My iPhone 16 / Pro / Max "Review"
Summary
TLDRThe iPhone 16 series review highlights the absence of Apple's intelligence features, which are crucial for the full experience but are not yet available. The unboxing reveals a new packaging style with coiled cables and vibrant color options for non-Pro models, while Pro models lack color variety. All models now include an action button and a new camera control button, enhancing one-handed camera use. The Pro models boast a larger display and improved thermal substructure for better performance. Battery life is notably improved, especially in the Pro Max, likely to support forthcoming AI features. The camera system sees minor hardware updates, with the Pro models offering a cleaner low-light performance. Apple intelligence, while in beta, shows promise but is currently limited in functionality, with more advanced features expected in the future.
Takeaways
- đ± The iPhone 16 series is criticized for missing key Apple intelligence features out of the box, which are central to its marketing.
- đ Unboxing reveals changes like the absence of Apple stickers and new coiled charging cables, indicating a shift in packaging.
- đ The non-Pro models showcase vibrant colors, a stark contrast to the Pro models which lack such options, favoring more subdued tones like 'desert titanium'.
- đČ All new models include an action button, a feature previously exclusive to Pro models, and introduce a new 'camera control' button.
- đ± The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus retain the 60Hz display from previous models, which feels outdated compared to high refresh rate screens.
- đ The Pro models see an increase in screen size, though the difference is subtle and may go unnoticed by most users.
- đ The iPhone 16 Pro Max, in particular, boasts a significant battery life improvement, likely to support forthcoming Apple intelligence features.
- đž The camera control button offers one-handed operation for launching the camera app, taking photos, and recording videos, but its usefulness is questioned for average users.
- đč The iPhone 16 introduces a 48-megapixel Fusion camera with a 2x telephoto lens, and the ultrawide camera on the 16s has been upgraded for better low-light performance.
- đ€ Apple intelligence, a major selling point, is currently in beta with limited functionality, and more advanced features are expected to roll out over time, some not until next year.
Q & A
What is the main feature missing from the iPhone 16 devices according to the reviewer?
-The main feature missing from the iPhone 16 devices is Apple intelligence, which is considered by many to be the most important feature and something the phones were built for.
What has changed about the packaging of the iPhone 16 devices?
-The classic Apple stickers are no longer included in the packaging, and the charging cables are coiled up into ovals instead of the circles from before.
How do the colors of the non-pro iPhone 16 models differ from previous models?
-The colors on the non-pro iPhone 16 models are very vibrant and pop, a significant departure from the subtle pastel colors of the previous generation.
What new button feature is present on all iPhone 16 models?
-All iPhone 16 models have an action button, which was only present on the Pro models in the previous generation.
Why might users miss the hardware toggle on the regular iPhone 16 models?
-The regular iPhone 16 models no longer have the hardware toggle, which is something a lot of people might miss as it was a feature on previous models.
What is the new button on the right edge of each iPhone 16 called, and what is its primary function?
-The new button on the right edge of each iPhone 16 is called 'camera control.' Its primary function is to launch the camera app, take photos, and record videos with different pressure levels.
How have the screen sizes of the iPhone 16 Pro models changed compared to the previous generation?
-The screen sizes of the iPhone 16 Pro models have increased slightly to 6.3 and 6.9 inches, respectively, compared to the previous generation.
What is the reviewer's opinion on the performance of the iPhone 16 Pro models?
-The reviewer did not notice a significant improvement in thermal performance despite the new thermal substructure, but the devices are very fast, and the regular iPhone 16s received a notable GPU boost.
What is the purpose of the camera control button, and how does it work?
-The camera control button is a capacitive pressure-sensitive button designed to launch the camera app, take photos, and record videos. It also allows for navigating the camera app interface with different pressure inputs.
What are the reviewer's thoughts on the usefulness of the camera control interface?
-The reviewer finds the camera control interface intuitive but questions its practicality for most users, suggesting it might be more useful for those who manually tweak their shots rather than the average point-and-shoot user.
What new camera features do the iPhone 16 models have, and how do they compare to the previous generation?
