I have to constantly attempt to convince myself to choose the iPhone 16 less costly model because the greatest iPhones have had a $200 difference between the regular and Pro models for years. I want you to understand precisely what you are receiving (or sacrificing) by selecting this less costly phone over the iPhone 16 Pro, which is why I am so meticulous about going over every tiny detail in my review of the iPhone 16.
The models that make up this year’s iPhone 16 lineup share a lot more similarities than previous years, yet I know that many people are constantly unsure about which iPhone to purchase. For instance, the Action button, which was initially reserved for the iPhone 15 Pros last year, and the Camera Control button, which is included on the iPhone 16 Pros, are now included in the iPhone 16. Even the Apple Intelligence features are essentially the same, but they were included as a post-release iOS 18 upgrade.
How this model’s improved cameras stack up to last year’s iPhones, the more expensive iPhone 16 Pro, and its primary rivals in the market are some of the most important questions I also want to address in my review of the iPhone 16.
Apple iPhone 16 review: Price and release date
I find myself waiting impatiently every year for Apple to reveal the costs of its upcoming iPhone models. Fortunately, the standard iPhone 16, which retails for $799, does not see a price increase this year. The iPhone 16 is already available for preorder; full availability will begin on September 20.
The three storage options that have been offered for the past few years for the iPhone 16 are 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. The brighter, more vivid color possibilities this year—pink, teal, ultramarine, black, and white—are what I am pleased with. Because these new hues are more striking than the pastel-like iPhone 15 colors, they may be enough to convince individuals not to choose the iPhone 16 Pros.
Apple iPhone 16 review: Design
Using a phone that is smaller has many advantages. Although the iPhone 15 and this year’s regular model are the same size, the iPhone 16 is somewhat lighter at 6 ounces, which makes using the phone one-handed a delight. Compared to the bigger iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max versions, it is undoubtedly more simpler to do this. Apple used aerospace-grade aluminum in the creation of the iPhone 16, which not only makes it lighter but also more robust.
Despite Apple’s promises that the most recent version of Ceramic Shield glass is more durable and rugged, my evaluation device was visibly scuffed up after being shoved in my backpack a few times. For this reason, if you want to maintain the brand-new appearance of your iPhone 16, I can not emphasize enough how important it is to install a screen protector and one of the finest iPhone 16 cases.
Although I would love to see these brighter colors available on the Pro iPhones, the iPhone 16 is still a far more beautiful phone than the iPhone 16 Pros. Small features like the outline color of the rear cameras provide a striking contrast as an accent color, and I adore how the color-infused back glass with my ultramarine colorway review unit pops at the perfect angle.
Speaking of cameras, the iPhone 16 has a lot of significant design tweaks. To enable support for spatial video and photo recording, the series has switched back to a vertical layout from the diagonal one it has been utilizing for the past three years. The Action Button on the left and the Camera Control on the right are two more recent design additions. Lastly, the iPhone 16’s USB-C connector, which is located on the bottom, is still limited to the slower USB 2.0 rates that the iPhone 15 provided.
However, these features, coupled with its attractive appearance, enhance the iPhone 16’s design and reduce the functional difference between it and the iPhone 16 Pro.
Apple iPhone 16 review: Display
The newly released iPhone 16 maintains the same 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR screen with a resolution of 2,556 x 1,179 pixels, unlike the iPhone 16 Pro. Additionally, the size of the same cutout for its Dynamic Island toward the top remains constant.
The display is very pleasing. This OLED panel is aesthetically pleasing and effective for the majority of tasks. I watched the Rings of Power Season 2 promo, and I enjoy how some of the scenes stand out thanks to the iPhone 16’s display’s subtle contrast and saturation. However, considering how much greater refresh rates are found in less costly phones, I continue to be quite critical of Apple’s decision to retain the display refresh rate on its top models at 60 Hz.
I have observed how the cheaper Pixel 8a’s quicker 120Hz refresh rate smoothes down motion to make action scenes appear more fluid, but I doubt most people would notice. The iPhone 16 lacks the slick-smoothing animation of other phones due to its 60Hz display.
