iPhone 16 "puts a powerful gaming device in users' pockets," Apple claims

Apple unveiled its latest iPhone yesterday, with the firm saying it's able to run AAA games – a feature that was previously limited to its pricier Pro range.

The iPhone 16 features a new A18 chip which Apple claims makes it 30% faster over an iPhone 15's CPU. The firm said that it means it's "enabling demanding AAA games, as well as a big boost in battery life." It went as far as saying that iPhone 16 "puts a powerful gaming device in users' pockets."

"Now with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, games on iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus more accurately represent the behaviour of light with up to 5x higher frame rates than with software-based ray tracing," Apple said. "Both models support the AAA games previously only available on iPhone 15 Pro."

The company is also introducing a Game Mode on iOS 18, with its aim being to deliver "more consistent frame rates." It claimed that this new mode can "deliver up to 30% higher sustained performance for gaming."

Apple announced last year that the iPhone 15 Pro would be able to run native versions of AAA titles, with subsequent launches including Assassin's Creed Mirage and Death Stranding among others. The feature has had limited impact though, with a report earlier this year indicating that the release of Resident Evil 7 on iOS had reportedly only earned Capcom around $28,000.

Following this report, our very own Rob Fahey argued that premium games just don't fit on mobile, not only because of their price tags but also because it sends a negative message about the game experience itself.