-The iPhone 16 models have a 48-megapixel Fusion camera, improved ultrawide cameras with a new 12-megapixel sensor for macro photos, and the Pro models have an updated 48-megapixel Ultra-wide camera. The improvements are subtle, with noticeable differences in low light and macro photography.
What is the reviewer's take on the AI capabilities of the iPhone 16 devices?
-The reviewer finds it strange that many of the AI features, such as context-aware Siri and image generation, are not yet available and are far away in terms of a timeline, questioning the marketing of these phones as AI-focused when the key features are missing.
Outlines
đ± Overview of iPhone 16 Series Features
The reviewer expresses initial hesitation in reviewing the iPhone 16 series due to the absence of a key feature, Apple intelligence, which is central to the phones' identity. Despite this, a review is conducted focusing on the available features. Notable changes in the unboxing experience are highlighted, such as the absence of Apple stickers and the new coiled charging cables. The vibrant colors of the non-Pro models are praised, contrasting with the Pro models' more subdued color options. All new models include an action button and a new camera control button, with the Pro models gaining a larger display and improved bezel design. The standard models' screens remain unchanged from the previous generation, maintaining a 60Hz refresh rate, which feels outdated compared to high-refresh-rate panels. The Pro models' screens are slightly larger, with minimal bezel thickness that could lead to accidental touches during intense use. The new Ceramic Shield glass is touted as 50% stronger, and dbrand screen protectors are recommended for added protection.
đ Battery Life and Camera Control Features
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is highlighted for its exceptional battery life, which is speculated to be designed to support the energy-intensive Apple intelligence features. The wired and wireless charging speeds are noted as being faster this year, contingent on using compatible chargers. The camera control button, a new feature, is explored, which is a capacitive pressure-sensitive button designed to launch the camera app and take photos or videos with ease. The button also integrates an upcoming feature called visual intelligence, offering Google Lens-like functionality, though this feature is not yet available for testing. The camera control button's UI within the camera app is initially found confusing but becomes more intuitive with use, despite being primarily a two-handed operation. The zoom and photographic styles menus are noted as particularly well-suited for the camera control interface. The reviewer questions the utility of the camera control for average users who prefer point-and-shoot photography.
đž Camera System and AI Capabilities
The iPhone 16 series introduces a 48-megapixel Fusion camera, with subtle improvements in image quality, particularly in the 2x telephoto and ultrawide cameras. The ultrawide camera's low-light performance is noted as better but still not on par with competitors like Samsung and Google. The Pro models also see an upgrade in their ultrawide camera and main shooter, with the latter now capable of 4K 120fps recording. A new feature in the camera app allows for post-recording audio cleanup, leveraging the spatial data from the device's microphones for improved noise reduction. All iPhone 16 models come with 8GB of RAM and are equipped with Apple intelligence capabilities, although many are still in beta and not yet fully functional. The reviewer criticizes the marketing of the phones as AI-focused given the current lack of available AI features and suggests that the Pro models may struggle to sell this year due to a lack of compelling feature differentiation.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄApple Intelligence
đĄiPhone 16
đĄVisual Intelligence
đĄCamera Control
đĄ48 Megapixel Fusion Camera
đĄUltra-wide Camera
đĄCeramic Shield Glass
đĄThermal Substructure
đĄBattery Life
đĄAction Button
Highlights
The iPhone 16 devices are missing Apple intelligence, a key feature that the new generation of iPhones was built for.
The unboxing experience has changed, with classic Apple stickers replaced by paper pamphlets and charging cables coiled differently.
The non-Pro models of the iPhone 16 feature vibrant colors, a significant departure from the pastel hues of previous years.
Pro models this year do not offer colorful options, which is a departure from their usual vibrant color schemes.
All new iPhone 16 models include an action button, a feature previously exclusive to Pro models.
The regular iPhone 16 models no longer have a hardware toggle, which may be missed by many users.
A new button called 'camera control' has been introduced on the right edge of each phone, offering a different user experience.
The screens on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus remain at 60 Hz, which feels sluggish compared to high refresh rate panels.
Pro models now have slightly larger screens at 6.3 and 6.9 inches, with thinner bezels that may cause accidental inputs.
