Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max Review: A Significant Upgrade Featuring My Top iPhone Feature in Years

Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max Review: Compelling Upgrade With My Favorite iPhone Feature in Years

9.2/10 SCORE Apple iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max

Pros

• Larger screens/thinner bezels
• 4K slo-mo, OMG
• Audio Mix is brilliant
• iOS 18

Cons

• No Apple Intelligence out of the box
• Camera Control placement not optimal for one-handed shooting
• Elegant finishes aren’t very colorful
• Only 128GB of storage for $999

A few days into my week-long test of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, it became obvious to me that the best feature on Apple’s premium devices isn’t the new camera control button, bigger screen, or larger battery. It isn’t even Apple Intelligence. The iPhone 16 Pro’s ability to record high-resolution slow-motion video is the best new iPhone feature I’ve seen in years. I used the 16 Pro to record footage of a lion dance rehearsal and was surprised by how the slow motion made the dancers’ fast acrobatic movements look graceful, sustained, and powerful — something that’s difficult to appreciate in real-time.

But is the 16 Pro’s 4K, 120-frames-per-second video capability really enough to get people who aren’t camera nerds excited about Apple’s new premium iPhones — especially as the company touts the power of its Apple Intelligence suite of generative AI features?

With its straight-sided titanium build and Siri’s rainbow glow, Apple hyped the iPhone 16 Pro as a vessel that will bring generative AI, in the form of Apple Intelligence, into our everyday lives. Turns out, the complete vision for the iPhone 16 Pro with Apple Intelligence that the company showed off at its September iPhone event just isn’t ready yet.

While I did get to test an early preview version of Apple Intelligence on the iPhone 16 Pro, key features were missing. I didn’t get to test the ChatGPT integration, Genmoji, or Image Playground.

However, other standout features left me impressed with the 16 Pro. That high-resolution slow-mo recording function, various iOS 18 capabilities, as well as hardware upgrades, help the iPhone 16 Pro feel like a compelling upgrade.

But Should You Buy It?

If you’re buying the $999 iPhone 16 Pro or the $1,199 iPhone 16 Pro Max for Apple Intelligence, don’t. At least not yet. Apple has indicated that iOS 18.1, which will introduce the AI features, will come out in October.

If you have an iPhone 12 Pro or older, upgrading to the 16 Pro makes a lot of sense. If you’re on a 13 Pro and still have a decent battery capacity, I’d say save your money. And if you’re on a 14 Pro or 15 Pro, there’s no need to upgrade. Also, I should note that the entry-level $999 iPhone 16 Pro only has 128GB of storage.

This year the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max have the exact same cameras — unlike the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, which had different telephoto options. Screen size, battery life, and price should be the deciding factors when you’re choosing between the two.

Shortcomings aside, the iPhone 16 Pro is impressive, and it will likely be even more so as software updates and promised features are added. Just don’t buy it hoping for Apple Intelligence (yet).

iPhone 16 Pro’s 4K 120fps Slow Motion

Apple takes slow motion to another level. Not only can the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max record 4K 120fps slow motion video, but it can also do so with little effort. Unlike the Xperia 5 II, which required using a professional camera app to record and preserve the footage, Apple bakes in the ability right into the iPhone’s native camera app.

The iPhone 16 Pro’s new slo-mo has great details, good dynamic range, and accurate colors, which puts it on par with regular iPhone video quality. Even under medium lighting, the video looked good.

Apple Intelligence: Beta Steps

The review unit Apple loaned me ran the iOS 18.1 developer beta, allowing me to preview some Apple Intelligence features. Apple Intelligence is the headline feature for the phone, but it’s not quite fully baked.

The writing tools are clever. You can have it proofread something you wrote, or prompt it to rewrite it in a different tone and style, like concise, professional, or friendly. One Apple Intelligence feature I used a lot was the Summarize tool, especially in Safari for news stories. I found this tool to be useful in weeding out clickbait from articles.

The Clean Up tool in Photos, which lets you remove unwanted elements from an image, was another notable feature. While the results aren’t always perfect, the tool shows potential.

iPhone 16 Pro Cameras and Photos

The regular iPhone 16 Pro has three new cameras: a 12-megapixel 5x telephoto camera from the Pro Max, a new 48-megapixel ultrawide camera, and an upgraded 48-megapixel main camera. Both the 16 Pro and Pro Max have the same cameras this year, unlike the previous models.

The higher resolution ultrawide camera allows for great macro photos, and the main camera produces excellent image quality with a wide dynamic range.

iPhone 16 Pro’s Audio Mix is Outstanding

I’m impressed with the new Audio Mix feature for videos. iPhone 16 Pro videos have a solid default noise-isolation feature, but Audio Mix lets you further adjust the audio to isolate a person’s voice and make it sound like they’re recording on a studio microphone.

iPhone 16 Pro Wrap-up

The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max have everything we’ve come to expect in a year-over-year upgrade. Even without Apple Intelligence, the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max boast good battery life, outstanding photo and video capabilities, and iOS 18. The main drawbacks include the base 128GB storage and the muted color options.

These are excellent phones worthy of a spot in your pocket — if you can afford them.