Tech
iPhone 16 Pro review: Apple’s most advanced smartphone now has a larger display and its fastest mobile processor to date
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Apple’s new iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are impressive phones with incredible performance and capabilities. While they have a familiar exterior, they offer significant upgrades over their predecessors, like larger screen sizes, longer battery life, Apple’s fastest mobile processors, enhanced camera system, and a dedicated camera button. And, the iPhone 16 Pro models are among a small handful that will support Apple Intelligence AI features when iOS 18.1 rolls out in October.
For this review, we tested the standard iPhone 16 Pro. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are identical in performance and features, except for screen size and battery life. We’ll be testing the iPhone 16 Pro Max soon, and we’ll update this review to include our thoughts on the larger size and battery life.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max
The iPhone 16 Pro models support Apple’s headlining new feature, Apple Intelligence, starting with iOS 18.1. They also include upgraded cameras, the A18 Pro processor, a new Camera Control button, and improved battery life.
Design: A dedicated camera button and larger displays
Apple hasn’t drastically altered the general design since the iPhone Pro 12. However, the Pro models are now made with titanium (introduced in the 15 Pro) instead of aluminum, and the iPhone 16 Pros are slightly larger with 6.3-inch (Pro) and 6.9-inch (Pro Max) displays versus the 6.1 and 6.7-inch displays of previous Pro models.
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The size differences are negligible, but you may feel it in the weight — it’s minor, but it’s there. Yet, they’re lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro models, the heaviest iPhones I’ve tested. (Note that this experience is from my iPhone 16 Pro review unit, but it should also apply to the iPhone 16 Pro Max.)
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On the lower right edge is the new Camera Control button. It’s designed as a shortcut to open the camera app, but it’s also used to handle camera functions like depth, exposure, and zoom. The iPhone has always had a camera shortcut button on the lockscreen, but the Camera Control is way more useful since it has a capacitive sensor that supports a variety of presses, light presses, and swipes. I go into more detail about how the button works in the camera section further down.
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Carried over from the iPhone 15 Pro models, the Action Button — on the top left edge — is a shortcut button to 11 useful preset functions, like toggling the flashlight or recognizing a song playing in your surroundings. It’s also capable of many more customizable functions with the Shortcuts app. With iOS 18, Apple added in-app functionality with the Action button, like unlocking your car, when used with the Shortcuts app.
Apple Intelligence: Not available until October, but beta shows promise
Apple Intelligence is the major new feature coming to the iPhone’s operating system. When iOS 18.1 launches in October, the iPhone 16/16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro/16 Pro Max, and iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max will be the only models to support Apple Intelligence, which brings several useful new functions and features to your everyday experience with the phones.
With Apple Intelligence, Siri will see dramatic improvements in automating tasks based on voice prompts, like opening Apple Music and playing a song just by saying “play that” when a friend sends you a song name in Messages or attaching a photo in a message without having to drill through menus.
Apple
Siri can also dig through data in your iPhone to extract contextual information, like the name of a TV show a friend mentioned in Messages or reminding you of the name of a person you met some time ago based on an entry in the Calendars app.
Siri is also more forgiving if you stumble over your words while making your request, and it lets you correct yourself without having to restart the Siri process. Typing to Siri is also a new option in iOS 18.1 if speaking out loud isn’t possible.
Other AI-powered functions include text-based features, like summarizing emails, notifications, notes, and converting short-hand notes into complete text. It can also work with photos, like using text to describe and find photos in your Library, and collecting photos that match a description into an album or storyline.
We tested Apple Intelligence in the iOS 18.1 developer beta, and while we can’t definitively say how well it works — developer betas don’t represent the experience of a final version — it shows promise. For example, using my voice to send photos is easier than tapping the Share button and finding the right contact. Many features Apple is touting weren’t available during testing, but we’ll be updating this review when they launch in the final iOS 18.1 release.
Performance: Incredible power and strong benchmark results
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The iPhone 16 Pro models run on Apple’s A18 Pro processor, which contains newer and more advanced components than the A18 in the base iPhone 16, including an extra graphics processor core. According to our benchmark results, it’s a more powerful version of the A18 processor found in the base iPhone 16 models in almost every way.
