With every new iPhone release comes innovative improvements that make the user experience even better. The iPhone 16 Pro — announced at Apple’s “Glowtime” event — is no exception, bringing another level of refinement to the flagship iPhone. The features it brings make me appreciate the upgrade from the iPhone 15 Pro.
The iPhone 16 Pro offers a host of features that take performance and design to the next level. From the advanced camera to the battery and display improvements, here are the highlights that make this phone worth checking out and get me excited about it. Check out why I stopped upgrading my iPhone and how you can do it too.
1. Enhanced professional camera system
Let's start with the camera improvements Apple announced in its September 2024 keynote. For many, the most noticeable change will be the new 48MP ultrawide camera — an upgrade from the 12MP camera that's been around since the iPhone 11 series — which promises more detail thanks to the larger sensor.
There are also improvements to the wide and telephoto cameras, although the latter is specific to the iPhone 16 Pro. According to the company, AppleThe 48MP Fusion camera has a new sensor that allows for more detailed photos and better video recording (4K video at up to 120fps). This should be a noticeable upgrade if you're a content creator.
As for the telephoto camera, the smaller 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro now features the same 12MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, giving you a better zoom range when taking photos. This is an upgrade I didn’t expect to appreciate as much, but I learned the hard way that there’s not much to gain when I go from 2x to 3x zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro we reviewed in 2023.
There's also a new image signal processor built into the A18 Pro chip and an improved four-microphone array to record external audio with better detail.
2. Increase versatility with camera control
While I like the camera upgrades, I’m most excited about the new camera control button that improves the iPhone photography experience. This new capacitive button allows for three types of interactions: a full physical press, a short pseudo-press — where the haptic engine provides feedback — and swipe actions.
This feature will allow users to take photos, switch lenses, zoom in/out, and more. At first glance, it will eliminate the need to tap the screen, which often leads to the perfect photo moment disappearing.
The camera control button also enables seamless use of Visual Intelligence, a Google Lens-like feature where you can quickly pull up results and create actions by scanning your surroundings. Visual Intelligence wasn’t part of many of the AI features Apple announced at WWDC 2024, but it’s a welcome addition with a neat implementation nonetheless. Check out the video editing features your iPhone Photos app needs and how to get them now.
3. Bigger battery and faster wireless charging
Last on the list is improved battery life and support for faster wireless charging. While we’ll have to wait for teardowns to see the increased battery capacity, Apple’s own video playback benchmarks tell us that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will last four hours longer than previous models. It’s a welcome improvement, as is 25W wireless charging with MagSafe accessories and 15W wireless charging with Qi2-certified devices.
Overall, while these changes aren’t groundbreaking, they add another layer of polish to the delicate balance Apple has struck with the iPhone 15 Pro models, and I can’t wait to test them out once I get my hands on the iPhone 16 Pro. You can read more about why I decided not to buy the iPhone 16 Pro now.
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