Nowadays, the “regular” iPhone is like a second child. This model has received hand-me-downs from the older, smarter sibling, the previous iPhone Pro, year after year. The iPhone 14 got the A15 Bionic chip and a bigger Plus version with the same screen size as the iPhone 13 Pro Max, while the iPhone 15 gained the Dynamic Island and A16 Bionic processor from the iPhone 14 Pro. Once again, there are trickle-down things for the iPhone 16 ($799 & up). However, that isn’t the whole story this time around regarding the Apple phone, which is the greatest choice for the majority of people.
Unexpectedly, Apple simultaneously included some of its most alluring features for 2024 in the ordinary and Pro iPhone models. This implies that you won’t have to wait a year to obtain a new button and more camera tools. Yes, Apple Intelligence is still being developed, however the iPhone 16 Pro also has this feature. What matters is that the iPhone 16 is equally prepared for the arrival of AI features.
Thus, Apple has significantly reduced the difference between the iPhone and iPhone Pro for the first time, or at least the first time in years. The most expensive iPhones are still the only ones that can shoot ProRAW stills and ProRES videos, and they are also the only ones with a new “studio-quality” four-microphone system. Unfortunately, the cost of a 120Hz display will still be higher. However, you won’t have to worry about missing out on the exciting new tools that will be important to the majority of us.
Old design, new bump, and new buttons
We still haven’t seen a major redesign for any iPhone, much less the entry-level model, after another year. I will thus use my time here to talk about the latest developments. Apple chose a lineup of ultramarine (blueish purple), teal, pink, white, and black, content to introduce new colors once more. Though I would prefer to see a blue and maybe a bright yellow or orange, the hues are more striking than those found on the iPhone 15. Furthermore, the Product Red option is now again absent; that color hasn’t been available since the iPhone 14.
The inclusion of two additional buttons is the primary visual alteration on the iPhone 16. Naturally, the Pro-grade iPhones are the source of one of those, the action button that can be adjusted above the volume rockers. By default, the control activates silent mode, which is the function of the switch it replaces. However, the action button may also be configured to launch a Shazam inquiry, start a Voice Memo, activate the camera, and switch on the flashlight, among other functions. If none of the defaults work for you, you can even design your own shortcut.
Regular iPhone users will need to adjust to the fact that the volume control is no longer the top button on the left, even if Apple clearly increased the usefulness of this switch by making it programmable. This implies that the middle and bottom buttons are what you’ll need to keep in mind as you go for the side to adjust the volume. Naturally, you can distinguish the action button by touch because it is smaller than the other two.
A new Camera Control button for easy access to the camera and its tools is located toward the bottom of the right side. A lengthy press will immediately launch 4K Dolby Vision video capture at 60 frames per second, and a push will launch the camera app from any screen. This button turns into a touch-sensitive slider for lens selection, exposure, and zoom once you’re there. For instance, zoom allows you to swipe through all of the available options. You can then access the other settings by using a double “light press,” which required a lot of practice before becoming proficient. You won’t need to raise your finger to hit the onscreen buttons; simply tapping the button fully once will capture a picture.
Apple moved the cameras around the back so they are stacked vertically rather than diagonally. Although the corporation still prefers a smaller bump in the top left over anything that takes up more space or covers the entire width of the rear panel, it is undoubtedly cleaner than the previous design (Hi Google). Since the arrangement now allows the iPhone 16 to capture stereoscopic information from the Fusion and Ultra Wide cameras, the company reoriented the back cameras primarily to enable spatial photographs and films.
stylin for photography
The 48-megapixel Fusion camera in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus features a quad-pixel sensor for sharp detail and high resolution. It essentially combines two cameras into one, merging a 12MP frame that is optimized for light capture with a 48MP frame, as the name suggests. You’ll get a 24MP image by default, which Apple claims provides the optimum balance of detail, low-light performance, and file size efficiency. To lessen flares, the main (and ultrawide) camera has a new anti-reflective coating.
Additionally, the 12MP ultrawide camera was upgraded. This sensor now performs better in low light thanks to its bigger pixels and quicker aperture. Autofocus unlocks a new macro option that can capture minuscule details. This is one of my favorite features because the macro tool has so far worked well for me, and the iPhone camera has never been able to capture good shots of smaller items (only the Pros).
Like its predecessors, the iPhone 16 captures good still images. In well-lit images, you’ll always receive clear, sharp details and accurate color reproduction that isn’t overly warm or chilly. I saw at a concert that the iPhone 16 performs substantially better in low light than the iPhone 15. My 2x zoom photographs with this updated model yielded better results than the prior model, which occasionally had trouble in dimly lit situations. The majority of the photos were unquestionably crisper, but there wasn’t a noticeable increase overall.
