Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
This twelvemonth ’s flagship iPhones are a modest improvement over last yr ’s Pro model . Camera Control and the large rise in barrage life are nice , but you do n’t ask to grease one’s palms a Pro phone to get them . But they ’re a work in progress — Apple is in a calendar month - long mental process of wind up this iPhone ’s core software features , and when that is done perhaps they will resist out more from the iPhones of prior years .
toll When retrospect
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The iPhone 16 Pro Max (right) is just a little bigger than the iPhone 15 Pro Max (left).
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We are now well into the geological era in which yearly smartphone update have become rather average . Where the Apple Store descent would once stretch around the block and attract local tidings crews , today the first question everyone asks is , “ Should I upgrade this year ? ”
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max tantrum into this zeitgeist neatly . Yes , they ’re better . They ’re faster , have better cameras , and include one new feature film ( the Camera Control button ) . But for most of the things most multitude use their iPhones for , many of these improvements wo n’t make much of a difference over last year ’s model , or the class before .
Enter Apple Intelligence . When hardware fails to excite , it ’s up to sleek down newfangled software to make you feel like you just have to get the new iPhone . And with all the buzz around generative AI lately , Apple Intelligence is that gotta - have - it software . It ’s a retinue of new AI features that summarizes notifications and email , realize Siri a mountain impudent , let you generate customs duty figure and emojis , transcribe calls , and more .
The iPhone 16 Pro Max (right) is just a little bigger than the iPhone 15 Pro Max (left).
So of import is this AI stuff to the iPhone 16 that Apple ’s marketing calls them the first iPhones “ built for Apple Intelligence . ” ( Yes , the iPhone 15 Pro works with Apple Intelligence but Apple no longer sell that example . ) There ’s just one problem : Apple Intelligence is n’t out yet , and it ’s going to filter out in multiple stages overmonths . It ’s also coming to regular non - Pro iPhone 16 models .
So , why bribe and iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max ? countenance ’s see if Apple ’s latest Pro iPhones can make a case for themselves .
remark : The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max have identical features and carrying out , relieve for the obvious ( sizing and stamp battery life ) . This critique cover both theoretical account .
iPhone 16 Pro design: It’s an iPhone
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max await very much like last year ’s Pro earpiece at a glance . Technically , both models are just a touch large and heavier than their precursor , and combined with slimmer bezel you get a somewhat larger video display : 6.1 inches becomes 6.3 , and 6.7 becomes 6.9 .
The titanium body and colour are basically the same . There ’s white , shameful , and natural titanium . Last yr ’s particular colour , blue titanium , has been replaced by desert titanium , which has a bronze looking at to it .
Foundry
Some of the Camera Control functions are very useful, others are sort of finicky.
The only matter that really looks or feels any dissimilar is the new Camera Control button , located about where the 5 G mmWave antenna was on earlier iPhone U.S. models and the SIM tray was on some international model — about 2/3rd of the way down the right side under the power release . This new feature also come with the unconstipated iPhone 16 .
Despite the size deviation , the video display more or less look like those on the iPhone 15 Pros , with equal brightness level , ProMotion , and always - on capacity . A small-scale advance I really apprize is that the display now pop off all the way down to a simple 1 nit of brightness . It ’s just the thing for those who expend their phone in seam with the light off — but again , this is also available on the non - Pro example .
The size of it addition over last year ’s iPhones is not dramatic , but I still found myself gravitating more to the 6.3 - inch iPhone 16 Pro while I used to prefer the Pro Max . The more or less larger display makes the smaller of the two Pro phones more usable without saddle me with the undesirable bulk of Apple ’s biggest phone . If you ’re one of those who does n’t love the size of it of the Pro Max but uses it because youneedthat covert size , take a close look at the Pro this year .
It’s hard to get excited about this general design after years of the same old thing.
There ’s nothing wrong with this year ’s design , but the iPhone is in serious motivation of a refreshed design . swelled , heavy , blockheaded metal slabs with large , offset photographic camera bumps that make the phone wobble on your desk ( and make it hard to seat decent on some charging tie-up or wireless chargers in motorcar ) just feel a little onetime and dull in 2024 . Not much has change since iPhone 12 .
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
iPhone 16 Pro features: Camera Control
Most of what is new in the iPhone 16 Pro is on the inside , but the one gravid Modern external feature for the entire iPhone 16 melodic phrase is the Camera Control button . It ’s a real physical button set wealthy with the edge of the body , touching and insistence sensitive , with tactual feedback .
bid the button once and you start the Camera app . you could select a third - party camera app to launch inSettings > Camera , and and app like Instagram will typically launch right into its photo / TV - taking mode . Once in the Camera app , a unwavering insistence takes a photo . military press and harbour to take a video for as long as you hold the button .
bug once lightly and you ’ll pop up a Camera Control function ( soar by default ) which you adjust by swiping back and forthordragging the control on the display . dual - tap softly for a list of different functions that can be adjusted in this mode : exposure , depth , photographic camera selection , photographic style , or tone . It does a spate — and it ’s not always obvious what to press to do something .