For the iPhone 16 Pro models, that means faster overall performance for demanding tasks like video editing. Apple also boasted twice the ray tracing performance in games than the iPhone 15 Pro. AI performance will likely be faster, but we’ll test that when Apple Intelligence rolls out in October.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
However, in real-world usage, the difference in performance between the A18 Pro and the A18 may not be apparent. The base iPhone 16 opens and runs most apps as quickly as the iPhone 16 Pro. Games also look just as good on the iPhone 16 as they do on the iPhone 16 Pro. I even struggle to see any difference in lighting quality while playing “War Thunder” when I enable ray tracing.
Still, the iPhone 16 Pro might give you an extra year of fast, snappy performance than the base iPhone 16 before it shows signs of slowing down, thanks to the A18 Pro’s extra performance.
Using an iPhone SE 2020 running on the A13 Bionic processor and iOS 18 for reference, we can safely say iPhones running on Apple’s base processors can maintain most of their performance for five iPhone processor generations. With that in mind, we can surmise the iPhone 16 Pro and the A18 Pro could run almost like new (assuming a healthy battery) for six generations, while the iPhone 16 and base A18 processor should hold up for five generations.
Display: Still the best iPhone screens
If there’s one advantage that the iPhone 16 Pro has over the iPhone 16, it’s the display. Not only is it a bit larger, but the visual experience is significantly better.
The iPhone 16 Pro uses Apple’s ProMotion OLED display, with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz for fluid animations and gaming. It can also reduce down to 1Hz for static images and the always-on display to reduce battery drain. Apple’s ProMotion technology and always-on display continue to set apart the base and Pro models among the best iPhones, as the base iPhone 16 retains an outdated 60Hz display.
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All iPhone 16 models — standard and Pro — can reach up to 2,000 nits brightness, which makes everything on the display clearly visible in vibrant color, even under bright sunlight. A super bright screen is an underrated and noticeable upgrade if you’re coming from an older iPhone model with a lower maximum brightness, like the iPhone 13 Pro and older, or the base iPhone 14 and older.
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Conversely, the display can now reach a minimum brightness of 1 nit for more comfortable viewing in darker conditions. The difference might seem minor compared to the 2-nit minimum brightness on the iPhone 15, but the iPhone 16 display is noticeably more pleasant to view in a dark room. Any parent who rocks their baby to sleep will also appreciate the iPhone 16 dimmer display, as it lets you pass the time on your phone with less risk of waking your baby from a bright display.
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As for the bigger size, it’s not a dramatic difference — you see an extra half or full line of text at the bottom of the screen, and images, videos and games appear slightly larger compared to previous Pro iPhones. Anyone who prefers larger displays should still gravitate toward the larger 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max. Still, those who thought 6.1-inch iPhone displays were too small but the 6.7-inch displays were too big will appreciate the 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro.
Cameras: 5x zoom is now standard, and new slow-motion 4K video capture
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Besides the display, the camera system in the Pro models is one reason many users choose them over the standard iPhone. They offer greater photo and video shooting options, and pros and advanced users can tweak them to suit their production needs. From my experience in testing iPhones, the cameras and software deliver some of the best photos and videos taken with a smartphone, and the iPhone 16 Pro models continue that trend. However, despite new features like 4K 120fps videos, Dolby Vision video recording with the front camera, and even a new ultrawide camera, there isn’t a convincing enough reason that the 16 Pro cameras are better than the 15 Pro models and that they warrant an upgrade.
Main camera and video quality
Introduced in the iPhone 16 series, the new “Fusion” name for the 48MP main camera highlights Apple’s latest generation of Photographic Styles. These are essentially powerful filters that intelligently apply varying adjustment levels to different parts of a photo. For example, a vibrant style with saturated colors will reduce the effect on skin tone rather than blanketing an entire image with a color saturation boost and making skin tone look odd.
There are several new styles, enhanced controls for adjusting each style to your liking, and the ability to apply a Photographic Style to a photo you’ve already taken with any iPhone 16 model (it won’t work with photos from older iPhones).
