Apple iPhone 16 Pro Review: A Significant Advance in Performance and Innovation

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro is one of the best iPhones Apple has ever created, and if the 16 Pro Max is too large for your preferences, it’s the best new iPhone for you and deserves to be at the top of our ‘Best phones’ list. The screen is slightly larger, but still excellent. It has more power than most people need in a smartphone and takes stunning images. Upgraded cameras, improved image processing capabilities, and the new Camera Control button improve the overall experience of taking photos and videos. Apple Intelligence is an intriguing innovation that is effective in some cases but underutilized in others. It’s a strong indication of what’s to come.

Apple has done an excellent job retooling the iPhone 16 Pro. This year’s upgrades include a bigger display, a supercharged processor, a crisper telephoto camera, and a significant improvement in battery life. If you want a moderately sized flagship phone with a lot of power, the 16 Pro is an excellent choice. If you want an even larger screen or the longest battery life from an iPhone, the 16 Pro Max is the clear choice. However, it’s worth noting that you’re unlikely to need the increased power or professional camera features offered by the Pro models, so the ordinary iPhone 16 is our Editors’ Choice winner and our top pick for the majority of consumers.

Overall, the iPhone 16 Pro will be a significant upgrade if you’re still using, say, an iPhone 12 Pro, but it may not be worth turning in your iPhone 15 Pro.

IPHONE 16 PRO KEY FEATURE

This year, Apple revived interest in the iPhone Pro. For starters, the iPhone 16 Pro’s feature set is identical to that of the Pro Max. But there’s more: the previously smaller Pro model is now officially larger, with a 6.3-inch screen and astonishingly tiny bezels. The iPhone 16 Pro features a 6.3-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display with excellent resolution, refresh rate, and brightness, as well as HDR10 and Dolby Vision support. On top of that, there’s a brand-new third-generation Ceramic Shield, which is said to be the hardest smartphone glass.

The camera department has received a substantial improvement. The first is an upgraded 48MP primary camera with next-generation sensor-shift stabilization and Fusion for 2x in-sensor zoom. The 48MP ultrawide camera with autofocus comes next, promising stunning panorama and macro images. Finally, the iPhone 16 Pro now has the 12MP 5x telephoto from the 15 Pro Max, which has been improved with new sensor-shift stabilization.

The new cameras and chipset also provide 4K@120fps video recording and spatial audio during video capture. There is also a new Camera Control key, which has a variety of sensors and aims to make the iPhone seem even more like a camera.

Finally, the iPhone 16 Pro supports next-generation MagSafe wireless charging based on Qi2, which can deliver up to 25W. The new Pro models are also expected to support up to 45W fast wired charging, but more on that later. The Apple iPhone 16 Pro appears to have it all figured out, with nothing missing at first glance. This alone is an unusual occurrence.

IPHONE 16 PRO UNBOXING

As expected, the iPhone 16 Pro retail packaging comprises merely the phone, a braided USB-C cable, and a SIM extraction tool.

This is it. While rare, it is still more than what, example, Sony provides, so it counts.

CAMERA

When it comes to the camera, the iPhone 16 Pro matches the Pro Max, as has been the case with each subsequent iPhone generation in recent years. This implies that, like the Pro Max, it now features 48 megapixels for the ultra-wide angle lens, 48 megapixels for the main camera, and a 5x zoom with 12 megapixels. This means that the iPhone 16 Pro is both better and worse than the iPhone 15 Pro.

Unsurprisingly, the iPhone 16 Pro has excellent image quality that is comparable to the other current top smartphones from Google, Samsung, and Xiaomi.

In bright sunlight, images are razor-sharp, with stunning, mostly correct, and still realistic colors, even if the tendency toward “Instagram overcolor” has not entirely passed Apple by. With photographic styles, you can further tailor the results to your liking, such as making the photographs appear somewhat warmer or colder by default.

For example, imagine a frolicking toddler in a room. The iPhone 16 Pro has a significantly higher likelihood of getting a sharp photo. However, even in 2024, the combination of low light and movement remains a poison chalice for smartphone cameras.

When it comes to low light circumstances, the automatically activated night mode produces excellent results. However, you actually need to keep the handset perfectly steady here: The exposure time is three seconds by default, and the results, if you hold your breath, are quite amazing. Even in low-light situations, Apple was able to capture decent colors and details in the images.

Now we come to the zoom and the sometimes lower image quality compared to the iPhone 15 Pro. The technical parameters clearly demonstrate the difference.

After Apple “extends” the telephoto camera in the iPhone 16 Pro from 3x to 5x, the iPhone 16 Pro must still digitally zoom into the primary camera sensor before switching to the 5x lens, and immediately before 5x, due to space constraints. The iPhone 15 Pro, on the other hand, can already use a dedicated sensor at 3x.

The difference is noticeable at times. As shown in the photo gallery below, the iPhone 15 Pro has an edge in image quality between 3x and 5x. The difference is especially visible in low-light circumstances.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

At first sight, it will be difficult to distinguish between the new iPhone 16 Pro and last year’s iPhone 15 Pro, but all you have to do is hold the new phone or, like I did, place the two phones side by side to notice the differences.

