Apple iPhone 16: Two-Minute Review
Do you should probably go Pro?
Apples putting an all-new chip not a hand-me-down from last years Pros inside the iPhone 16.
For the starting price, the iPhone 16 offers responsive performance to compete with rivals like theGalaxy S24orPixel 9.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
The 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display still lacks ProMotion and always-on features.
The iPhone 16 comes in Pink, Ultramarine, Teal, Black, or White.
Its storage capacity starts at 128GB, but you might get up to 256GB or 512GB.
In the box, youll get a white-braided USB-C to USB-C cable.
Thats not a bad thing.
Along with the fresh colors, the back is home to the biggest design change.
The camera modules sit in a vertical orientation.
I quite like this look.
The stacked layout lets it capture proper stereo depth when shooting.
Its kind of a superhero, do-it-all button.
The power button remains unchanged on the left-hand side, but towards the bottom is the Camera Control.
The Camera Control is in the perfect spot, as it mirrors the shutter button on a traditional camera.
Its not a whole new look, but its more than just one iterative change.
Its super functional and contains the Face ID sensors for securely unlocking and authenticating your phone.
It feels quite responsive and, again, I really did enjoy the viewing experience here.
You might miss them out of spite, but not in use.
iOS 18 doesnt redesign the iPhonesoperating system, but it adds a lot of good stuff.
Its an iOS sleeper hit.
Its modern software that matches the hardware.
Of course, we also have Apple Intelligence, and its coming in hot.
For one, Ive tried the redesigned Siri and I love the colorful screen takeover effect.
it’s possible for you to also double-tap at the bottom should you want to key in to Siri.
My favorite Apple Intelligence experience is the notification summaries.
The summaries are sometimes comically inaccurate, but more times than not its been quite helpful.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
I really wish that Apples Writing Tools were more front-and-center.
Its buried a bit, and the results vary.
Neither is Visual Intelligence, which is essentially Apples take onGoogle Lens, though a bit more actionable.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
It is still forthcoming.
Thus far, the limited Apple Intelligence features available on the iPhone 16 run very well on this phone.
That trend clear with the cameras and heralded by Camera Control launching on all the iPhone 16 models.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
Of course, whats a camera control without cameras to capture content?
Its a nice way to frame portraits or focus attention.
I especially like that Macro photography is now on the base model iPhone 16 and 16 Plus.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
Its a very fun shooting mode, and I got closer to nature and discovered hidden elements in objects.
I also appreciate that you might turn this on by default or manually enable it.
All-in-all, the iPhone 16 is a powerful camera, and its made better by the Camera Control.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
you might click into any of these and then adjust by swiping through presets to make adjustments.
When you engage the Camera Control, the interface gets much cleaner, leaving just the digital shutter button.
Folks who love taking photos or recording videos will be right at home with Camera Control.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
Even better, I jumped into styles to get a cool shot in black and white.
Apple isnt the first and wont be the last to add a super-charged shutter button to a phone.
The Apple-made A18 powers the smaller 6.1-inch iPhone 16 and the bigger 6.5-inch iPhone 16 Plus.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
Not even when I tossed a FaceTime on top.
The phone did get hot during some AAA gaming, but it did not get slower.
Of course, you wont get a 120Hz refresh rate on this phone.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
Well wait until somebody else tears one apart to get the answer in mAh.
Thats an additional 2 hours of video playback over the iPhone 15.
So, more intense tasks will eat the battery faster.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
Youll also want to pair either of those with at least a 30-watt adapter.
Apple iPhone 16: Should You Buy?
It offers some really nice features and will support Apple Intelligence.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
If you love taking photos with your iPhone or recording videos, it is an excellent upgrade.
Read TechRadar’siPhone 16 Pro reviewhere.
There is also no waiting for AI features as many are available out of the box.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
Read TechRadar’sGoogle Pixel 9 reviewhere.
To test performance, I performed both qualitative and quantitative tests, including GeekBench 6.
The team at Future Labs US conducted a battery test.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
I also took comparison photos with an iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15, and iPhone 15 Plus.
Read more about how we test
First reviewed September 2024.
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)
