iPhone 16 Series: Incremental Upgrades Impress with Enhanced Performance and Features

iPhone 16 Pro review: More of the same, and that's a great thing

Stop us if you've heard this before -- Apple's iPhone 16 Pro remains the sweet spot for performance, price, and device size for the demanding user. In September 2024, there are a new batch of iPhones. This is known, and expected. Just about everybody in the world knows what they are, what they can do, and how to use them. There's only so much a company can do with a smartphone to make it stand out in the crowd. Design flair is one, but ultimately, it's still a rectangle with glass and cameras. Apple has reused the same case design it shipped last year, so there's no draw in 2024 from a fancy new design. This design remains very similar to the previous model, which was close to the one before that, and so forth. And, as always, that remains fine, albeit expected and reasonably dull. Even so, Apple continues to crank out exemplars that other smartphone manufacturers should shoot for. In previous years, the Pro model of iPhone matched the size of the non-Pro version of the iPhone. Apple threw that out the window for 2024. This time around, the iPhone 16 Pro is a bit bigger. At 5.89 inches tall and 2.81 inches wide, it's a little bit bigger than the previous generation, but not by much. It'll feel a little bit bigger, but we're not talking iPhone 16 Pro Max unwieldiness here. This does translate into a bit of a weight gain for the model, with it now tipping the scales at 7.03 ounces. The titanium and glass sandwich construction introduced last year certainly helps mitigate what could've been more serious gains. This extra size also means Pro buyers will have a bigger screen. With it using a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display, it's a bit bigger than the 6.1-inch old sizing, but nowhere near the 6.7-inch old Pro Max screen, nor the new 6.9-incher either. Where you do gain is in resolution. Now it's an always-on display with a 2,622 by 1,206 image, maintaining Apple's preferred 460ppi pixel density. The screen is still very high-specification, with its 2 million to one contrast ratio and 2,000 nits of maximum brightness guaranteeing great picture quality. Even if you're using it outdoors. ProMotion, the ever Pro feature, returns yet again, driving 120Hz refresh rates and enabling the always-on screen function. Wide color (P3) support, HDR, and TrueTone are also present as usual, along with the Dynamic Island. Apple is still continuing to use the Action Button instead of the mute switch, which is a relic of its earlier designs. Though, with the inclusion of Camera Control, there's less need to make the Action Button summon the camera anymore. More on Camera Control in a bit, though. The iPhone 15 Pro Max had the biggest camera changes in 2023. For 2024, it's the turn of the iPhone 16 Pro to catch up. The 48-megapixel Main sensor, rebranded the Fusion Camera, is the same as last time. Down to the f/1.78 aperture and the use of a second-gen sensor shift OIS system. The massive resolution enables the virtual fourth camera, a 2x "optical" zoom created by cropping, to resurface as well. It's a fake 12MP camera, but it's a neat trick to pull off. While it missed out on the Tetraprism lens arrangement last time, Apple at least decided it was worth adding this year. The Telephoto sensor is still a 12MP shooter, but now the 3x optical zoom it offered has increased to a 5x version, matching the Max. Consequently, this also means that the maximum digital zoom range goes up to 25x, just like the Pro Max. The Telephoto parity is a catch-up move, but at least there's no such issue with the Ultra Wide camera. This time it's been changed from a 12MP sensor to a 48MP version, which still has an f/2.2 aperture and a 120-degree field of view. Your ultra-wide close-range group shots or photos of landscapes will be in a lot more detail. Once more LiDAR exists in the back, which is helpful for applications that offer depth mapping, as well as if you're trying to focus on a subject at night. All this imaging is still backed by Apple's persistent push for computational photography. The Photonic Engine and Deep Fusion are still at play, pushing pixels to make the perfect image. When it comes to video, it starts off from the solid base that Apple installed with the iPhone 15 family. The videography-focused design decisions remain for 2024, but are also augmented with some extra improvements. Last year's 4K 60Hz Dolby Vision ProRes recording to an external drive has been upgraded to a new higher standard. Now, it's possible to do the same, but at 120Hz. Things like recording in Log and support for the Academy Color Encoding System continue to be great elements for video producers, as is external recording. But the maximum frame rate for 4K footage could be the biggest change of all. Consider Slo-mo in previous models, which is 1080p at either 120fps or 240fps. What Apple has done here is create the equivalent of the lower-speed Slo-mo but for the highest resolution it offers. The front of the iPhone 16 Pro still uses a 12-megapixel True Depth camera array for Face ID and selfies. Complete with an f/1.9 aperture, Focus Pixels, and a six-element lens, and depth mapping capabilities. The onboard smarts aren't just for video, as sound gets a bump this time. Audio Mix will use Spatial Audio capture and AI to adjust the voices in a video to your preference. This includes only capturing the voices of people in-frame, or adjusting the audio to sound more professional. There's even a cinematic mode so you can shift all voices to the center. Thanks to the USB-C port, you no longer need to rely on your internal storage. Users can connect an SD card, thumb drive, or SSD to that USB Type-C port and record directly to that