We haven't seen the much-anticipated iPhone 16 with our own eyes yet, but when the opportunity arose at MWC 2024, we tried our hand at rendering our own artistic interpretation on one of Xiaomi's new AI-powered tablets I thought I'd like you to do that. Apple's next major smartphone…leads to some interesting results.
The annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona gives us access to all sorts of weird and wonderful technologies, and at Xiaomi's booth the company is showcasing a myriad of new products, from the latest Xiaomi 14 series smartphones to its first car. They were exhibiting their products. One of the more innocuous products on display was the new Xiaomi Pad 6S Pro 12.4.
The tablet itself looks like an attractive new alternative to the likes of Apple's iPad Air series and Samsung's Galaxy Tab S9 series, powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, crisp and responsive 3K 144Hz display , and has the fastest charging capabilities we've ever seen. 120W Slate – What we wanted to test was the new AI pen feature built into the Xiaomi Mi Canvas app on the 6S Pro, tasked with inking (digitally) your take on your next iPhone. I did.
Guided by a short iPhone doodle we created ourselves, we simply typed “iPhone 16” into the text prompt, dialed the “AI Engagement” slider up to 90%, and selected “Watercolor” out of four . Predefined art styles. They then simply waited 30 to 40 seconds for the tablet to generate four concept images, from which it selected the “best” one.
As a result, AI has made some stylistic choices regarding the watercolor accent work, as well as some truly interesting design choices that are not beyond the realm of possibility, and are a decidedly flashy representation of the possibilities of Apple's next smartphone. did.
Despite the smartphone's relatively square silhouette in initial sketches, AI opted for larger, rounded corners for the iPhone 16 concept. This is a design choice Google made when transitioning from the Pixel 7 series to the Pixel 8. The camera module adopts a more rectangular shape, and the three lenses are spaced further apart vertically in the bottom quarter of the iPhone 16's back. It's accented with an unmistakably familiar contrast bar that looks like it was lifted straight from the original iPhone.
You can watch the entire process from start to finish in the TikTok below.
@techradar ♬ Aesthetics – Toran Kim
Although we don't have deep insight into the training model that Xiaomi's AI uses, it's clear that the AI already knows what an iPhone is. The circle in the top left corner represents the camera lens, and it turns out that the deformed Pac-Man in the center of the first sketch is actually the Apple logo, which we rendered perfectly.
In this context, there is also the issue of AI image generation. By using initial user-generated sketches, before layering both text-based prompts and a predefined art style that the AI followed as a set of guidelines, there was very little chance of going off-piste. It still does what is required.
There is an important difference between truly original AI-based image creation and reinterpretation, and this is the case with this technology from Xiaomi. That said, there's little reason to think that an AI image generator that takes into account all factors such as the current state of the mobile market, Apple's latest aesthetics, and existing leaks and rumors about the iPhone's design can't be developed soon. As an element that creates a more sophisticated iPhone 16 concept.
One thing is for sure, this may be one of the first AI-generated iPhone 16 renders we've seen, but the real phone is expected later this year in September. It is almost certain that it will not be the last before its debut.