When the iPhone 16 is put through the display benchmark test by Tom’s Guide, it performs somewhat worse at 1,348 nits, which is lower than the iPhone 15’s 1,401 nits brightness. Although there is not a huge difference, I was hoping for at least an improvement in this area, especially since Apple again promises a rating of up to 3,000 nits. Nevertheless, I will state that none of this has an impact on the iPhone 16’s outside screen visibility. It is functional, however it would be much better with my hand outside for shade.
Apple iPhone 16 review: Camera Control
Positioned on the right side of the iPhone 16, the Camera Control button mimics the shutter button often seen in the top mirrorless cameras of today by sensing the amount of pressure applied to it. Because of the additional features you will have access to, I will state that the Camera Control requires some getting used to.
You can snap a picture by fully pressing the button, but you can also record a video by pushing and holding it. I appreciate that by softly touching the Camera Control button and sliding my finger left or right, I can switch between some of the settings, such as exposure adjustment, zoom controls, and more. This is a positive move toward having the iPhone seem more like a camera, even though it can take some getting used to.
To assist aficionados like me get more out of the phone’s camera, I still wish Apple had included additional options, such as access to the shutter speed and ISO. The same Audio Mixing function, which allows users to alter the audio quality after a video is captured, is also available on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. Although it was first unveiled as a feature for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, it has now been verified that the regular iPhone 16 models may also use it.
Apple iPhone 16 review: Performance
Apple equips the iPhone 16 with the newest A18 processor, bypassing the A17 Pro seen in the iPhone 15 Pro versions from the previous year. It has 30% more CPU performance than the previous A16 Bionic found in the iPhone 15 and is built using a new 3nm manufacturing process.
The iPhone 16 exhibits considerable gains in every synthetic benchmark test. The iPhone 16 significantly outperforms the iPhone 15 on Geekbench 6, with average single and multi-core scores of 3,301 and 8,033, respectively, compared to 2,518 and 6,179 for the iPhone 15. Even more astounding is the fact that these results surpass those of the A17 Pro processor found in the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Although the phone is undoubtedly quick for daily operations, my main gripe is that it lacks the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s fluidity with animations and movements, which I believe is caused by the iPhone 16’s 60Hz refresh rate.
Its graphics processing performance has also been improved, so the performance gains do not end there. With an average frame rate of 98.23 fps, 3DMark’s Wild Life Unlimited test outperforms the iPhone 15 by 36%.
The iPhone 15 runs graphically demanding games flawlessly, particularly during the pivotal battle moments in Age of Origins. This iPhone’s capabilities for hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which was previously only available on the 15 Pro versions, makes it an even better gaming phone. With all of the lighting and shadowing effects on screen, the frame rate remained constant when I launched Resident Evil Village on my iPhone 16. However, due of the iPhone 16’s 60Hz refresh rate, it performs a notch or two worse than other premium phones.
Overall, this “underpowered” processor outperforms other similar phones, making the A18 chip a gem in and of itself. For instance, in most benchmark tests, its ratings surpass those of the Galaxy S24 and Pixel 9. Its lack of the buttery smooth appearance that today’s top gaming phones provide with their quicker refresh rates is my main complaint.
Apple iPhone 16 review: Battery Life
According to Apple, the iPhone 16 has a bigger battery. Even again, until the phone’s teardowns are made public, its precise capacity is unclear. Without a doubt, the iPhone 16 has adequate battery life to go through my regular use. I still had to charge my iPhone 16 at some point during the day on days when I used it a lot, but I was able to get it down to 10% capacity at one point when I was not using it as much during the day.
More significantly, the iPhone 16 performs admirably in the battery benchmark test conducted by Tom’s Guide. Its 13-hour, 19-minute battery life is a significant gain over the 11-hour, 5-minute battery life of the iPhone 15. The iPhone 16 demonstrates that a little phone like this can still get you by without much trouble, despite not seeing as much progress as the other recent iPhones.
The iPhone 16 was supposed to have 45W wired charging rates, but after experimenting with several cables and connecting it to a GaN charger that displays the charging output of each port, I was only able to see charging speeds of up to 20W. It is not quick at all, but considering the size of the iPhone 16, I am shocked that it charges to around 29% capacity in 15 minutes using Apple’s 30W charger, and then to 57% in 30 minutes.