media. With the appropriate cables and adapters, a filmmaker can now connect USB-C iPhone to a USB-C hub that has power input, an HDMI output that can connect to an iPad as an external monitor, and a USB-C output to record to an SSD at about 10 gigabits per second. This landscape was rough a year ago with the iPhone 15 Pro models. There wasn't much in the way of custom storage solutions to bolt on the back of your iPhone. There were many DIY solutions, of varying quality. There are many choices now, though, and there seems to be a lot that's been released in recent days around the launch of the iPhone 16 family. Regardless, we still recommend sticking with higher-performing media. In our testing, slow media causes dropped frames or can error out completely after a period of filming. Test what you buy before you rely on it for a gig. Camera Control is new, though. It is a touch-sensitive button that acts like the shutter for the camera, that also allows you to change the camera settings by sliding your finger around it. Just about any exposure, magnification setting, or discrete adjustment can be adjusted with this button. We aren't going to get into the use of it so much here, as we've discussed this in some depth before. For taking photos quickly, a light press brings up a minimal camera app interface, but allows for the user to slide to zoom. Apple says that developers will be able to bring Camera Control to third-party apps, such as Snapchat. That will depend on developers adopting the new control, so it is likely that apps will begin using it over the next months. Also coming later this year is Apple's own additions to Camera Control, letting it work with visual intelligence. As its name implies, the Camera Control button offers new functionality related to photo and video capture. It can be used in both the horizontal and vertical device orientation. The Camera Control can recognize and respond to a multitude of different gestures and press types: As part of a new Visual Intelligence feature, users will be able to click and hold the Camera Control button while aiming their iPhone at an object or location of interest. It's... okay. At least for now. It's going to take some muscle memory adjustment to get the most out of it. It may not be worth the effort, though, as it is very much a matter of taste and workflow. Opinions on the utility of the button as a camera adjustment tool are mixed amongst the AppleInsider staff. It's a distraction to some, and crucial to others. We'll talk more about it in a month as we all use the button more. The annual upgrade also introduces a new chip to the mix. From the A17 Pro of last time, Apple's now on the A18 Pro. It's got a six-core CPU, using two performance cores and two efficiency cores as usual, and is made from a second-gen three-nanometer production process. This time, Apple claims it is up to 15% faster than the A17 Pro, but uses 20% less power. There's also some assistance from new ML accelerators, which are optimized for Apple Intelligence too. The GPU is a six-core version again, but Apple insists it is 20% more powerful than the A17 Pro. That includes hardware ray-tracing capability, which is twice as fast than in the previous version. The Neural Engine is, yet again, a 16-core model. While the A17 Pro was a massive improvement over its predecessor, Apple insists the latest edition is faster and more efficient again. It is, we're sure. It's just hard to quantify and benchmark from a practical perspective. For end users, this is delivered in Photos. The faster cores will provide faster onboard processing of Apple Intelligence commands, compared to the iPhone 15 Pro models. As far as CPU and overall performance goes, we do comparison pieces where we consider the new model versus the year-ago family of devices. In reality, most users are coming from a device that's three years old. In this case, that would be the iPhone 13 Pro. Beyond the obvious iPhone 13 Pro not being able to use Apple Intelligence, there's a giant performance gap between that flagship model, and the 2024 best iPhone. In short, the iPhone 16 Pro is roughly 25% faster in single and multiple core jobs. There's also ray tracing in (some) video games for the iPhone 16 Pro, which make those look even better. There's been a lot of talk about thermal throttling on the new iPhones, from the usual sources. It's still early, and the tale still fully remains to be told if it is abnormal or not, but every chip in mobile or desktop in every regard made in the last 20 years has some routine to slow down if it is in danger of overheat, or similar. The issue really boils down to a matter of consumer tolerance. This isn't helped by the fact that we've seen a wide variance between users in iPhone temperatures, which probably comes down to the phones still indexing for some and not others, differences in charging habits, app usage, and even if an app is a good citizen as it pertains to iPhone resource use. Apple hasn't said much about it, and probably won't. We'll be keeping an eye on it with time, though. But, in our experience, the iPhone 16 Pro takes longer to slow down because of the thermal condition. Apple has done a lot of work on the enclosure, battery, and cooling system of the phone. The iPhone 16 Pro still doesn't and won't ever have a fan, but it takes longer to hit that thermal saturation on the device that the iPhone 13 Pro hits very fast. Most users, even Pro ones, don't push their iPhone very hard for very long. It's good to have that better cooling though, as it may matter for Apple Intelligence. But let's talk about that gorilla in the room for a minute. Ultimately, Apple is leaning heavily on Apple Intelligence to market the iPhone 16 Pro. When we review hardware initially, we do it with the shipping OS, not any that are still in beta. These