00:00Every Piece of an iPhone
00:04The average person checks their phone over 100 times a day.
00:07At this point, your phone is basically an extension of your brain.
00:10You know what they can do.
00:11They run generative AI in real time, they take professional-grade photographs, and let
00:16you FaceTime your friend from the other side of the planet.
00:19They're also totally inescapable and completely addictive.
00:22But have you thought about what exactly is inside?
00:24The answer is fascinating.
00:26Each and every piece is the culmination of millions of hours of research, testing, development,
00:31and manufacturing, all coming together to truly revolutionize the way we live.
00:35So let's break it down.
00:36This is Every Piece of an iPhone.
00:43It starts with the frame, and the iPhone 16 Pro uses grade 5 titanium, which makes it
00:47lighter and stronger than aluminum.
00:49The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus still have the aluminum alloy frame.
00:53Surrounding the screen is the bezel, a precision-engineered piece that seamlessly integrates the screen
00:57to the frame of the phone.
00:59These bezels keep getting smaller, and that's especially true on the iPhone 16 Pro.
01:04There are five antenna lines around the iPhone, and these lines help the device connect to
01:07millimeter-wave 5G for the fastest speeds yet, at least where available.
01:12There are now five physical buttons on the iPhone 16 series.
01:15The volume rocker, the action button, the power button, and the camera control button,
01:20which is the newest addition.
01:21This button lets you jump straight into the camera, and you can slide your finger on it
01:24to switch camera modes.
01:26Press and hold it, and you'll activate Apple's new Visual Intelligence feature within Apple
01:30Intelligence that uses the iPhone camera and Siri to identify what you're looking at.
01:35Most of these features have popped up in various Android phones before, but Apple is happy
01:38to ignore that fact.
01:44The Screen
01:45The 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display was developed in South Korea, and is likely
01:51sourced from Samsung or LG, with factories in South Korea, Vietnam, China, and more under
01:56construction in India.
01:59Most smartphones use Corning's Gorilla Glass technology to protect the display, but Apple
02:03and Corning have a proprietary material called Ceramic Shield, which embeds ceramic nanocrystals
02:08into the glass to make it more shatter-resistant, manufactured in several countries including
02:13the US and China.
02:14The iPhone 16 Pro range features Apple's ProMotion technology, which adjusts the number of times
02:19an image shows up on the display up to 120 times per second, though it can vary this
02:24number if the screen is static to save battery life.
02:27This is in line with most other phones as well, like those from Google, Samsung, and
02:31Xiaomi.
02:32The screens can also get significantly brighter compared to phones from 5 years ago, hitting
02:361000 nits max, though when you're watching HDR content, that can ratchet up to 1600 nits,
02:41and even 2000 nits when you're outdoors on a sunny day.
02:45For comparison, Google claims its Pixel 9 Pro goes up to 3000 nits in certain conditions.
02:50On the opposite end, the iPhone can go all the way down to 1 nit for when you're scrolling
02:54in bed at night.
02:59The proximity sensor, likely manufactured by Trumpf in Germany, detects how close your
03:04face is to the device.
03:06A ribbon cable integrates the front ambient light sensor and helps optimize display brightness
03:11in any condition.
03:12For thermal management, the aluminum inner frame works in tandem with a heat dissipation
03:16film to keep temperatures under control.
03:19According to an Apple Environmental Progress Report, the iPhone 16 uses 85% recycled aluminum.
03:25These materials come from places like China, the global leader in aluminum production.
03:29Inside the front assembly, there's a black plastic bracket that not only secures the
03:33front-facing camera, but also provides cushioning foam to prevent dust intrusion.
03:37Even the smallest details, like a foam strip aligned with the telephoto periscope camera,
03:42play a role in shock absorption.
03:45The back cover.
03:46The glass back cover integrates seamlessly with the magnetic MagSafe wireless charging
03:50coil.
03:51Apple introduced this MagSafe technology in the iPhone 12, and it lets you magnetically
03:55attach accessories to the back of the device, from wireless chargers to magnetic bike mounts.
04:00It charges at 25 watts wirelessly, but wired charging through USB-C will always be faster.
04:05Beneath the glass lies a metal reinforcement plate, which protects the delicate internal
04:09components.
04:11The rear cameras.
04:13A sapphire crystal lens cover protects the three rear cameras and the Sony sensor sourced
04:18from Japan, and boasts ultra-high hardness for scratch resistance, though it's worth
04:23noting this is a synthetic material used in manufacturing, like for watches, and not the
04:28blue gemstone you might be thinking of.
04:30Surrounding the lenses are foam rings that prevent dust intrusion and conductive foam
04:34pads for electrostatic protection.
