I’ve been using the iPhone 16 Pro for approximately two weeks now, and after countless hours integrating it into my daily life, I can finally draw this conclusion:
It’s a solid iPhone.
This year, the distinctions between the “Pro” and “non-pro” models are more indistinct than ever before. Both the iPhone 16 and the 16 Pro come equipped with the same quirky buttons (Action Button and Camera Control), 48-megapixel main cameras capable of macro photography, and speedy A18 processors paired with 8 gigabytes of RAM. The Pro’s only notable advantages are a faster refresh rate display and a more powerful USB-C port.
So, is that enough reason to choose it over the standard iPhone 16? In short, not particularly.
The iPhone 16 Pro is a slight improvement over the iPhone 15 Pro, which itself was a slight improvement over the iPhone 14 Pro, which again was a slight improvement over the iPhone 13 Pro, which, you guessed it, was a slight improvement over the iPhone 12 Pro. We are undoubtedly in an era of incremental updates by Apple, which is a trend seen across the entire smartphone industry. The days of annual, groundbreaking advancements are long gone.
From a hardware perspective, the iPhone 16 Pro is impressive. The bezels are remarkably thin, almost paper-thin. When playing games in landscape mode, I often accidentally apply too much pressure on an edge, disrupting whatever I am doing. With the ProMotion display, visuals appear even smoother. It’s undoubtedly the best display on any iPhone to date, but it’s not a significant improvement over what we’ve seen since the iPhone 13 Pro. The polished titanium frame feels similar to last year’s model, and the new Desert Titanium finish—a blend of sand and gold—looks much better in person.
The Camera Control feature feels awkward to use. You have to press harder than anticipated to activate and navigate it, a detail that was poorly explained in the keynote. I hope that in spontaneous moments, like during a fall hike or at a holiday party, it will prove to be useful. However, so far, it feels just as quick to open the camera from the lock screen. I was hoping for something akin to the capacitive touchpad on a MacBook trackpad rather than a physical button. Currently, it doesn’t seem particularly useful. Nevertheless, both Camera Control and the Action Button are available on the standard iPhone as well.
Regarding the new chip, most users won’t notice a difference unless they’re upgrading from an older device. I was using an iPhone 12 for about a week while waiting for my new device, and the difference between the two is astonishing. Apps open faster and stay open longer, animations are smoother, and the extra RAM significantly enhances multitasking. Moving from the iPhone 12 to the iPhone 16 Pro, the improvement was dramatic. However, the A18 Pro chip is only about 15% faster than the regular A18 chip in the iPhone 16, which is not a major leap.
Battery life is a more significant differentiator. According to Apple, the Pro models offer at least five more hours of battery life compared to the non-Pro models. While this isn’t negligible, most people probably charge their phones every night anyway. Power users, though, will appreciate the extended battery life.
And…that’s pretty much it.
If you own an iPhone 15 Pro, 14 Pro, or even a 13 Pro, there isn’t much incentive to upgrade unless you’re interested in USB-C. If you have an iPhone 12 Pro or an older model, then I would recommend upgrading for the increased storage and the ProMotion display alone. It’s a good time to purchase an iPhone if you’re coming from one of those older devices.
However, it’s also a good time to purchase any iPhone, not just a “Pro” model. The standard iPhone 16 is 90% of its Pro counterpart this year. The processor is only slightly slower, the camera remains high quality, and the Action Button and Camera Control are not exclusive to the Pro. The main difference is the ProMotion display, and for many people, that’s not worth the extra $200.
I initially planned to write two separate reviews—one for the iPhone 16 and one for the iPhone 16 Pro. However, after much consideration, I decided it wasn’t necessary. The differences between the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are not substantial enough to justify the higher price. For the vast majority of users, the base model iPhone 16 will be more than sufficient for the next several years. The Pro model is certainly nice to have—but it’s not essential.
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Disclaimer: It’s the point of view of the mobilehms/ mobilehms.com team. Other’s opinions may vary and are respected.