features will arrive in iOS 18.1, and more throughout the next year. We'll be talking about the first batch of additions in a longer-term review in about a month. Since the inclusion of 5G support, Apple has maintained offering both sub-6GHz and mmWave band coverage on its top-line iPhones in the US, but not elsewhere. There's no difference here at all, and you wouldn't expect there to be. There is some shifting on the Wi-Fi side, as now the iPhone 16 Pro sports Wi-Fi 7. If you have the infrastructure to take advantage of it, at least. Thread support is included, along with the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, so searching for missing AirTags are still an option. As for physical connectivity, Apple is still maintaining the use of USB-C with its 10Gbps transfer rate. This is essential for the aforementioned videographers who need to get their video off the iPhone, or recorded to an external drive. Wireless charging now works at up to 25W using MagSafe, which is an exciting development. Wireless charging has always lagged behind wired charging, such as the 15W supported with Qi2 chargers or 7.5W with Qi. At least now you could potentially see a significant uptick of power when you place your iPhone on a cafe's charging pads. That is, if they use the right tech. Wired fast charging continues to provide a 50% charge within 30 minutes using a 20W charger. This is more than adequate enough for most people. In our testing, we hit 34W of power with suitable wired charging gear, and we've seen reports of some users getting 39W while charging. As for how much battery life you can get, Apple's boosted the capacity so you can now watch up to 27 hours of local video playback. Netflix-style streaming will last for up to 22 hours, while audio playback goes up to 85 hours. That's a lot of podcasts. Yet again, Apple is making it so that you don't need phone signal to use your iPhone to contact others. Emergency SOS via Satellite is back, alongside Roadside Assistance via Satellite. Whether you're lost, you're in medical trouble, or your car's been in an accident in the middle of nowhere, you can at least get some help. In both cases, you're dealing with a largely text-based system, since bandwidth is an issue. However, there's also Messages via Satellite which lets you send and receive messages and tapbacks while in a blackspot. If you happen to be somewhere with signal, there's now an option to share a live feed from your iPhone to emergency responders. This should give attendees more of an idea of what to expect when they actually turn up to the incident. As for the incident itself, Crash Detection is back too. Whether it thinks a rollercoaster is a horrific accident remains to be seen. If you have a phone as new as iPhone 14 Pro, you don't need the iPhone 16 Pro -- unless you're going to lean heavily into Apple Intelligence. As always, there's some cool stuff here, but with a phone as new as two years old, you may be better served waiting for that third year like most do. For some, like folks on Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program, an annual update is essentially a requirement. Otherwise, the replacement cycle is stretching out, so even the Pro iPhone line is best looked at in a lens that stretches out over multiple years. If you are in the market you can feel confident about the iPhone 16 Pro as a holistic whole. We've been saying for years that the Pro model iPhone released in any given year suits our regular readers the best. The iPhone 16 Pro in 2024 is no exception. Wireless carriers are offering aggressive incentives through bill credits and Trade-in deals on the iPhone 16 Pro. At press time, the offers deliver up to $1,000 off the premium model, which can be found below. You can also visit our iPhone 16 Pro Price Guide for easy side-by-side comparison of the current offers. If you're looking for promotions on the iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro Max, today's best iPhone deals on the entire product range are available at your fingertips.

iPhone 16 review: The base model is more Pro than ever, except for where it counts

Quick Links Pricing, specs, and availability Design and display Performance Software Cameras Should you buy the iPhone 16? It's easy to think that smartphone innovation is stalling, and every update is incremental at best. That's especially true when the best iPhones are concerned. However, when you look beyond the new iPhone 16's chassis, you'll find that it's closer to the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max than ever. It has an A18 system-on-a-chip that's not too far behind the flagship A18 Pro, the same Camera Control button as the Pro models, and picks up the Action button. While the iPhone 16 Pro looks virtually identical from the back to its predecessors, the base iPhone 16 at least comes with a new-look vertical camera bump that's now smaller. In many ways, the jump between the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 16 is bigger than that of the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. So, I traded in my iPhone 15 Pro Max and used the Teal colorway of the iPhone 16 as my daily driver for a week, right after using the Pixel 9 series. It went about as spectacularly and as terribly as you'd expect. I love the compact form factor of this year's 6.1-inch iPhone -- which is smaller than the base-model Pixel or Galaxy phone -- but losing essential features like a high refresh rate and always-on display was a tough pill to swallow. If you can look past those flaws, the iPhone 16 might end up beating the Pixel 9, and it will definitely end up superior to the Samsung Galaxy S24 -- I've used all three as my primary phone throughout the year. About this review: I purchased an iPhone 16 myself, and no company had any input in this