Apple made quite a splashing this year with theiPhone 16lineup . In fact , the base model iPhone 16 come along to be the headliner of the show , with phenomenal colour and even more Pro - level characteristic than ever before . And whether you have a go at it it or detest it , the new vertical camera layout breathes some refreshful life into the phone .
But I did n’t go for the stand model this yr , even thoughI really require a pinkish iPhone . Instead , I give way with theiPhone 16 Pro , as drab as it may look equate to the iPhone 16 . I was excited about some fresh feature article , but thenI initiallyhad some second thoughtsafter the first few days .
It ’s now been over a month , and the iPhone 16 Pro has been my daily driver since then . Do I still have that little bit of buyer ’s remorse ?
The camera upgrades are worth it
One of the advantages of the iPhone Pro over the base models has always been the television camera . That specially holds true with the iPhone 16 Pro . It ’s one of the reasons I always upgrade every year .
In 2023 , I go with theiPhone 15 Pro , even though I really need the 5x telephoto television camera on theiPhone 15 Pro Max . Why the small one ? I notice the Max phones to be a bit unwieldy for me in daily use . While I was happy with the size of it of the iPhone 15 Pro , I was annoyed that Apple had such a feature disparity between the Pro cameras — not everyone need the big telephone set to have the best tv camera . So , I was baffle with the 3x telephoto camera .
gratefully , Apple specify that this yr with the iPhone 16 Pro . Since it got a slight bump up in physical size , Apple was able to fit the 5x telephoto camera into it . Now , those who prefer minuscule phone ( hi , it ’s me ) are n’t missing out on major tv camera feature .
It may seem underage , but I ’ve really been enjoy the 5x telephoto lens and using it more than I thought . It ’s not like I could n’t do 5x zoom with the iPhone 15 Pro , but it was digital rapid growth , which mean a expiration of quality the more I zoomed in past 3x . With the 5x optical zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro , I can surge in closer to my subjects without lose precious particular .
I typically use the telephoto when I see the duck at Disneyland or when I see squirrels and ferine cat ( and whatever other critters are running around ) in my neighborhood because I love taking photos of animals . have the 5x telephoto has been very useful for me in getting some nice wildlife shot without having to get close and possibly disturb them .
The ultrawide genus Lens on the Pro model was also bumped up to 48MP instead of 12MP . I do n’t use the ultrawide camera as much as the other two for most scenarios , but I have appreciated the increased detail in those ultrawide picture . The sensor can also capture more swooning , crap ultrawide lowlight shot much well than before .
Since macro photos use the ultrawide electron lens , that also means your macro photos look even in effect . In fact , I did acamera comparing between the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro , and the macro shots read with the iPhone 16 Pro reveal a very obvious difference in timbre over those taken with its predecessor .
How the rest of my iPhone 16 Pro is aging
As great as the tv camera are , there are plenty of other things that I ’ve been enjoying with my iPhone 16 Pro .
Apple equipped the iPhone 16 Pro model with the new A18 Pro chip , which is about 16 % quicker than its forerunner , the A17 Pro . As someone who also had the iPhone 15 Pro last yr , I have n’t seen much of a divergence in performance between the two . But that ’s because the A17 Pro was also quite a degraded and powerful chip , and the A18 Pro is just slenderly quicker .
In my casual use , I have n’t run into any issue with the A18 Pro regarding usage and performance . set in motion apps has always been profligate and snappy . I ’ve encounter no stuttering or interim when using my apps , and Game Mode is in reality utile when I want to immerse myself in something to take my thinker off more pressing matters for a bit .
I ’ve also finally been using Apple Intelligence thanks to the iOS 18.1 update in October . Though theWriting Toolscan be useful , I have n’t used that have too much since I tried it out briefly . However , theClean Up peter in the Photos apphas been excellent and something I ’ve been looking forward to for year . It works well and tidy up my image nicely . I ’m thrilled I now have Clean Up so I do n’t need to download a third - party app ( in all probability with a subscription ) to dispatch unwanted objective from my double .
I ’ve been getting much better battery life on my iPhone 16 Pro than I was with my iPhone 15 Pro . The battery on my iPhone 15 Pro was already degrading moderately tight , and from what I ’m experiencing , the iPhone 16 Pro has been much more major power effective . I typically disconnect my phone around 5:30 a.m. on weekday , and I ’ve been vibrate around 70 % by midday , whereas my iPhone 15 Pro would be around 50 % at that point . If I do n’t top it off in the middle of the day , I get to about 30 % to 40 % by dinner party .
It may not be the best bombardment life I ’ve get , but it ’s an improvement over what I got with its forerunner . I bid Apple improved the wired charging speed , but the claimed 50 % charge in 30 second is middling precise .
Checking in on the Camera Control
One of the significant changes across the entire iPhone 16 lineup was the addition of theCamera Controlfeature . When I first envision it was being release , I was mad because I call back it would make the iPhone finger more like an genuine photographic camera , which is one of the main things I apply my iPhone for .
However , a feature that I was looking forward to using turned out to be a bad letdown for me , in person . I just do n’t find myself using Camera Control as much as I would have wish .
Previously , with my iPhone 15 Pro , I had set the Action clitoris to launch the Camera app . Now that the Camera Control can do that , I ’ve attribute a different function to my Action button ( turning on the torch ) and I utilise the Camera Control to speedily reach the Camera app . But that ’s pretty muchallI’ve used it for .
I ’ve babble about it before , but theposition of the Camera Controlbutton makes it ungainly to use as an genuine shutter button , especially in landscape preference . It could have been much better if Apple had be active it a little low on the human body . But with its current locating , it ’s easier for me to use the touchscreen control condition .
Then there ’s the fact that Camera Control is harder to weight-lift than the other buttons . Since it ’s affluent with the frame and composed of glass for haptic controls , you have to put a petty more attempt into the press and half - presses . The result of this , peculiarly when using it as a shutter button , is that it will cause a slight camera shake , which can ruin a photo . Yes , even after youadjust the configurations , it ’s better , but not consummate . It ’s just so much well-to-do to touch the button on the filmdom .
I wish the Camera Control was n’t wealthy and was provoke and easy to press like the other four buttons . The half - public press motion to enter the various options is finicky for me , and it ’s just easy to apply the onscreen controls for that .
Again , I was really see ahead to the Camera Control , but the way that Apple has put through it is a letdown . It ’s a great mind with miserable execution .
The iPhone 16 Pro was worth the upgrade
As much as I would have wish to have a pink iPhone 16 , I ’m quite enjoying have the iPhone 16 Pro rather . Not only do I require the 1 TB storage offered only on the Pro models , but the camera upgrades areverynice this year .
The biggest rationality I ’m felicitous with the iPhone 16 Pro is that I ’m not miss out on camera feature this year . I finally have the 5x telephotograph lens I overleap out on last year , and it ’s been great for my use of goods and services cases . And macro photos calculate better than ever .
Even with the awkward Camera Control placement , the iPhone 16 Pro has proven fantastic . As an active shutterbug , the upgraded telephoto camera in a smaller iPhone addresses my main ill about the iPhone 15 Pro . Combine that with the improved battery life and more adequate to chipset , and the iPhone 16 Pro has been a worthy upgrade for me — and all of my buyer ’s remorse has disappeared .