The new iPhones are equipped with a stronger Ceramic Shield glass, claimed to be 50% stronger than the previous generation.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max, in particular, has a large battery designed to support the energy use of Apple intelligence.
Wired and wireless charging speeds have been improved, allowing for faster charging with the right chargers.
The camera control button is a capacitive pressure-sensitive button designed for launching the camera app and taking photos or videos.
Apple has built an entire UI around the camera control button for in-camera app navigation, which may be confusing initially.
The camera system on the iPhone 16 has been updated with a 48-megapixel Fusion camera, offering subtle improvements in image quality.
The iPhone 16 Pro models have an updated ultra-wide camera with a 48-megapixel sensor, significantly improving low-light performance.
A new feature in the camera app allows for post-recording audio cleanup, leveraging spatial data from the device's microphones.
All iPhone 16 models have 8 gigs of RAM and are set to receive Apple intelligence capabilities once fully launched.
Many Apple intelligence features are still in beta and will be rolled out gradually, with some not available until next year.
The review suggests that the Pro models may have a tough time selling this year due to a lack of significant feature differentiators.
Transcripts
I was conflicted as to whether or not I
should even review these phones because
these phones are incomplete out of the
gate the iPhone 16 devices are missing
what many would argue to be the most
important feature Apple intelligence
it's even the thing that Apple says
these phones were built for a new
generation of iPhone built from the
ground up to deliver Apple intelligence
and its breakthrough
capabilities you can't properly test out
the full Apple intelligence experience
so feel strange to review it but these
phones are going to be available in the
stores in a couple days I thought I
would do a review based on what you do
get just keep in mind that a lot of the
features of what these phones are
supposed to do come in the future okay
when you unbox the phones this year the
classic Apple stickers are no longer
around it's just paper pamphlets and
then the charging cables are coiled up
into ovals instead of the circles from
before they're the same length of cable
they're just wound up differently now
the colors on the regular non-pro models
are very vibrant this year they just pop
and if you think about last year when
they first came up with that way to
deposit colors into glass and just do
that subtle pastel stuff they just took
it to 11 and you get these very colorful
phones this year and I was a little bit
disappointed that I got the ultramarine
blue instead of the teal for the review
unit like not that it matters I have to
send these things back anyways but I
just I just wanted the teal I was hoping
I would get it they didn't send it to me
uh the pro devices no colorful options
this year the closest to a color is this
thing the desert titanium it's a nice
color I get it this is a very in color
too right now in terms of like
fashionable colors but I don't know it's
just strange to me that the pro devices
didn't get any kind of vibrant colors
this year they usually do so these are
the four new phones this year we have
the iPhone 16 the 16 plus the 16 Pro and
then the 16 Pro Max and all four of them
have the action button this year only
the Pro Models had them last year but
now they're on the top left and all of
them have it so the regular iPhone 16s
no longer have the hardware toggle which
is I think a lot of people are going to
miss and then on the right side of each
phone or like the right edge of each
phone there is now the new button which
is called camera control they don't like
calling it a button but it is a button
because you can press down on it and it
depresses like a button but we'll come
back to the camera control in a minute
uh the screens on the iPhone 16 and 16
plus haven't changed from the previous
generation so these still have a 6.1 and
6.7 in display respectively they're very
nice screens in terms of image quality
for regular media but they're still 60
HZ panels and when you use them just
swiping around they if you're used to
high refresh panels these feel strangely
sluggish for a 2024 device especially
one that cost $800 and $900 respectively
I hope I really hope that this is the
last year that Apple does this at least
that's the rumor now the screens on the
pro devices are bigger these are now 6.3
and 6.9 in now if I'm being honest I
really think most people would have a
tough time telling these new screens
apart from the previous generation from
the iPhone 15 Pro devices the only real
way to tell is by looking at the bezel
so this is a 15 Pro Max and the older
device has a noticeably thicker bezel
but again you just really have to be
looking for it now one thing I did
notice about the 16 Pro Max uh and also
the 16 Pro but it's more prominent on
the pro Max I remember last year talking
about how in certain games the inner
parts of my palm would touch the screen
like the edges of the screen and would