review or saw its contents before publishing. Great compact phone iPhone 16 The best base-model iPhone in years 8/ 10 The iPhone 16 packs a new A18 processor, an upgraded ultrawide lens, and a slight redesign of the rear camera bump. There's also the Action button and the Camera Control button, which give you specialized control over your smartphone. Like last year, the iPhone 16 has a USB-C port and the Dynamic Island. It'll also get Apple Intelligence later this year, though AI features aren't available at launch. ProsThe A18 processor is two years newer than the A16 in last year's iPhone 15The new camera bump redesign freshens up the look of this phone, which comes in great colorsThe Action and Camera Control buttons are excellent and useful additions ConsThe lack of a high-refresh rate display drags down what should be a fantastic phone128GB base storage won't be enough for everyoneApple Intelligence is marketed alongside the iPhone 16, but it doesn't ship with the phone $800 at Apple$830 at Best Buy Pricing, specs, and availability Apple released the iPhone 16 on Sept. 20, 2024, and it's now widely available everywhere phones are sold. The base model ships with 128GB of storage and costs $800, but you can configure the iPhone 16 with up to 512GB if you're willing to pay extra. The iPhone 16 is available in the following colors: Black, White, Pink, Teal, and Ultramarine. The standard iPhone 16 has a 6.1-inch display, but is identical to the larger 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus in every way except for size. It's easy to find an iPhone 16 through Apple, third-party retailers like Best Buy and Amazon, or the major U.S. cellular carriers. iPhone 16 SoC Apple A18 Display 6.1‑inch OLED, 60Hz, 2556‑by‑1179-pixel resolution at 460 ppi, 2,000 nits peak brightness outdoor Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB Rear camera 48MP Fusion: 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor‑shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels, support for super-high-resolution photos (24MP and 48MP) Also enables 12MP 2x Telephoto: 52 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels 12MP Ultra Wide: 13 mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture and 120° field of view, 100% Focus Pixels Front camera 12MP camera ƒ/1.9 aperture Charge speed 27W wired, 25W MagSafe, 15W Qi2 Ports USB 2.0 Type-C Connectivity 5G (sub‑6 GHz and mmWave) with 4x4 MIMO11 Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA11 Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO12 Bluetooth 5.3 Weight 170 grams IP Rating IP68 Colors Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine Operating System iOS 18 Price $800 Security Face ID Expand Design and display The new camera bump and buttons make the iPhone 16 feel fresh Close The iPhone 16 is similar to the iPhone 15, but sports just enough change. For the past half decade, the back design of the high-end iPhones hasn't materially changed. This year, Apple changed up the iPhone 16's rear camera bump, giving the phone a fresh appearance. The two camera lenses are now vertically positioned in a smaller bump, which now excludes the flash. It actually makes the phone feel slimmer than the iPhone 15, since that model's square camera bump is gone. Once again, the base-model iPhones have the best color options. You get the usual Black and White, plus the "real" colors: Pink, Teal, Ultramarine. Pink phones are trendy this year, and everyone's raving about Ultramarine, but I fell in love with Teal. It's an excellent sea foam color that can look more blue or green based on the lighting conditions. The aluminum rails and matte glass back feel great in the hand, and the 170-gram weight is slightly heavier than the Galaxy S24 (167g) but much lighter than the Pixel 9 (198g). Related iPhone 15 review: A major yet sneaky upgrade from its predecessor Apple's iPhone 15 might look like last year's iPhone 14, and the iPhone 13 before that. But it's an upgrade that impresses nonetheless. Again, a lot is similar to the iPhone 15, down to the USB 2.0 Type-C port for charging. The Dynamic Island is still here, and Face ID is still the only way to unlock the iPhone 16 with biometrics. The mute switch is replaced with the Action button, though, which is a hotkey that can be set to default presets or completely customized with the Shortcuts app. It's up to you to decide how useful it is. I experimented with 10 uses for the button last year, but ended up simply using it for skipping to the next track while listening to music. Of course, we shouldn't forget about the new Camera Control button, which we'll talk about more later. I can't help but notice that Apple is falling behind with the iPhone 16's display. The iPhone 16's display, unlike the Pro models, stays at the same 6.1-inch size. That's great for people who enjoy small phones, like myself. It's not an iPhone mini, but it feels like one coming from a Pro Max. The screen does have one new feature this year -- the 2556x1179 resolution OLED panel now has a minimum brightness of 1 nit. That'll mean you can view it comfortably while using your phone in the dark, and it can reach 2,000 nits peak brightness outdoors. The screen does look fantastic, and the larger bezels than the Pro phone didn't bother me in the slightest. However, I can't help but notice that Apple is falling behind with the iPhone 16's display. The panel is still stuck at a fixed 60Hz refresh rate at a time when you can find cheap Android phones with 120Hz displays. The brightness really isn't outstanding either, since iPhones lower their maximum value significantly when they overheat. The Google Pixel 9 and even the midrange OnePlus 12R have screens that feel brighter and smoother, thanks to higher peak brightness ratings and 120Hz panels. Related Google Pixel 9 review: This is the most polished compact flagship yet Google is putting Apple, Samsung, and OnePlus to shame in one small, but crucial area. I (a tech reviewer) and my partner (a normal person) switched from iPhones with ProMotion displays to the iPhone 16, and we both eventually noticed the slower refresh rate. For me, it happened while navigating iOS 18 and scrolling on TikTok; for my partner, it was swiping while playing Sudoku. Either way -- tech enthusiasts and average consumers alike will notice the iPhone 16's slow screen if they know better. But if they're coming from a 60Hz iPhone, they probably won't be the wiser. Performance The A18 chipset makes for a big upgrade, but one problem might remain Normally, I wouldn't get too excited about a chip upgrade in a smartphone. However, the iPhone 16 is actually jumping two years ahead in silicon, and that's worth noting. It's powered by the A18 -- a lower variant of the A18 Pro with fewer cores -- and doesn't score that far behind the A18 Pro in benchmarks. This new chip replaces the A16 in the iPhone 15. For what it's worth, the A18 system-on-a-chip is made using Apple and TSMC's second-generation 3nm process, which should help it avoid overheating. Oh, and the iPhone 16 scores higher than the iPhone 15 Pro Max on Geekbench 6, if benchmarks are your thing. GeekBench 6 CPU scores: iPhone 16 Pro Max with A18 Pro (left); iPhone 16 with A18 (middle); and iPhone 15 Pro Max with A17 Pro (right) It's clear that Apple makes the best mobile processors in the world right now, but I'm unsure how much that will matter to iPhone 16 users. In my testing, the 60Hz screen will always be the limiting factor here. No matter how fast the A18 chip is on the iPhone 16, the display won't be able to keep up. You can do some cool things already with the A18 processor, like play select AAA games on mobile. I suspect we'll really see the performance of this chip shine when Apple Intelligence launches, since it will push the Neural Engine to its limits for AI compute. The key is that the iPhone 16 is once again shipping with an industry-leading SoC, even if it's a few steps behind the iPhone 16 Pro. The key is that the iPhone 16 is once again shipping with an industry-leading SoC, even if it's a few steps behind the iPhone 16 Pro. My time with the iPhone 15 Pro Max was chronicled with overheating problems and poor battery life, and I'm happy to report that these weren't major issues while using the iPhone 16. The actual battery capacity is larger than that of the base iPhone 15. My iPhone 16 only showed an overheating warning once -- while in the 112°F Arizona heat -- but didn't fully shut down. That's an improvement, although I still think my iPhones get hotter than Pixels and Galaxy phones by comparison. Software iOS 18 is a nice upgrade in its own right, but where is Apple Intelligence? You wouldn't know it from Apple's aggressive marketing, but Apple Intelligence isn't here yet. I didn't test Apple Intelligence while using the iPhone 16, nor did I consider it at all, because it's not something that ships with the phone. In fact, I'd recommend against buying an iPhone 16 for Apple Intelligence, even though the features are set to debut on a rolling basis starting in October. Some of the best AI tools and features won't be available until much later than that, perhaps even into next year. By the time we get a complete version of Apple Intelligence, it may be time for the iPhone 17 series to be revealed. Related iOS 18 hands-on: All about finally catching up with Android This update marks the biggest visual redesign of iOS since 2013, and it's notable even without Apple Intelligence. With that being said, iOS 18 does ship with the iPhone 16, and it's a pretty great update on its own. There are plenty of new customization features, from tinted app icons to a new app grid that lets you place things anywhere on the home screen. Then, you have the big changes, like RCS support. iPhone Mirroring, when paired with macOS Sequoia, is the best Continuity feature we've seen since Universal Control and Sidecar. Of course, plenty of older iPhones can use iOS 18 as well, but it's a very nice update that comes pre-installed on the iPhone 16. Cameras There's a new ultrawide sensor, and I think Camera Control is the real deal Camera Control is the highlight of the iPhone 16 series, and it's been a polarizing feature. Some users love it, and others just think it's easier to use the screen. I'm in the first camp -- I think the iPhone 16 has made it instantly easier to snap photos and record video thanks to Camera Control. Aside from functioning as a hotkey that opens the Camera app and can work as a shutter button, it supports swipe gestures and pressure sensitivity. There is some level of customization available in Settings for the key, too. When your phone is locked or unlocked, a click of Camera Control opens the Camera app. The next click will take a photo, and a longer click starts recording a video. A light press opens a sub-menu with toggles like zoom, camera, tone, Photographic Styles, and more. You can swipe to make changes, tap to select, or double-light-press to change which toggle you're modifying. All the sub-menu actions feel gimmicky at the moment, and I wish I could disable some of them altogether. They're also too easy to trigger while simply holding Camera Control in anticipation of using it as a shutter button. But as a shutter button, Camera Control is fantastic. I can hold my iPhone 16 and take one-handed shots without fumbling with my phone and trying to reach the screen. As for the camera hardware, the iPhone 16's main camera is unchanged. It's a 48MP, f/1.6 sensor that can shoot in either 24MP or 48MP. The larger sensor size means that, using sensor crop, the main sensor can provide optical-quality zoom like a 2x telephoto. The