iPhone 16 Pro: 3 Impressive Camera Features That Stand Out (And No, It's Not Camera Control)

Now that we have had a little time to reflect on how the iPhone 16 Pro is performing in real-world scenarios, there are several camera features that stand out and genuinely make a world of difference in everyday situations, as well as in some niche ones. Having said that, Camera Control isn’t one of them, and based on our testing, we would argue that it isn’t necessary; yes, it is cool to quickly launch the camera, but apart from that, it has a steep learning curve that most won’t master. That aside, here are three iPhone 16 Pro camera features that do make a difference—read on.

iPhone 16 Series Photographic Styles Put You in Control

This year, you have control—right from how your photos look to how you capture them. With that, the Photographic Styles feature has received a significant update, now allowing you to adjust the tonalities and colours of what you capture. It’s like a baked-in look, similar to what you would expect from a Fuji camera film simulation. Yes, these aren’t that detailed, but what you do get is a quick and easy way to create your own look—something you want from a camera. You can choose between Amber, Rose Gold, Quiet, and Ethereal, but the real fun lies in tuning them and making them your own. Additionally, you can choose to pick and alternate styles after you have taken the photo because Apple captures all that data. It’s a fun feature that encourages you to take more photos with your iPhone.

4K 120 FPS Video Is Here, and It Is Glorious

Previously, if you wanted to shoot at 120 FPS, you were limited to the Slow-mo mode of the default iPhone camera app, which only allowed 120 FPS in Full HD. It was grainy, lacked detail, and was hard to edit alongside 4K video in a timeline, but now you can record 4K 120 FPS videos—in ProRes Log encoding. Yes, the file sizes are massive, but you now get tack-sharp videos with a high level of detail—in a format that is highly editable. That said, if you plan on shooting in Log, you will need to connect an external SSD to your iPhone 16 Pro, so that’s worth keeping in mind. Another point to remember is that you can also shoot 4K 120 FPS not in ProRes Log. While it may not be as cinematic, you still achieve fantastic detail, which is certainly better than the slow-mo video from the dedicated slow-mo mode.

New 48MP Ultra Wide Lens Means Tack Sharp Ultra-wide Shots

With the iPhone 15 Pro models, Apple included a 12MP sensor, and while it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t one of the best either—it lacked detail in low light and wasn’t optimal in terms of dynamic range. Luckily, Apple listened to user and critic feedback and included a new 48MP ultra-wide shooter with the iPhone 16 Pro models. The new sensor performs better in low-light scenarios, stays tack sharp in mixed lighting, and gets significant upgrades in macro photography as well—considering Apple uses the same lens for macro photos and videos. Not to forget, you can now capture Apple ProRAW photos in 48MP, which brings even more detail. It is safe to say that this has been one of the most meaningful upgrades in the iPhone 16 Pro camera setup.