While the Pro models have had a 48MP main camera since the iPhone Pro 14, the 16 Pro’s is new thanks to a faster sensor, which is supposed to help mitigate motion blur to capture sharper details on moving subjects, according to Apple’s claim. However, I can’t say I’ve noticed any improvement here compared to the iPhone 15 Pro. I get the same crisp results when taking photos outside on a sunny day, and similar motion blur when taking photos in less ideal lighting conditions.
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
As far as photo quality is concerned, the main camera delivers similar detail and lighting. Color saturation is reduced ever so slightly compared to the iPhone 15 Pro, but photos taken with the iPhone 16 Pro have a slightly more natural look as a result. It’s so slight that you might not notice on certain displays, but we noticed the difference on a MacBook Pro’s display.
The real improvement from the iPhone 16 Pro’s faster 48MP camera sensor is taking 4K videos at 120 frames-per-second (fps) in the Dobly Vision or ProRes formats. This new ability is primarily designed for capturing slow-motion 4K video, which can be appreciated by casual users, prosumers, amateurs, hobbyists, or professionals alike.
Be aware that 4K 120fps videos take up a lot of storage space. A 10-second test video takes up 165 megabytes, and Apple says a minute of 4K 120fps video can take up to 800 megabytes — almost a gigabyte. That’s not ideal for most casual users; Pros, on the other hand, will likely record onto an external drive, which the Pro models are capable of. Plus, if you’re not a fan of the “soap opera” effect from 60fps video, where motion appears smoother than a typical video (or even a typical TV show or movie), you’re not going to like 120fps video.
But, if you like 4K 60 fps video from previous iPhones, you’ll love the 4K 120 fps option in the iPhone 16 Pro models. It’s incredibly smooth and details in motion look incredibly sharp — it almost looks sharper than 4K as there’s barely any motion blur. Just note my warning about storage above.
Apple is still unbeaten when it comes to video quality, and by a notable margin, too. The iPhone 16 Pro models give you more confidence than with any other phone I’ve tested that videos will get the basics right, like colors, lighting, and sharpness. The iPhone 16 Pro models also have incredibly effective optical image stabilization to smoothen camera shake. The rest, like subject and composition, is up to you.
Ultrawide camera
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The iPhone 16 Pro has a new 48MP ultrawide camera compared to the 12MP ultrawide from previous iPhones. There isn’t a perceivable improvement in good lighting conditions, and I’m struggling to see improvements in darker conditions where a higher resolution camera is typically beneficial.
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Either way, the iPhone 16 Pro’s ultrawide camera on its own takes excellent ultrawide and macro photos in bright and dark conditions. I plan to test the ultrawide camera further and will update this review after long-term use.
Zoom camera
The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max have identical camera setups, with a 5x zoom camera, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro had a 3x zoom camera, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max had a 5x zoom.
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Photos taken with the 5x zoom camera carry the same excellent balance of color, contrast, and brightness as the main camera. It still uses a 12MP sensor compared to the 48MP main and ultrawide cameras, but details are still crisp and clear.
Camera button
With the new Camera Control button, you can open the camera app and snap a photo or take a video more quickly and easily than previous methods, such as swiping left, pressing the camera icon on the lock screen, or even using the Action button. The Camera Control button also makes this easier than ever with a single hand.
It’s a little finicky at first to control camera functions, like depth, exposure, zoom, and switching Photographic Styles and Tones, but you can get used to it fairly quickly. It’s best for adjusting zoom, as it offers more control than pinching on the display. Otherwise, it’s another option to access those functions rather than a notable improvement or replacement of the existing methods.
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For controlling these camera functions, it’s still easier to hold the iPhone 16 Pro with two hands — trying to adjust zoom or any other function feels awkward if you’re holding the phone with one hand, whether horizontally or vertically.
Here’s what the Camera Control button does:
- A single press opens the camera app.
- A press while in the camera app takes a photo.
- A long press while in the camera app starts a video recording.
- A light press while in the camera app reveals zoom control by default.
- Swiping back and forth along the button adjusts the zoom level.
- A double light press and swiping changes the single light press’s function, such as depth, exposure, camera switching, Photographic Styles, and Tone.