ultrawide sensor was upgraded this year, and by all indications, it's the same 12MP f/2.2 lens as the iPhone 15 Pro, with a 120° field of view. Apple is pushing Photographic Styles hard this year, which are a set of film-like filters that can change the look of your photos. Here's a peek at how four different Photographic Styles change the appearance of the same scene: Close Every smartphone company is currently exploring how they can deliver personalized photography experiences for their users. Google and Samsung are using AI and computational photography, but Apple is taking a more traditional approach. Photographic Styles are an easy way to get creative with iPhone 16 photos. However, they're not inciting the "what is a photo" debate like features such as Magic Editor, Best Take, or Add me might on the Google Pixel. I tested the iPhone 16's camera performance side-by-side with the Google Pixel 9, and both smartphones produced quality photos. The iPhone 16 was more likely to produce natural-looking images that matched the colors of my surroundings, while the Pixel 9 favored vibrance and saturation. Take a look at how these macro and detail shots turned out using the iPhone 16: Close Landscape shots captured during the day are the best example of how the iPhone 16 favors real-world lighting and color reproduction. In the set of images below, the color of the sky and lake are a very close match to the hues I was seeing in real life. They might not pop in the same way that a set of the same photos from a Google Pixel would, but they're more true-to-life. Also notice how, in most cases, even a strong ray of sunlight won't overexpose the entire image. Close The situations where the iPhone 16 consistently beat out similarly-priced flagship phones were in low lighting conditions. In the first photo below, you'll see that even a bright streetlamp isn't enough to blow out the dark lake and illuminated buildings across the water. The next image has a similarly-tough situation -- a table lamp is scattering light in the center of the scene. There was only one instance below where I thought the iPhone 16 could've done a better job with low-light brightness and exposure, and that's with the fifth photo. The string lights clashing with the dark nightscape was too much for the iPhone 16 to isolate perfectly. Close Still, I found that the iPhone 16's camera performance was stellar in low-light situations, even beating out the Pixel 9's Night Sight mode. The camera is a big reason to pick the iPhone this year over a Pixel or Galaxy phone. All three phones will produce stunning images, but the iPhone matches the real world in a way that the other phones can't. Should you buy the iPhone 16? Close You should buy the iPhone 16 if: You want a compact flagship with a lightweight design You need a fast processor and support for AAA gaming (or, want to gamble on Apple Intelligence) A phone camera with natural lighting and color reproduction is important to you You should NOT buy the iPhone 16 if: You need a phone with a 120Hz, always-on display You want a device with a telephoto lens You prefer a bigger smartphone The only part of the base-model iPhone 16 that doesn't feel Pro is also the part you interact with most: the display. It's quite difficult to recommend the iPhone 16 with a 60Hz display for $800 in 2024, but that's really the one significant downside that comes with this smartphone. Everything else, from the performance to the camera quality, is standout. That makes this phone a very compelling purchase, despite that key limitation. People coming from an older iPhone will be thrilled with the iPhone 16 -- especially if they're yet to try a 120Hz phone. Great compact phone iPhone 16 The best base-model iPhone in years If you can look past the lack of a high refresh rate display, the iPhone 16 is an excellent smartphone. It runs iOS 18, features an A18 chip, and includes a few key upgrades over the iPhone 15. $800 at Apple$830 at Best Buy

iPhone 16 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Plus: Do you really need to upgrade? | Digital Trends

It's always hard to avoid the news that a new iPhone has arrived, and arrived they have. Apple's September 9 event showcased four new iPhones: the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Chances are you know what to expect from each of those names, and the basic rule is that "more words in a name" means "bigger or more powerful," but it's worth keeping in mind that even the basic iPhone 16 is a mobile powerhouse that's worthy of going toe-to-toe with the most powerful Android flagships. But who cares about Android? One of the biggest questions on every Apple aficionado's lips is always, "How is the new iPhone better than the old one?" After all, it stands to reason the newer iPhone is better -- but exactly how much better is it? If you're currently reading this on last year's iPhone 15 Plus, should you be rushing to the store to buy your iPhone 16 Plus? Here's how the Apple iPhone 16 Plus compares to the iPhone 15 Plus, and whether it's worth the upgrade or not. Recommended Videos iPhone 16 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Plus: specs iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 15 Plus Size 160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8 mm (6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 inches) 160.9 x 77.8 x 7.8 mm (6.33 x 3.06 x 0.31 inches) Weight 199 grams (6.02 ounces) 201 grams (6.07 ounces) Screen size 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED Screen resolution 2796 x 1290 pixels (460 pixels per inch) 2796 x 1290 pixels (460 pixels per inch) Operating system iOS 18 iOS 17 (upgradeable to iOS 18) Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB 128GB, 256GB, 512GB MicroSD card slot No No Tap-to-pay services Apple Pay Apple Pay Processor