Samsung's Galaxy S24 series, which comprises the standard Galaxy S24 Plus model and the powerful Galaxy S24 Ultra, is made up of some of the best phones you can buy right now. And they're true rivals to the iPhone 15 family.
In fact, I'd say that in pure hardware terms, the Galaxy S24, especially the S24 Ultra, outperforms Apple's phone – and I say that as an iPhone 15 Pro Max user.
The question then is, what can the rumoured iPhone 16 range do to keep Samsung’s Galaxy phones at bay? Well, I have a few ideas.
Faster charging
The Galaxy S24 phones don't exactly challenge models like the OnePlus 12 when it comes to fast charging, but they do beat the iPhone 15.
While I am a fan of charging at a decent rate to maintain battery longevity, I think the iPhone 16 could offer more power for its charging. At best, the iPhone 15 Pro Max can charge at 27 watts with a compatible charger, but a Galaxy S24 Ultra can charge with a 45W charger. So I think it’s time for Apple to take inspiration from its South Korean rival and adopt faster charging.
Integrated AI
A no-brainer here, but with AI features on the Galaxy S24 phones, and indeed the new batch of Google Pixel 9 phones, Apple is falling behind when it comes to having a smart smartphone.
The important thing here is to see truly integrated AI, not just nice-to-have features. Apple’s iOS operating system and ecosystem are fairly easy to use, so I’d expect AI features to be the same. While it seems unlikely we’ll see a flood of AI features from Apple in next-generation iPhones, I do expect we’ll see some clever tools – for example, personalized auto-responses to calls and texts, or Siri’s ability to create a clear agenda for the week by sucking in email and calendar data and then integrating it with Maps to find ideas for where to have lunch on Tuesday in between meetings, etc.
More professional cameras
I tend to think that Apple offers the best camera phones on the market, despite TechRadar's overall preference for the Galaxy S24 Ultra. For me, the iPhone cameras offer a consistently high level of performance, both in stills and video, which makes the phones fantastic.
However, I do feel that the options for adjusting a shot are limited – maybe it's my fault, but I feel like Apple could do more in this regard.
And with all the Neural Engine processing the Cupertino team is touting, I'd like to see Apple's computational photography take another step forward, such as better processing of highlights and shadows without compromising contrast, or a smarter shooting guide so people can better capture what they're seeing or expecting to see in a photo.
Pushing games further
With the A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, Apple touted the ability to run console-quality games like Death Stranding. And the phones could do it, though not perfectly.
I still think there's untapped potential, especially with Apple Arcade, so I'd love to see all four planned iPhone 16 models have powerful chips that can run games typically designed for the PS5 or Xbox Series X.
Add to this Apple's developer ecosystem and we could see a new generation of mobile games that are a cut above the rest and offer experiences that other devices, including even the best Android phones, can't offer.
Professional potential
Speaking of power, the current iPhone Pros don’t fall short, but outside of some limited games, I feel like it’s hard to take advantage of all that power. In contrast, the Galaxy S24 phones can offer Samsung DeX, with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip capable of powering a pseudo-desktop experience; while it’s not perfect, it could double as a passable work machine in a pinch.
Knowing Apple, it's wishful thinking, but I'd love to see something similar. We've seen iPads creep up on MacBooks, so I see no reason why an iPhone couldn't offer a semi-desktop version of iOS via a wired or wireless connection to a monitor; heck, Apple could even offer a dedicated hub so it would have something to sell besides this option.
At the very least, this option could make editing photos and videos captured with an iPhone Pro much more refined than trying to tap the screen. I'm hoping some Apple engineer somewhere reads this…
Of course, iPhones are iPhones, so whether or not Apple adopts any of my wishes in the iPhone 16 models, they're sure to be popular.
However, competition from Android phones has never been stronger, so I think Apple might do something special for the next-generation iPhones to keep smartphone attention in the house that Steve Jobs built.