cause some accidental inputs it is even
more pronounced on the 16 Pro Max I
think the bezel is just like so thin
that it's very easy for an accidental
input on stuff like this so I think a
case fixes it but if you are someone
that goes caseless for whatever reason
you're just clicking things by accident
sometimes that's just the nature of very
thin bezels and keep in mind this is
only for games when you're like actually
gripping it tight like this watching
shows and stuff not an issue the ceramic
shield glass on the new iones are
supposed to be 50% stronger than the
previous generation but if you do want a
screen protector the new ones from
dbrand are really good and they're super
easy to put on the regular iPhone 16s
are pretty much the same size as the
previous generation but the pro devices
are bigger because they have slightly
bigger screens but it's so slight like
this is the 15 Pro Max versus 16 Pro Max
you can barely tell the difference both
visually and in your hand uh okay let's
talk about performance so as you would
expect new phones new chips better
performance the Pro Models have a new
thermal substructure which is supposed
to help with heat for sustained
performance I didn't really notice a big
Improvement when I was testing for it
with my regular genjin impact test
iPhones especially the Pro Models have
typically been really good for thermal
dissipation amongst all phones but from
all the testing I've done on these
they're all very fast and the regular
iPhone 16s get a big fat GPU boost over
the previous generation it's a really
nice upgrade for the regular 16s this
year they're using larger batteries this
time and from my light testing like
light load testing it is crazy how long
the iPhone 16 Pro Max lasts it's kind of
strange I really think it's just to be
able to support the energy use of Apple
intelligence especially for stuff like
on device image generation uh so the
wired and wireless charging speeds are
quite fast this year if you have the
right Chargers to pull it off you can
get some higher wattage into these
devices uh okay let's talk about that
camera control button thing uh let's
start off with this blue one
okay wrong side again camera control so
this is a capacitive pressure
sensitive button type thing now one of
the main purposes of this button is to
launch a upcoming feature called visual
intelligence it's a part of Apple
intelligence and it's designed toble to
you know you press this button and it'll
give you basically Google Lens
functionality you can point the camera
at something and it'll give you
information as well as some kind of AI
assisted feedback as to what the thing
is that you're looking at now because
it's not available yet there's no point
even talking about it but the other
thing that this button is supposed to be
able to do is camera control and that's
kind of like the main name that they're
giving it right now camera control so at
the basic level you press it and it
opens the camera app you press it again
you take a picture if you press and hold
it it starts rolling video now the basic
functionality is awesome I think that
you know with one hand you can pick up
your phone take pictures take videos
without repositioning your hand
one-handed it's awesome but there's way
more to it so Apple has built an entire
UI around that button inside the camera
app and you navigate around this
interface using this camera control
button thing now my initial impression
when I used it at their demo was that it
was a little confusing to use and I
thought the interface even though simple
was difficult to navigate with all these
different inputs like sliding and
tapping with varying pressure but after
using for a week I would say that the
interaction itself is very intuitive
it's just that the interface and the
idea of controlling your camera like
this I'm not sure if it's something most
people would actually want to use like
when you navigate around you still have
to use two hands this is not a
one-handed operation launching it and
just taking the picture yeah you can do
that with one hand on that button but if
you want to actually navigate around and
slide around with your finger you
definitely need two hands and I don't
know if it's any faster or more
convenient than just using the on screen
buttons it does also work in the
vertical orientation but I just just
found this to be an uncomfortable grip I
don't think people typically hold their
phone this far down the sides so it's
like this weird claw grip you kind of
have to go two hands again in vertical
mode now there are some features that I
do think that using the sliding
mechanism is better so there's two that
come to mind the first is like Zoom
because when you use pinch to zoom it
can kind of be fairly inaccurate to kind
of like nail it just right but with that
slide mechanism you can kind of you know
you slide around and you get a good feel
of how much you need to move your finger
the other menu that I think works well
with camera control is their new
photographic Styles menu so this is kind
of like algorithmic processing of your
shots that you take it's non-destructive
and you can play with it but the reason