I have mixed feelings about the Camera Control clitoris . The full press to set in motion your most - used photographic camera app is a huge blessing . It ’s fast , you could do it without fiddling with the projection screen , and it allow you to replace the camera launch on your curl screen with something else without lose any utility . Pressing the button as a shutter , or holding it down to take video recording , mold great . It ’s a gamechanger for snap photos while wearing gloves .
The pressure - raw subprogram , on the other hand , are too fiddly . It ’s too easy to unexpectedly do a lightsome closet when you mean to fall into place the shutter , or vice - versa . Sliding back and forth to conform a command require a lot of fine motor control in a small space ; I often found myself give-up the ghost past the rapid climb I intended and induce to carefully poke at my digit just a mm the other mode to go get it correct .
I do n’t really delight the way using the Camera Control push button pee the whole camera interface go away , either , as it ’s not always my only or last accommodation before I take the gibe . In the end , I call on thatClean Previewoption off in options and rarely used the Camera Control button for adjustments . Ialwaysuse it to launch the camera and as a shutter , though .
As far as photograph and video quality go away , Apple is once again making low but significant strides . A flying television pipeline enables up to 4 super acid at 120fps . The Photos app lets you change the playback framerate . Improved microphones allow for confidential information interference reduction and better overall wakeless quality . The newfangled Photographic Styles are a little more nuanced with easier control and can be put on non - destructively after the shot is take . The ultrawide camera has been upgraded to 48 megapixels , though to my eye the shots do n’t front very different from the sr. 12MP camera . The 5x telephoto lens is no longer restricted to the Pro Max model , so those who wish the smaller Pro sizing can enjoy zoomier zoom . And it ’s clearly the biggest acclivity from standard to Pro other than Ti .
My favorite new characteristic ? The power to change audio mix on a video with a spigot , between Standard , In - Frame , Studio , and Cinematic . They make a huge difference . ( This feature is yet another that ’s also available on the standard iPhone 16 . )
But these are relatively minor changes . Power - users trying to film their next indie epic on iPhone will get it on this stuff but the immense majority of user will find that , perhaps , if they squinch just right , the new iPhone takes slenderly better icon than the old one . The biggest camera upgrade this year is definitely the dedicated button , and the non - Pro models get that , too .
If you want to protect your raw iPhone , scan ourbest iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max casing reviews .
iPhone 16 Pro performance: A18 Pro
The A18 Pro is interchangeable to the A18 find in the regular iPhone 16 , with a few minuscule upgrades . It ’s got the same 2 performance and 4 efficiency CPU cores but with expectant stash , which should improve performance a bit . There ’s an additional GPU core group . The media locomotive ( video encode and decode , epitome processing , etc . ) is burly .
Both chips are made on an upgraded 3 nm manufacture procedure that deliver better power efficiency , and Apple has improve thermal conception and management to help downplay throttling when the phones get hot .
How does all this translate into performance ? Well , this thing isfast . unmarried - core central processing unit operation is 15 percentage higher than the A17 Pro , and it crush every other smartphone on the marketplace . Multi - core performance is around 10 percent quicker , and substantially faster than any Android phone . It is not a stint to say this iPhone is like having an M1 Macbook Air in your air pocket , and in some mode , faster .
The GPU come a nice uplift in performance , too . In really in advance high - remnant art applications , especially those with shaft of light tracing , we ’re seeing an improvement of 30 percent or more .
New to our examination suite isGeekbench AI , a crabbed - platform bench mark that execute a suite of rough-cut motorcar - learning tasks like object recognition , image division , and machine translation . It can be prevail on the CPU , GPU , or Neural Engine ; we ’re testing the latter to see improvement in Apple ’s consecrated AI hardware over time .
The Neural Engine in the A18 Pro is anywhere from 10 - 40 per centum faster than that in the A17 Pro . It ’s heavy to equate the same trial run on different hardware when it apply dissimilar software system frameworks , but no other mobile machine appears airless to Apple ’s NPU carrying out .
Every year we say Apple has , on balance , the truehearted smartphone around . And this year we echo that . It ’s not what most people are buy iPhones for – they’ve been more than fast enough for years . There is something to be said for the future - proofing of having an overpowered iPhone today so that it can continue to run powerful package for years to come .
On the other hand , the iPhone 16 Pro has 8 GB of RAM , same as last twelvemonth ’s iPhone 15 Pro and the standard iPhone 16 . That does n’t seem like a lot for a $ 1,000 + telephone set these Clarence Day . And if you do n’t think that will weigh in a few old age , just necessitate the iPhone 15 proprietor whose year - old headphone ca n’t carry Apple Intelligence because it has 6 GB of RAM , while the iPhone 15 Pro owners can .
iPhone 16 Pro battery: A massive boost
Perhaps the beneficial improvement of the iPhone 16 Pro hardware is its fantastic battery life . Apple block in slightly larger batteries this prison term around , but barrage life is a combining of so many things — processor and RAM efficiency , power usance of wireless chips , efficiency of the display , and more . And all of it is good .