Apple A18 Apple A16 Bionic RAM 8GB 6GB Camera Dual-lens 48-megapixel wide and 12MP ultrawide rear, 12MP TrueDepth front Dual-lens 48MP wide and 12MP ultrawide rear, 12MP TrueDepth front Video 4K at up to 60 frames per second, 1080p at 240 fps 4K at up to 60 fps, 1080p at 240 fps Bluetooth version Bluetooth 5.3 Bluetooth 5.3 Ports USB-C USB-C Fingerprint sensor No, Face ID instead No, Face ID instead Water resistance IP68 IP68 Battery Fast charging (26 watts) MagSafe wireless charging (25W) Qi wireless charging (15W) Reverse wireless charging (4.5W) Fast charging (20W charger sold separately) MagSafe wireless charging (15W) Qi wireless charging (7.5W) Reverse wireless charging (4.5W) App marketplace Apple App Store Apple App Store Network support All major carriers All major carriers Colors Black, white, pink, teal, ultramarine Black, blue, green, yellow, pink Prices Starts at $899 Starts at $799 iPhone 16 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Plus: design and display The iPhone 15 Plus was always going to be an awkward middle child in terms of pricing, but it was anything but awkward in terms of the design. Like the rest of the iPhone 15 range, the Plus benefited strongly from a design refresh. In fact, the large frame of the 15 Plus was even more impacted than the smaller phones by the comfortably curved sides and improved weight balance. As a result, it's a very comfortable phone to hold, and it looks gorgeous. Has Apple topped it with the iPhone 16 Plus? Apple is keeping a similar design for the iPhone 16 Plus, so you can be confident that the plus points of last year's model are sticking around. But there are some significant changes afoot. The camera module layout has changed. Rather than the diagonal layout we've come to love, Apple has gone back to a dual-stack for the two rear cameras. Additionally, it isn't extending the module into a squircle as it did with the iPhone 12, which means the iPhone 16 Plus resembles nothing less than the iPhone X when viewed from the rear. It's an odd throwback, but it's fun. But most exciting is the addition of a new button: Camera Control. This joins the Action button and can be used to launch the camera, swipe to zoom, and even differentiate between hard and soft presses, all to streamline your camera experience. It can also be used to kick-start Apple's Visual Intelligence AI. It could be one of those features you end up forgetting about, but the early impressions say it's looking more like a sea change in smartphone design. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus don't have bigger displays like the Pro models, but they do get an overall reduction in bezel size, thanks to new tech. As a result, while the newer iPhone won't have a much larger display, it will feel as if it encompasses more of the device's front because, well, it does. Unfortunately, Apple is keeping the 60Hz refresh rate on the cheaper models despite the majority of Android devices from the midrange and up moving on to much higher refresh rates. iPhone 16 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Plus: performance, battery life, and charging It should come as no surprise that Apple's newest devices have more powerful processors than the year before, but there's a caveat to explore here. It's become an unfortunate tradition that the cheaper of Apple's new devices get last year's processors -- so while the iPhone 15 Pro had new A17 Pro chips, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus made do with the previous year's A16 chip. This year, things are different. The Pro models get the A18 Pro chip, but at least the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus get an A18 chip. In all likelihood, it's still an A17 chip with a new name, but at least it doesn't feel like much of a downgrade now. Will it make a difference in real-life use? Without more time with them, it's hard to tell -- but it's likely it won't mean a huge jump in performance. Recent iPhones have all felt slick and superfast, and with how powerful phone hardware is now, it'll be years until it stops feeling that way. Battery life may also be a toss-up. While the three other iPhone 16 models are getting larger batteries, the iPhone 16 Plus is an outlier because it's rumored to be getting a smaller battery. Apple hasn't confirmed this and doesn't publicize its battery sizes, so we'll only know this for sure when teardowns start happening. We'll be sure to keep an eye on the iPhone 16 Plus' battery life when we perform our review. The charging speed seems to have increased a bit. While rumors originally said Apple had built a significantly faster 45-watt charging rate into all of its new phones, that doesn't seem to be the case, as the iPhone 16 Plus seems to be mostly restricted to a 26W charging rate. That outstrips the 20W speed we saw in last year's Plus model, but it's not by much. Still, new owners get a big upgrade in MagSafe charging speed, jumping up to 25W. iPhone 16 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Plus: cameras While it initially seems Apple hasn't done much to change the cameras, that's not actually the case. Despite looking the same on paper, there have been some big changes that help to bring the basic iPhones closer to the Pro leagues than they ever have been before. The 48-megapixel main lens now has the Fusion branding, meaning it can function as a 48MP lens, a 2x zoom at 24MP, or a 12MP lens with pixel-binning for increased light intake. It can also take spatial photos and videos for the Apple Vision Pro, a feat only previously available to the Pro models. However, you have to wonder how many people are paying for a Vision Pro and then skimping on their iPhone. Outside of those improvements, you're going to find the camera experience between these two phones very similar -- and that's