Apple on Monday unveiled its long-awaited, artificial intelligence-boosted iPhone 16 and promised improvements in its Siri personal assistant as it rolled out new software, beginning in test mode next month.
“The next generation of iPhone has been designed for Apple Intelligence from the ground up. It marks the beginning of an exciting new era,” Chief Executive Tim Cook said at the product launch.
Apple and technology companies around the world are racing to add AI to products, and phones are expected to be among the most important battlegrounds. The Cupertino, California-based company also is betting the AI feature will drive consumers to upgrade amid a slowdown in iPhone sales.
Chinese smartphone company Huawei launched its trifold phone hours after Apple debuts iPhone 16. Huawei trifold smartphone will start at the equivalent of more than $2,800.
On Monday stateside, Apple announced its iPhone 16 Pro Max will start at $1,199, and the iPhone 16 at $799. In the China market, both phones are set to begin in-store sales on September 20, 2024.
Huawei began pre-orders on Saturday and is set to begin in-store sales on September 20 as well.
The first set of Apple Intelligence AI features will be available in a free software update next month, the company said. iPhone 16 users as well as those of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max can use the new functions.
Huawei’s Mate XT also comes with artificial intelligence features, such as text translation and cloud-based content generation, according to Tuesday’s presentation.