The iPhone 16 Pro measures 149.6mm x 71.5mm x 8.25mm and weighs 199g, while the iPhone 15 Pro measures 146.6mm x 70.6mm x 8.25mm and weighs 187g. The weight gain between the Pro phones is slightly higher than that between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro Max, at 12g vs. 6g. That extra weight is due to the fact that the iPhone 16 Pro is a larger physical upgrade from the iPhone 15 Pro, and the smaller Pro now sports a 12MP 5x zoom (it was 3x) with tetraprism lens. The larger battery also adds a little extra weight.

That may be worth it for the larger screen, better camera, and longer battery life, but I’m curious how individuals with smaller hands will react to the progression. As previously stated, the majority of the button, speaker, and microphone layout is identical to that of the iPhone 15 Pro and the larger iPhone 16 Pro Max.

The Thunderbolt 4-capable USB-C power and data connectors, speaker grilles, and microphones are located around the bottom edge. The rest of the speaker system is located at the very top of the display, and collectively the speakers produce rich, clear, spatial audio. Camera Control is, however, far more than just a camera shutter button. It’s a technology stack with pressure and touch sensors embedded beneath a sapphire surface. It took some getting used to, but now that I double-press just enough to activate the Taptic Engine, I can access more camera capabilities like as different lenses, exposure, aperture, and other settings.

Apple creates unquestionably gorgeous products, and the iPhone 16 Pro is no exception. Like the 16 Pro Max, it is composed of grade 5 titanium with a graphite-covered aluminum foundation. In addition to its attractive design, the phone is dust and water resistant. The IP68 classification means it can withstand 30 minutes in 1.5 meters of water; I tested my test unit under a sprinkler and it handled it nicely.

Apple did not update its screen technology, but it doesn’t mean the display isn’t still stunning and overall superb. The Super Retina XDR does not have the greatest resolution in the industry. The 460ppi doesn’t compare to, say, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (501) or the Google Pixel 9 Pro (495), but the human eye can’t see the difference after a certain point.

This screen is larger due to the larger chassis and thinner bezel. It isn’t higher quality, but there are more pixels to deal with. So the iPhone 16 Pro has a resolution of 2622 x 1206 pixels, compared to the iPhone 15 Pro’s 2556 x 1179 pixels – that’s an extra 66 x 27 pixels, so enjoy.

Despite the size difference, the iPhone 16 Pro’s display has the same functionality as the iPhone 16 Pro Max. It can get extremely bright outside, reaching up to 2,000 nits (although phones like the Google Pixel 9 Pro currently outperform it in this regard). It features HDR, True Tone, and always-on support. Even in sleep mode, the lock screen will display the date, time, and notifications. In standby mode, it makes an excellent nightstand companion; I now always sleep with an iPhone docked next to my bed so that I can check the time in the middle of the night.

When you move from an iPhone 16 to a Pro model, you gain access to ProMotion. This allows the display refresh rate to vary fluidly from a power-saving 1Hz to 120Hz for ultra-smooth motion in gaming and sports. Finally, the 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio produces deep blacks. In my experience, everything on the screen appears clear, bright, colorful, and flowing. Videos, webpages, and games all look fantastic.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

The iPhone 16 Pro includes Apple’s latest A18 Pro CPU, which is built on second-generation 3-namoeter technology, as well as 8GB of RAM. Based on our testing, it is certainly the quickest chip available, but not in all tests.

When I first played Resident Evil Village, I was terrified (in a good way) as I made my way down a snowy road and came across several dead birds. The graphics are console-quality. I also got to play the Infinity Nikki game, which was in beta, and the lighting and water visuals were fantastic.

On Geekbench, which evaluates overall performance, the iPhone 16 Pro outperforms the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU by 50% on single core and 15% on multi-core. The Pixel 9 Pro series is well behind. On the graphics front, the iPhone 16 Pro has a 6-core GPU, compared to 5 cores in the ordinary iPhone 16 models. Apple claims you’ll receive 20% faster performance than the iPhone 15 Pro.

On the 3DMark Solar Bay graphics test, which includes ray tracing, the iPhone 16 Pro outperformed the iPhone 15 Pro by 22%. However, it is still 18% behind the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which also achieved greater frame rates during the test. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a new internal design, including a graphite-clad aluminum foundation, which is expected to result in 20% greater sustained performance. We tested this claim for 20 minutes using the 3DMark Wilfe Life Stress Test.

The iPhone 16 Pro achieved a stability score of 66%. It achieved a better total loop score than the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but with a larger drop-off. The Galaxy S24 Ultra scored lower at 60.4%. Interestingly, the iPhone 16 Pro Max received a higher stability score of 84%, compared to 75% for the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Buy it if...

• This is about as fine a build as you can get, and it’s also very robust.
• Improved battery life – maybe class-leading, depending on where you draw your class boundaries.
• A highly capable camera system, now with 5x zoom.

Don't buy it if…

• Slow charging – Galaxies and Pixels are speedier.
• Apple Intelligence will not be available at launch in the EU, and it may never be.
• Low-light performance of the ultrawide camera falls short.

FULL SPECIFICATION