many modern devices offering higher refresh rates.  Despite these updates, the screen size, Dynamic Island, and the 60Hz refresh rate remain unchanged from previous models. Cameras The iPhone 16 features a dual-camera system on the back with a 48 MP wide camera and a 12 MP (f/2.2) ultrawide lens. The wide camera has an f/1.6 aperture and uses sensor-shift optical image stabilization (OIS) to reduce motion blur. On the other hand, the ultrawide camera has a 120° field of view for capturing more in each shot. Both cameras support dual-pixel phase detection autofocus (PDAF) for faster focusing. The camera setup offers a maximum of 4K video recording at various frame rates with HDR and Dolby Vision.  Read more: Top Smartphones Launching in September 2024: iPhone 16 and More On the front, there’s a 12 MP selfie camera with an f/1.9 aperture, 3D depth, and a biometrics sensor for Face ID. The design retains familiar features like dual-LED flash and HDR photo capabilities. The front camera also supports 4K video recording with gyro-based electronic image stabilization (EIS) for smoother footage.

Apple has been consistent with its mid-September launch schedule over the years. Last year, the iPhone 15 series was announced on 12th September with pre-orders beginning just three days later. With less than a month to go for this year’s speculated release, here are some exciting and almost-confirmed changes we’ll see on the new iPhone 16 series.  Major Leaks and Rumors Regarding iPhone 16 series  An Upgraded Display  The iPhone 16 series is set to feature a larger and brighter display with even more reduced bezels than the 15 series. The new models are tipped to be 6.3 inches in the standard iPhone 16 and 16 Pro whereas the 16 Plus and 16 Pro Max will be bumped up to 6.9 inches. It’s a good 0.2-inch upgrade over the current variants.  It’s also tipped that the 16 series will feature new displays developed by Samsung. The new models are set to be even brighter thanks to the M14 OLED material on the micro-LED panel.  There was a rumor regarding the inclusion of an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. However, the plan is reported to have been scrapped in favor of an overhauled Face ID system.  Read more: Best Free Personal Safety Android, iOS Apps for Women in 2024 New Camera System  There will be several changes to the camera system of the 16 series. The first and most obvious change comes in the base 16 and 16 Plus as they will now feature vertical camera lenses. The change isn’t just aesthetic as the vertical setup will allow the devices to shoot spatial videos compatible with the Vision Pro headset.  The 16 Pro will get the 5X telephoto zoom lens this time around which was reserved for the Pro Max variant last year. The ultrawide sensor will also be updated to a 48 MP sensor across the models. This is a highly anticipated upgrade as the iPhones had the same 12 MP ultrawide shooter since the 11.  There’s also an unreliable rumor about a larger main sensor and a super-telephoto lens for the Pro Max. But you’ll be better off taking that with a grain of salt. Read more: Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G Review: Midrange Phone with AI Features New Buttons  Last year we saw the Action Button on the Pro models which replaced the long-standing and much-loved mute toggle. This year, Apple is making the Action Button a standard in all the models. And with that, the mute toggle is truly gone from the Apple design system.  But for those who like customization, the Action Button is set to include all the features from the 15 Pro series with a possible inclusion of a few more with the new iOS update.  Apple is also planning to include a Capture Button this year. It will be placed below the power button where your index finger generally would be while taking a landscape shot. The haptic-based mechanism will function as a focus, zooming, and capturing button depending on press strength.  It's Apple’s way of mimicking traditional photography and bringing a sense of nostalgia into mobile photography. Read more: Honor 200 Pro Review: A Flagship Camera Experience A New Chip for Better AI and ML  The new 16 series will feature the updated Apple’s Bionic A18 chip. However, the chipset could be differentiated into A18 and A18 Pro for the standard and Pro variants. The souped-up version is expected to have more GPU cores than the standard one. The A18 Pro is also slated to have the next-gen neural engine for upgraded AI and ML capabilities. This will make way for future Apple Intelligence integration.  The new models will also feature a better thermal management system across all the options. The current iPhone models feature a copper-based heat dissipation solution. The new models, as tipped, will come with a graphene-based solution for better efficiency.  This is a much-needed upgrade considering how powerful the Apple chips are. Last year we noticed certain thermal throttling issues on the iPhone 15 series. Given the processor upgrade, the thermal management system upgrade also seems the logical solution.  Read more: vivo iQOO Z9x 5G Review: Budget Meets Substance RAM Upgradation  iPhone has been stuck on 6 GB RAM for several iterations. That’s hopefully going to change with the iPhone 16 series as all the models are slated to come with a standard 8 GB RAM.  Latest Battery Technology  The iPhone 16 series will see the introduction of the stacked battery technology for the first time. Battery stacking is usually seen in EVs and medical equipment. It's still an emerging tech in smartphones which helps to save a lot of internal space.  The 16 series may also see the use of a stainless steel casing for the battery. It’ll increase the overall battery density by 10% which in turn means longer-lasting battery health. However, it is highly likely to be featured on one of the Pro variants.  Read more: Motorola Razr 50 Ultra Flip Phone Review: A Trip to Nostalgia Reports coming out of China hint at a 2.5% to 6% increase in battery on the standard 16, 16 Pro, and Pro Max. The Plus however might see a battery decrement.  Unconfirmed reports also suggest the charging speed be bumped up to 40W wired and 27W MagSafe charging. The significant jump in charge speed makes us question its authenticity even more. But if it does happen, we’re all here for it.  New 5G Modem  Apple is reportedly going with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X75 modem for their Pro models this year. The X75 brings upgraded and advanced 5G capabilities with AI and ML integration. It is also reported to use 20% less circuit than the existing X70 modems making it more power efficient.  Read more: OPPO Reno 12 5G Review: Upholding the Legacy? However, the standard 16 and 16 Plus will feature the X70 modem seen on the 15 series. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo forecasts that this is the last year of Apple using third-party modems. We might see in-house 5G modems coming out with the 2025 iPhones.  Increased Price  An unfortunate report coming out of China is that the 16 series might see a price increment for all the models. Last year the production cost of the 15 series was already at an all-time high with a 16% increment over the 14 series. While Apple resorted to absorbing the cost, the same might not hold for the 16 series. As a result, there’s strong speculation of “The most expensive iPhones yet”.  Final Words  To be honest, the iPhone 16 series might not be the next big thing in Apple's innovation list. It's going to be just another incremental update over the 15 with minor spec bumps and new colorways. The Apple Intelligence is expected to show up sometime in Q4 this year, well after the launch of the 16 series. For now, all eyes are on a mid-September release date and the speculated release of the iPhone SE 4 and iPhone 17 Air next year.  Read more: Top 8 Smartphones Launching in August 2024: Features, Specs, and Release Dates