04:36The three rear cameras feature anti-reflective coatings for clearer images and seven lens
04:41elements, layers of glass stacked to improve overall image clarity.
04:45This is also where you'll find the LiDAR sensor, which is still only exclusive to the
04:48iPhone Pro models.
04:50This sensor helps improve depth information for portrait mode images, and is also used
04:55in augmented reality applications to map your surroundings.
04:58These specs put the iPhone neck and neck with the flagship models from usual competitors
05:02like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Google Pixel Pro, though the iPhone remains
05:07the only one with the LiDAR sensor.
05:11The Battery
05:12The L-shaped battery, encased in metal, is a single-cell stacked design now lasting 13
05:18more hours of video playback than the iPhone 12 from five years ago, according to Apple.
05:23Manufactured in China, it incorporates lithium and cobalt mined from countries like the Democratic
05:27Republic of Congo and Chile, sparking important conversations about ethical sourcing.
05:32Apple claims these batteries are made with 100% recycled cobalt, and that every Apple-designed
05:37battery starting this year will be the same.
05:39One of the coolest innovations of late is the battery currently only available in the
05:43iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models, which we have here.
05:46Instead of being fixed to the phone with adhesive and having to be annoyingly pried off the
05:50phone to be replaced, with this battery you just apply 12 volts and voila!
05:55That makes it much easier to replace.
05:59The Sound System
06:01The microphone is at the bottom, and Apple says the Pro models have better mics than
06:05the standard iPhone 16.
06:07The top and bottom speakers are located here and here, and starting with the iPhone 13
06:12series, Apple started including a top speaker instead of using the receiver.
06:18The Taptic Engine, powered by a linear motor, delivers tactile feedback that simulates physical
06:23clicks and vibrations.
06:28The Front Camera
06:29The front camera and Face ID module are significantly smaller than in years past.
06:34It all began with a notch in the iPhone X, then this notch got smaller in the iPhone
06:3913, and Apple finally introduced the Dynamic Island in the iPhone 14 Pro, which suspends
06:44the TrueDepth camera within the display as if it's floating.
06:48Many Android cameras have been floating for years, but apps on the iPhone can now take
06:51advantage of the Dynamic Island to show live information, such as Google Maps or Uber when
06:56you're navigating or are in the middle of a ride, and one tap can take you right back
07:00to the app.
07:02The Motherboard
07:03At the heart of the iPhone lies the motherboard, really a marvel of miniaturization and power.
07:08The A18 Pro is a system on a chip on the main logic board, designed by Apple and manufactured
07:13by TSMC in Taiwan.
07:16It powers this device with a 6-core CPU, a 6-core GPU, and a 16-core neural engine, which
07:22handles most of the artificial intelligence and machine learning processes, now dubbed
07:26Apple Intelligence.
07:28All the new iPhones now come with 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM, a big change from prior models that only
07:35had 6GB.
07:36This is what enables the iPhone to handle the intensive processing required for Apple
07:40Intelligence.
07:41And while we're on the topic of intelligence, Apple was recently forced to support RCS Chat,
07:47so Apple and Android users can finally share modern text conversations, with typing indicators
07:52and emoji reactions.
07:54Apple uses a Qualcomm modem, and this is the first iPhone to support the latest Wi-Fi
07:587 standard, though you'll need a Wi-Fi 7 router to actually make use of those faster
08:02internet speeds.
08:04The NAND flash storage on the Pro Max starts at 256GB and goes up to 1TB, and it's typically
08:10sourced from Keoxia in Japan.
08:12Meanwhile, the ultra-wideband chip enables precise tracking for things such as AirTags.
08:18Charging
08:20The iPhone 16 Pro has a USB-C port capable of 10Gbps data transfer speeds, secured with
08:26JCIS Phillips screws.
08:28In comparison, the Lightning cable was capable of 480Mbps speeds, so it's 20 times faster
08:35now.
08:36The iPhone was finally forced to switch from the Lightning cable to USB-C, starting with
08:39the iPhone 15 series, and this is a win for consumers, because now you can use the same
08:43cable as your MacBook or iPad to charge.
08:46And as Android users are learning, now iPhone owners will be asking them to borrow their
08:50chargers.
08:51You can even reverse charge the AirPods case with the USB-C cable.
08:55And there you have it.
08:56This is what makes an iPhone.
08:57A device that's not just an object, but a symbol of human creativity, collaboration,
09:02and complexity.
09:04So the next time you check your phone, one of a hundred times today, take a moment to
09:08appreciate the astounding journey that brought it to your hands.
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