why it works so well with the camera
control interface is because there's so
many to choose from there's five skin
undertones and then there's like nine
photo tones and you get 14 to flip
through and if you're just using the on
screen controls there's like a lot of
flicking and swiping but with this it's
just you're sliding around it's like a
care cell just choosing the style that
you want and you can f tune each one to
your preferences but I don't know how
often I would personally use a feature
like that I played with it and I just
could not imagine a scenario when I was
just regularly using this thing to be
able to take pictures a certain way but
I'm really lazy with my photos I'm just
like very much point and shoot so I
would say that for the average person if
you're just if the way that you've used
your camera for most of your life is
just point and shoot I don't think the
camera control interface like this whole
thing is all that useful if it's it
really feels like it's geared for people
that like to manually tweak their shots
and then it makes you think how many
people really do that and then if it's
not a lot of people why is it on all of
the devices like even the non-pro
versions of these phones like the
regular iPhone 16s they have this camera
control as well my gut feeling is that
this button thing will be used mostly
for just launching the camera app taking
photos and videos and uh Apple's visual
intelligence when it comes around okay
the camera system so the iPhone 16 have
what they're now calling a 48 mapel
Fusion camera now it seems to be the
same Hardware as the iPhone 15 the
images do look better on the 16 if you
look closely especially when you use
that 2x telephoto but it's subtle
differences you really need to look for
them the ultrawide cameras have also
been updated on the 16s as well these
now have a new 12 megapixel sensor that
can shoot macro photos as well it is
noticeably better in low light photos
compared to the 15 from last year but
it's still not as good as the
competition I think like Samsung and
Google have really good low light Ultra
wide cameras in their normal tier phones
the pro phones also have an updated 48
megap Ultra wide this is a noticeable
step up from the previous generation
like the low light in particular looks
quite a bit cleaner uh the main shooter
has also been labeled as a new 48
megapixel Fusion camera it's supposed to
be a faster sensor but from the shots I
was taking I couldn't really tell much
of a difference between the new 16 Pro
Max and the 15 Pro Max from previous
generation that new sensor though does
allow for 4K 120 shot from that sensor
the mics on all the new iPhone 16s have
a neat feature where when you use the
phone for video recordings you can then
go to the camera app in post and you can
adjust and clean up the audio from the
capture check this out so I have some
pretty loud environmental noise going on
it's coming from a YouTube video that's
off that's on but I'm talking at a
pretty normal talking volume I'm not
talking super loud or anything but
you'll see how good this app is at
removing that sound we've seen third
party apps and tools like this before
but to see it built into the phone and
have like the mics send the spatial data
to be able to calculate it better it's
just neat I think they've done a really
good job of just taking advantage of the
different mics on these devices okay
real quickly let's talk about AI so all
four phones this year have 8 gigs of RAM
and they also have the same kind of
apple intelligence capabilities well
they will when Apple intelligence fully
Launches on these devices but all of the
currently available Apple intelligence
features are in beta still and they're
the same few features that we've been
testing on the iPhone 15 Pro devices so
it's like asking Siri to summarize
something or to ask it some like Loosely
contextual questions or having it to
clean up the photos they're neat but the
more interesting and arguably more
useful features like having some kind of
context aware Siri or the chat GPT
integration or having the image
generation those things are months away
some of them coming out next year and
it's weird to me how so many Apple
intelligence features are really far
away in terms of a timeline and it's
also really weird to me how Apple
marketed this whole thing like this is a
phone that's available today it's
available to be purchased two days from
now and it was supposed to be designed
and built from the ground up for Apple
intelligence yet we can't test the vast
majority of Apple Intelligence on these
things like it could be amazing in the
very distant future but like I'm not
saying they should rush it I'm not sure
they should release it now but I'm just
saying they shouldn't have marketed
these phones as these AI or apple
intelligence phones when it's missing so
much of the equation right now if I'm
being honest I think the pro phones will
have a tough time selling this year
there just isn't enough of a kind of
feature differentiator to pull people to
it I don't think uh the regular 16s they
seem pretty good but yeah that's my take
on the new iPhone 16s
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)