- The iPhone 16 Pro remembers which control you last used, so you can quickly adjust it.
Battery life and charging: Longer lasting and faster MagSafe
The iPhone 16 Pro finished our battery test with 62% remaining, a notable improvement over the iPhone 15 Pro’s 58% result. That’s excellent for a phone of its size, beating the 6.3-inch Pixel 9’s 60% result, and the 6.2-inch Galaxy S24’s 59% result.
While the iPhone 16 Pro offers an improvement over the iPhone 15 Pro, don’t expect any change to your daily charging habits. Rather, the iPhone 16 Pro’s extended battery life offers greater confidence it’ll last through your typical day while you continue to charge at your usual interval.
Apple claims that the iPhone 16 Pro Max has the best battery life of any iPhone. The claim’s accuracy still awaits our testing, but if it’s true, it has the potential to beat the iPhone 15 Plus’ stunning 73% result. For reference, the iPhone 16 Plus finished our test with 69%, which is still an excellent score but not as good as its predecessor. We will update our battery performance findings after further testing to see if they hold up.
The entire iPhone 16 series supports Apple’s second-generation 25W MagSafe charger (as well as the original 15W MagSafe charger). That means the iPhone 16 Pro can charge wirelessly at the same speed as wired charging with the USB-C port — Apple lists 50% battery charge in 30 minutes (35 minutes for the iPhone 16 Pro Max) for both wired and second-generation MagSafe charging.
Apple suggests at least a 20W charger for wired charging and at least a 30W charger for the second-generation MagSafe charger. The company doesn’t include a charger with the iPhone 16 Pro, so check out the best iPhone USB-C chargers you can buy.
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The iPhone 16 Pro’s USB-C port still supports fast USB 3 speeds for transfers up to 10Gbps. That’s invaluable for transferring large files, like ProRes video, between an iPhone and a computer or external drive. Note that the USB-C cable included with the iPhone 16 Pro doesn’t support USB 3 speeds.
Keep in mind that USB 3 doesn’t support Thunderbolt, even though both standards use the USB-C port. If you’ve built up an ecosystem of devices around Thunderbolt, like a storage drive, it won’t work with the iPhone 16 Pro. Also, USB-C devices that don’t support USB 3 won’t hit those higher speeds, either. However, Thunderbolt cables are compatible if you connect them to a USB 3 device.
Should you buy it?
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If you own the base iPhone 14 or older and want to move up to the Pro series, the iPhone 16 Pro models will offer a dramatically improved experience thanks to the larger 120Hz displays, triple camera, and powerful A18 Pro processor.
If you have an iPhone 12 Pro or older, you’ll also notice a notable difference in battery life, cameras, and display quality. You could also justify upgrading from the iPhone 13 Pro or 14 Pro models, too, but the list of improvements is shorter for those generations. Extras like the Action and Camera Control buttons would offer extra functionality, too.
With the iPhone 16 Pro Max, storage options start at 256GB, more generous than the 128GB that the iPhone 16 Pro starts with. The iPhone 16 Pro models are also the only iPhones currently available from Apple with up to 1TB of storage.
Upgrading to the iPhone 16 Pro from the iPhone 15 Pro wouldn’t offer much of an improvement in overall experience or usage. Performance and camera quality are comparable, and the 15 Pro models will also support Apple Intelligence when it rolls out in October. The iPhone 16 Pro models only offer better battery life, the Camera Control button, a 5x zoom camera if you have the smaller iPhone 15 Pro and a slightly longer lifespan due to the newer processor.
Apple claims the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s battery life is the best on any iPhone, and we have reason to believe it. The last time Apple made that claim for the iPhone 14 Plus, we were able to positively verify it with our battery test.
The larger iPhone 16 Pro screen sizes can be appreciated by iPhone 15 Pro users (or those with any older iPhone), but I hesitate to say it’s worth upgrading for that reason alone. Still, with the right offer from Apple, your carrier, or retailers like Best Buy, you could trade in an iPhone 15 Pro model for the cost of an iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max.
See our guides to the best iPhone 16 Pro cases and best iPhone 16 Pro Max cases to protect either phone.
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