no bad thing. The iPhone 15 Plus was another of our favorite camera phones from last year, and there's merit in Apple sticking with what works. iPhone 16 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Plus: software and updates There are no surprises here: Both iPhones run iOS 18, and you're going to find the experience similar on both. Yes, the iPhone 16 Plus will have launched with iOS 18, and that puts it sligthly ahead of the iPhone 15 Plus, which will have to use one of its upgrades to get to iOS 18. That's less of a big deal than on other phones, though, as Apple is quite generous with software updates. While it doesn't put a limit on the number a device can get, it's fair to say your phone will have reached a ripe old age (for a phone) before it no longer gets new iOS versions. Apple just updated the iPhone XS, a five-year-old phone, to iOS 18, so you can expect to get at least that level of support. There is one particular feature you'll find only on the newer phone, though, and it's a biggie: AI, specifically Apple Intelligence. Apple's foray into AI will introduce a number of new features to the iPhone. Siri will be supercharged, and capable of much more natural conversations. Writing Tools will help you to rewrite your sentences to fit specific tones, or just suggest replies based on context. It can create Memory Movies, as well as create transcripts in your Phone or Notes app. Heck, there's even ChatGPT integration. It's a big shake-up in the way iOS functions, but there's only one snag -- it's, er, not available yet. Apple Intelligence won't be hitting iPhones until iOS 18.1 is available, and even then, it'll lack the ChatGPT functionality. Plus, it will only be available on a very exclusive list of iPhones. The entire new iPhone 16 range is included, but outside of that, you're only looking at the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max being compatible. That means the iPhone 15 Plus is frozen out. Of course, whether you care or not will come down to your personal feelings about AI, and the usefulness of those features on the whole. We'll have to wait and see how it plays out in our reviews when Apple Intelligence is finally available. iPhone 16 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Plus: special features Apple's phones have never exactly been replete with special features. It's not really Apple's style to shove out a bunch of features and see what sticks, like, say, Samsung is wont to do. But it would be a lie to say there isn't anything. Both of these phones have access to Apple's usual special features, including Face ID, Animojis, and other fun tricks you've come to expect. The iPhone 15 Plus also has the mute switch on the side of the phone, a celebrated feature that allows you to mute and unmute your phone with the flick of a switch. It's one of Apple's most useful features, and it's a shame the iPhone 15 Plus will be one of the last iPhones to support it. While the iPhone 16 Plus doesn't have a mute switch, it does have something potentially even better. It has the Action button, previously only available on last year's Pro models. This button can function like a mute switch, or you can use it to toggle Focus modes, turn on the flashlight, open the Camera app, or any one of a number of other options. It's very customizable, though it's easy to see why people may miss the mute switch still available on the iPhone 15 Plus. There's another new button on the iPhone 16 Plus, though, and it's a bit more exciting. Called Camera Control, this slightly recessed button opens the camera when you press it, no matter what else you're doing on your phone. When the app is open, press it again to take a snapshot, or press and hold to start taking a video. Sounds simple? There's even more to it. Because it has a capacitive sensor, you can lightly press it to open an options menu for your camera, and slide to adjust. It may take a little bit of practice to adjust to it, but when you've got it down, it feels amazing. iPhone 16 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Plus: price and availability The iPhone 16 Plus is currently available, with prices starting from $899. As it's an Apple flagship, the chances are high you'll be able to find it in pretty much every store that carries smartphones of any kind. The iPhone 15 Plus is in basically the same situation, and is still available from Apple even after the release of the newest model. Happily, it's had a small drop in price as a result, and can be bought for $799, a $100 discount from its original asking price. iPhone 16 Plus vs. iPhone 15 Plus: Is it time for you to upgrade? So, what's the verdict? Is the newer iPhone a better phone than the last one? Well, yes. The iPhone 16 Plus is better-looking, more powerful, and has more features than the iPhone 15 Plus. Surpassing previous phones is the basic level of what we expect from a successor, so this doesn't come as a surprise. But that's not really the question we set out to answer anyway -- is the iPhone 16 Plus a big enough sea change in Apple hardware to make it a must-upgrade for iPhone 15 Plus owners? No, not really. Unless you're absolutely desperate to experience Apple Intelligence, then there's little to really tempt you. Yes, the iPhone 16 Plus is clearly the more powerful and capable of the two, but it's not worth spending extra money to get what are, most definitely, small incremental updates. Even those new features you can't get on the older phone, like Camera Control and Apple Intelligence, are worth waiting for. If you're deciding between the two phones, and aren't tempted by the lower price of the iPhone 15 Plus, it's definitely worth spending the $100 extra. But if you're thinking about an upgrade? Wait it out. Wait and see what the next few iterations of the iPhone bring to the table.