Conversely, the iPhone 16 has Qi2 compatibility and 25W MagSafe charging, which will speed up wireless charging. If you currently have a MagSafe charger, you will need to replace it in order to take advantage of quicker MagSafe charging.
Apple iPhone 16 review: Software
New software from Apple can be incremental or major. Since iOS 18 does not offer nearly as many significant updates or additions as iOS 17, this year’s release is more of the latter. This is because Apple Intelligence’s iOS 18.1 release in late October 2024, which was only available for all iPhone 16 models, as well as the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, brought all the exciting things individually.
iOS 18.2 is now in developer beta as of November 2024, with the stable version anticipated in December. more features like Genmoji, more ChatGPT integration, and the ability to share Find My Locations via link so that non-contacts may see it will be added.
Though I would admit that the improvements and modifications are incremental, our review of iOS 18 highlights all the new features, such as the increased personalization and privacy capabilities. For instance, iOS 18 adds a layer of verification using Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode, allowing you to lock or hide applications.
The new and enhanced Siri, writing tools to help you proofread and edit your writing, recording and transcription capabilities for the Phone and Notes apps, and summaries for your emails, notes, and notifications are all products of Apple Intelligence.
Apple iPhone 16 review: Apple Intelligence Preview
I find it unfortunate that the iPhone 16 does not come with Apple Intelligence because of this. I have been utilizing a developer beta of Apple Intelligence features, which is currently under development. However, given how beneficial these new features are, I believe it is reasonable to say that Apple Intelligence will bring the iPhone into a new age. I have already mentioned a few of my favorite Apple Intelligence features, such as how Siri is now much more conversational and how wonderfully Photo Clean Up uses generative AI to enhance photographs.
I am eager to test out one Apple Intelligence function, though, which I have not yet done. Apple’s response to Google Lens is called Visual Intelligence. This might persuade customers to upgrade as it will be a feature that is only available on the iPhone 16 range and will not be available on other devices. Visual Intelligence, which is connected to the iPhone 16’s Camera Control button, enables you to swiftly search for anything by simply snapping a picture of it. However, it may be combined with any app or service that is already operating on the device.
Even while I appreciate every other Apple Intelligence feature available in the iOS 18.1 developer beta, I do not believe it is particularly noteworthy or novel. In essence, these are reactions to what I have observed in the world, such as Google’s Magic Editor’s photo editing capabilities or Galaxy AI’s summary and translation capabilities. I would even venture to argue that Google continues to outperform Apple in terms of AI features, especially considering that Apple’s competitor has been working on them for years.
However, by creating Apple Intelligence at last, Apple is moving in the correct way. It is unfortunate that it will not be accessible at launch. In spite of this, the iPhone 16 will benefit more from it because it will have the same features as the iPhone 16 Pro variants. By maintaining a consistent experience, I think this should be the best course of action, however it definitely makes the less expensive iPhone 16 seem more substantial.
Apple iPhone 16 review: Verdict
It still amazes me that the iPhone SE has not received an upgrade in two years. However, considering how amazing the iPhone 16 is this year and the fact that it has many of the same capabilities as the iPhone 16 Pro, I am much more likely to purchase this model. When iOS 18.1 comes out, the Action Button, Camera Controls, and essentially the same Apple Intelligence capabilities will be included.
The iPhone 16’s cameras are as remarkable, producing crisp images despite the price difference, especially from the primary lens. The telephoto department is the one significant area it lacks, but that is the main reason you should look at the Pro models instead. I also adore that the iPhone 16 has the same Audio Mix capability as a video camera, which allows me to customize the sound of my recordings.
Ultimately, the iPhone 16’s 60Hz display is the one significant flaw in my opinion. It is out of date and does not have the fluidity I find in phones with faster refresh rates. However, by selecting the iPhone 16 over Apple’s Pro phone and the areas where it naturally lags behind its siblings (think battery life and processing performance), you are saving a solid $200. The iPhone 16 offers professional functionality at an affordable price.
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