Hands-on Review of iPhone 16 Pro: Apple's Most Intelligent Upgrade So Far

iPhone 16 Pro Hands-on Review: Apple’s Smartest Upgrade Yet

Meet your iPhone 2024 lineup: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max

I’m currently testing the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro series, and while you’ll have to wait for my full review next week as I put the new camera and battery through their paces, I already tell you about some of Apple’s winning features. This year’s iPhone upgrades offer bigger screens on the two Pros, a dedicated multi-function Camera Control on all four new iPhones, and up to four hours of additional battery life and faster charging. I’ve toyed around with Apple Intelligence in beta for several weeks, and while it’s not due to launch until iOS 18.1 in October, it promises a smarter Siri (finally), AI summaries of emails and notifications (so clutch) and AI photo-editing tools (magically erase those photo-bombers in the background).

The iPhone 16 and Apple Intelligence are Apple’s answer to a year of AI features found in the top Android phones of 2024. The one-month-old Google Pixel 9 Pro XL with Gemini Advanced AI and the seven-month-old Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra with Galaxy AI have been particularly impressive. However, if you favor Apple’s cohesive ecosystem over Android and didn’t just buy last year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max, there’s enough here to get excited about this year’s upgrade.

Bigger Pro Screens

The 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max give you more screen space for the same starting price of $999 and $1,199. That’s 0.2 inches of extra OLED real estate. I foresee some users of the prior 6.7-inch Pros (a size that dates back to the iPhone 13 Pro Max) may opt for the new 6.3-inch size, but I’m still a smartphone screen maximalist who appreciates the bigger 6.9-inch size.

Less Bezel

It’s not bigger just because the phone dimensions have increased. Apple managed to reduce some of the bezels that outlined the Pro phones. That, along with the 120Hz ProMotion display and telephoto camera, are the reasons I would opt for the iPhone 16 Pro series phones.

Keyboard Luxury

I prefer the iPhone 16 Pro Max for one reason you may not be thinking of: the on-screen keyboard always seems easier to use on a bigger screen. The Pro Max has always felt great for typing, and at 6.9 inches, it feels even better – your thumbs will thank you.

Fun iPhone 16 Colors

I’m jealous of the iPhone 16 colors – Ultramarine and Pink especially. In person, they’re so vibrant. Teal, White and Black are also options, but if you’re buying the iPhone 16 or 16 Plus, go for Ultramarine, unless you’re tied to Pink.

Desert Titanium

I’m using the iPhone 16 Pro Max in the new Desert Titanium color, and it’s thankfully creamier and less brown than some of the early photos that circulated. You’re not going to be disappointed in it, though Black, White, and last year’s hero color, Natural Titanium, still exist.

Camera Control

All four phones now have Camera Control on the bottom right of the frame. This makes it easy to launch the camera, snap a photo, record a video and cycle zoom and photo styles. What’s interesting is that Camera Control isn’t a protruding button. It’s flush with the new iPhone’s body, meaning you won’t accidentally press it. It takes some getting used to, but I’m a fan of physical buttons and, obviously, shortcuts.

Styles and Tones

Sliding across the multi-function Camera Control opens up a whole bunch of possibilities – some brand new and others returning but previously buried in submenus. I’ve talked to iPhone users who didn’t know you could adjust styles. “This a new!” they said. It’s not. It’s just way easier to find previously hidden camera options and simply a click away.

Snapchat, Others Use Camera Control

Third-party apps have access to the Camera Control API. This means the feature won’t be limited to Apple’s default camera app. Snapchat uses Camera Control to not only tap the shutter but also cycle through your favorite contacts to send a picture or video quickly.

4K120fps Slow Motion

iPhones always have top-notch video capabilities vs Android, and now Apple has widened the gap with even better in slow motion video. Not only can “slo-mo” capture scenes and subjects in 4K at 120 frames per second, you can adjust when the slow motion kicks in (or do away with it completely). It’ll eat up storage and recording in ProRes does require external storage, but the results are worth it.

48MP Ultra-wide Upgrade

The ultra-wide camera went from 12MP to 48MP in RAW on the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max. We still need more time to test it, but we went to a Mets game and captured a range of photos from the various cameras.

48MP Macro Shots

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the iPhone 16 Pro phones also benefit from the 48MP camera sensor when using the macro mode. Close-up shots are even bigger when you’re trying to focus on tiny subjects.

5x Telephoto on Both Pros

Both the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max now have a 5x optical zoom using Apple’s tetraprism camera. Previously, this was a feature limited to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Both iPhone 16 Pro models have 5x optical zoom and crisper 25x digital zoom photos.

Spatial Capture

All four iPhone 16 series phones can capture Spatial photos and video (at 1080p and 30fps) that can be played back using the Apple Vision Pro. I like that the camera now includes “Spatial” as a dedicated camera option on the bottom instead of being another button within the crowded video mode.

Audio Mixing is Easy

Apple has a new, post-production quick fix for noisy video audio in all four new iPhones. In crowded rooms or environments, you can reassign the audio as “in-frame” or “studio” to dampen chatter outside the frame. There’s also a cinematic option if you want to take in all the sights and sounds.

Gaming with the A18 Pro Chip

I’m currently pushing the iPhone 16 phones to their limits with a flurry of games: Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG, and Genshin Impact, along with a flurry of Apple Arcade games. So far, Apple’s A18 and A18 Pro chips top multi-core benchmarks and don’t get as hot as last year’s iPhones at launch. Triple-A games like Resident Evil: Village, Death Stranding and Assassin’s Creed Mirage offer near-console-quality graphics, though I’d like to see more announced.

2-4 Hours of Extra Battery

Inside, the battery gets a big boost. Apple promises up to four extra hours from its iPhone 16 Pro Max, offering another reason to go big.

45W Fast Wired Charging

This year’s new iPhones support 45W fast charging, which matches the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s wattage and a nice boost over the 29W charging on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

25W Wireless Charging

Apple’s new MagSafe wireless charger breaks the 15W barrier for impressive 25W charging. 15W has long been a limitation of wireless charging, but now it’s almost as fast as last year’s wired charging. Wild.

Apple Intelligence in the Future

Apple’s AI push is coming in October as part of iOS 18.1. Having tested the developer beta, I’m digging the summaries of my Twitter/X notifications and getting the gist of emails without having to dive into a thread. Being able to erase photo bombers in otherwise perfect photos is also a perk. There’s a lot more to come in the software update, meaning I’ll have to update this iPhone 16 Pro review twice.