iPhone 16: The AI Revolution Shaping the Future of Smartphones

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A report by Lea Fayad, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

If you're out exploring and discover a restaurant you'd like to try, with just one click on your phone, you can capture it, and all the details, from the menu to the reservation number, are at your fingertips.

Want to buy a bike like the one you saw on the road? Simply take a picture, and you'll instantly know all nearby stores selling it along with the prices. And if you’re stuck on a school question, no worries—just snap a picture and leave the explanation to ChatGPT.

All these features are offered by the new iPhone 16 series, launched by Apple, which is the first to run on the AI-powered “Apple Intelligence,” built on the advanced A18 chip. Besides its precision camera and gaming-optimized graphics, your phone will help you write emails, create custom emojis based on your imagination, and let you converse with Siri more smoothly.

Alongside the iPhone 16 series, Apple unveiled new devices like a watch that can detect health issues such as sleep apnea, and AirPods designed to assist those with hearing difficulties.

Numbers show that the iPhone accounts for half of Apple's sales. The launch of this new version comes amid fierce competition in the smartphone sector, especially after Apple surpassed Samsung in sales last year, ending Samsung’s 12-year reign as the largest smartphone seller in the world.

However, the iPhone 16 is not without challenges: First, entering the Chinese market—the largest smartphone market—requires government approval in the field of AI, particularly as China has banned the use of ChatGPT. Second, competition from other companies like China's Huawei, which, just hours before the iPhone 16 launch, announced receiving over 3 million pre-orders for its new tri-fold phone, showcasing its resilience against U.S. sanctions. Third, and perhaps most importantly, other companies are developing their own AI technologies, like Google, which launched “Gemini Live” a month ago, featuring a smart assistant similar to Apple's.

In conclusion, we have entered a new era in smartphones, with AI being the key factor shaping the future of competition. Now, the question is: which phone will become your most accurate and powerful personal assistant?