We habituate Geekbench 4 ’s old battery rundown exam , which loops the Geekbench 4 processor and GPU tests ( with curt breaks between ) until the electric battery dies . We do this after fix the display to a constant smartness of 200 nits with all adaptive luminosity features off . That ’s about as bright as you would set it in a normal power environment .
We expected and improvement , but not this much of one ! The iPhone 16 Pro lasted54 percentlonger than the iPhone 15 Pro , and the 16 Pro Max kept be given for about43 percentlonger than the 15 Po Max ! We bugger off almost 19 hour on the Pro Max and about 16.5 hours on the Pro .
I ca n’t say I experienced a 50 percent improvement in battery sprightliness in my day - to - Clarence Shepard Day Jr. manipulation , but it by all odds lastedhourslonger . For several day , I take my iPhone 16 Pro off the charger in the morning at 90 pct ( where I set my charge limit with iOS 18 ’s raw options ) and finished the day with 40 percent . Only when I run through several strenuous benchmark or played a high - end 3D plot for hours on remainder did I ever come closely to running through the battery .
Everybody loves foresightful shelling spirit , and the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max give birth a big hike over last year ’s exemplar . And if you ’re get along off a telephone that is two or three years old , it ’s going to sense like your new iPhone is lasting literally twice as long .
iPhone 16 Pro Apple Intelligence: Not included
If the Modern iPhone just a little faster , or takes a petty chip better photos or videos , it ’s not going to urge on users to advance . Battery life might , but what we are attend for are major newfeatures . Camera Control is one , but the heavy one , the one that ’s supposed to sell you on the iPhone 16 , is Apple Intelligence , Apple ’s name for its dwelling - grown cortege of productive AI tools .
The marketing tagline for the iPhone 16 Pro is “ Hello , Apple Intelligence . ” Apple calls it “ the first iPhone built for Apple Intelligence . ” It will summarize all your notifications ! It will make images and customs duty emojis ! It will wipe out people from the background of your photos ! It will transform Siri into a super saucy personal help that actually understands you ! The Camera Control button will launch a new Visual Intelligence lineament that gives you artificial insemination - power info on whatever you bespeak your camera at !
You ’ve probably see the ads showcasing these awesome features . They may make you want to go out and buy an iPhone 16 .
There ’s only one job : It is n’t out yet . And it ’s not going to be out soon , not really . Apple Intelligence is coming to iPhone 16 in bits and pieces over the next half class , or longer if you do n’t be in an English - speaking region . Apple is n’t even clear about whether the entire European Union will get Apple Intelligence at all .
We have a breakdownin our guidethat describes the feature film and when they are come , but only the first tranche of AI features are available for us to test in beta : notice / email sum-up ( very useful ) , writing tools ( less useful ) , and a Siri update that have it understand you a little better ( meh ) and yield the sieve a full glowing edge ( overnice ) .
In other words , theselling point of iPhone 16 is nothing more than a pinky - swear from the world ’s most worthful megacorp . This is a phone design to run , and marketed on , untestable promises .
We ’re reasonably sure about the quality and usability of the AI features coming iniOS 18.1because we ’ve been test it for hebdomad , but without the ability to thoroughly test the others , we ca n’t peradventure see them as a plumage in the iPhone 16 ’s roof . So consider this part one of our limited review .
Should you buy the iPhone 16 Pro?
More than ever , it ’s knockout to recommend the Pro model iPhone over the non - Pro role model . It ’s a tiny piece quicker , has a dedicated 5x telephotograph television camera , and can take some really fancy high - end video in formats that only pro will care about . It has ProMotion and an always - on exhibit , but frankly , it ’s kind of crazy that Apple does n’t include those thing on the unconstipated iPhone at this point .
The big selling point — longer battery life , the Camera Control button , Apple Intelligence ( eventually)—are all useable on the non - Pro framework which also now has the Action clitoris , the new Photographic Styles , and macro photography , too .
In benchmarks and specs flat solid , the iPhone 16 Pro is intelligibly better than last year ’s iPhones , but when youuseit every sidereal day , does it really sense unlike ? Without Apple Intelligence , the most substantive advance are longer battery life and the Camera Control , both of which are on the even iPhone 16 .
Perhaps , when all the major Apple Intelligence feature film are actually uncommitted , our recommendation will switch . But for now , the iPhone 16 Pro , for as near as it is , might not be worth your money . Our recommendation is to hang on to your current iPhone if it ’s only a year or two old . If you ’re number from an iPhone 13 or earlier , it ’s time to elevate , but even then , the iPhone 16 or 16 Plus is a better deal than the iPhone 16 Pro for all but the most demanding and finical iPhone photographers and videographers .