Photographic Styles is the biggest improvement to the iPhone 16’s camera. The algorithm is better able to comprehend skin tones, color, highlights, and shadows since Apple has more computational image data from years of improving its cameras. Additionally, the phone can process all of data in real time, allowing you to change mood styles and skin undertones before you even take a picture. Naturally, you may play around with them after shooting, and you can also provide styles to a collection of photos at the same time.
When you employ photographic styles to evaluate a shot before committing, they are much more valuable and vastly extended. The redesigned workflow’s new control pad, which allows you to swipe around to change color and tone, is my favorite feature. Additionally, a slider beneath it allows you to change the style’s color intensity. Since I have a lot more options in the Camera app thanks to the additional tools in Photographic Styles, I don’t feel the need to switch to another app right away to edit.
I have some issues with the button, but as I’ve already said, Camera Control is useful for taking fast pictures and the touch sensitivity is useful for settings. Depending on how you hold your phone, the positioning can cause problems and result in some accidental pushes, as my colleague Cherlynn Low noted in her review of the iPhone 16 Pro. You may want to experiment with the customization feature, which allows you to change the button’s sensitivity or turn it off completely. Furthermore, if you hold the phone with your thumbs at the bottom while shooting, the touch-enabled sliding controls will activate more precisely. This implies that in order to perform at your best, you might need to change your grip.
As previously mentioned, the iPhone 16’s unique camera arrangement allows for the spatial capturing of both images and videos. Apple Vision Pro can then display this content, which includes 1080p/30fps video and stills in the HEIC format. The fact that this isn’t exclusive to the iPhone 16 Pro is fantastic, but download size is a drawback for all iPhones. The camera app will alert you that a single spatial snapshot is 5MB and a minute of spatial video is 130MB when you swipe over to Spatial Mode. Since the images and movies just look normal on an iPhone screen, I didn’t spend much time here because I don’t have one of Apple’s headsets.
Audio Mix is, in my opinion, Spatial Mode’s greatest benefit. Here, the iPhone 16 separates a person’s speech from background noise using “advanced intelligence” and the sound input from the spatial capture. Four choices are available for Audio Mix, each of which offers a unique way to add or remove ambient noise. I found that the Studio and Cinematic settings, each of which approaches background noise differently, perform best, much as Cherlynn found on the iPhone 16 Pro. While the latter uses surround sound with ambient noise and centrally located speech, akin to a movie, the former creates the impression that the speaker is in a studio. Like her, though, I soon discovered that I need a lot more time to become familiar with this tool.
Battery life and performance
Apple’s new A18 chip, which has a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU, powers the iPhone 16. Additionally, it has a 16-core neural engine, the same as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 Pro. Compared to the A16 Bionic found in the iPhone 15, the A18 marked a two-generation advancement for the entry-level iPhone. The new chip gives Apple’s AI and demanding camera features like the Camera Control button and Photographic Styles the strength they need. Even with resource-intensive tasks, I never experienced any slowdown on the iPhone 15, and the iPhone 16 shouldn’t either. However, we’ll have to wait and see how well Apple Intelligence is handled by the iPhone 16 this autumn.
One advantage that extends to battery life is that the A18 is, of course, more efficient than its predecessors. Apple claims that the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus can play local video for up to 22 and 27 hours, respectively. These figures decrease to 18 and 24 hours, respectively, for streaming video, and they are all modest improvements over the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro.
I tested the iPhone 16’s battery starting at 7 AM, and at midnight, I had 25% of it left. Doing a combination of conversations, emails, social media, music, and video is what I would term “normal” use. Along with using the AirPods 4 multiple times during the day, I also have a Dexcom continuous glucose monitor (CGM) that connects via Bluetooth. Naturally, I was also experimenting with those new features by taking pictures and a few quick videos. Although it’s nice to get through the day without any issues, I would really like it if I could avoid charging my iPhone every night or use low-power mode instead.
In connection with this, Apple has improved charging speeds through MagSafe, allowing you to top up by 50% in about 30 minutes using 25W charging from a 30W power adapter or higher.
Conclusion
Apple has nearly bridged the gap between its phone designed for the most demanding power users and the greatest phone for the majority of consumers with the iPhone 16. Since many of the new capabilities on the iPhone 16 Pro are currently available, it’s a comfort not to be pining for what might be on the iPhone 17. It’s fantastic that they’re on the iPhone 16 at all, even though some of them will take some time to get used to. Some Pro features, such as multi-track recording in Voice Memos, a 120Hz display, a 5x telephoto camera, ProRAW images, and ProRES video, will still cost extra. However, not everyone requires those amenities. Because purchasing the high-end model has become more of a pleasure than a necessity, the standard iPhone will probably be more than adequate for your needs.
