Sometimes there’s a sense of disenchantment about one or other of the range of iPhones when they’re announced. Why hasn’t the regular iPhone got some of the special features reserved for the Pro? Why is the Pro so expensive? This year’s iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus close the gap between regular and Pro like never before. So, should you buy one?
You can read my review of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max here.
Apple iPhone 16 in five colors.
iPhone 16 And iPhone 16 Plus: The Differences
This is a short section, dear reader, because the two iPhones which don’t have Pro in their name are almost identical. The same processor, features, apps, hardware capabilities, cameras and even the same colors in the range.
There are three differences, all of them important. First, the size. Would you relish the extra big screen on the iPhone 16 Plus (6.7 inches) compared to the iPhone 16 (6.1 inches)? Or would you rather have the smaller phone so it fits your hand better and squeezes into a trouser pocket? If you’re thinking of going for the Plus, do yourself a favor and try it in your hand first. It’s the same size as last year’s iPhone 15 Plus.
The second difference is the battery life. As you’ll see, all this year’s iPhones have bigger batteries — hurrah! — and longer battery life. It’s good on the iPhone 16 and even better on the iPhone 16 Plus. If you’re a heavy user, you may consider the Plus.
Then there’s the price. There’s a $100 premium to cover that bigger screen and longer battery life.
Beyond that, everything’s the same on the two handsets.
iPhone 16 And iPhone 16 Plus: Design
Apple iPhone 16 in pink and ultramarine.
Some people expressed concern that the colors of the iPhone 15 were too quiet to be interesting. It’s as if Apple took that to heart, because this year’s are much brighter. Black is available, as is white, if you don’t want to make a bright statement. But the other three colors are head-turners: a luscious but understated teal, a heartwarming pink and, my favorite, a feisty blue called ultramarine.
These are some of the best, most eye-catching colors the iPhone has ever sported and different enough from each other to mean you’ll likely find one you like, though I’m disappointed that yellow is absent this time around.
The front of the iPhone is now protected by an improved version of Ceramic Shield, designed to be better than ever to protect your phone if you drop it. The iPhone 16 Pro has this, too.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the display, which remains a 60Hz refresh rate screen. Plenty of other manufacturers have put displays with faster or dynamic refresh rates into more affordable phones, but Apple keeps its best displays, using something it calls ProMotion, exclusively for the Pro series. One day, perhaps.
On the back, the two cameras now sit one above the other instead of vertically. The big lenses look imposing and are on a glossy camera island, against the matte finish of the rest of the back.
The new look to these iPhones includes a feature from the iPhone 15 Pro: the mute/ring switch on every regular iPhone until now has been replaced with the more adaptable Action Button which can be used for all sorts of things, including muting the ring. You can choose to start voice memos or launch the camera, for instance.
But you may not want to assign that because the new Camera Control is brilliant. When you take a photo in landscape orientation, if you’re right-handed, as I am, you’ll likely tip the phone to the left. If so, the new button is right where you want it: on what’s now the top edge, just where your index finger naturally rests. Actually, the button is in just the right place when you’re shooting in portrait orientation, too. While we’re here, let’s get into the cameras.
iPhone 16 And iPhone 16 Plus: Cameras
The new Camera Control on iPhone 16 series.
You can feel the Camera Control even when the iPhone is in your pocket: press it once as you take it out and it’s ready to snap with the second press. Genius. A light double-press (and you can be really gentle here as it is a button with capacitive capabilities as well as mechanical) will bring you to new functions for greater control, while sliding your finger lets you zoom. It’s a superb new way to shoot video and take still photos.
Enough about how you use the button — how good are the cameras themselves? First of all there’s now an anti-reflective coating on both lenses, which can reduce camera flare. That’s good to note before we get to the cameras and their capabilities.
Apple iPhone 16 cameras.
These are largely similar to last year’s, though the main camera has been renamed the Fusion camera this time around. There are new photographic styles, and unlike before, you can change the effects of these styles after the event. So, if you chose Dramatic but now think what you really wanted was Ethereal, you can swap.
Otherwise, the 48-megapixel camera works as it did before, offering a 2x optical zoom equivalent by cropping the central portion of the image.
The Ultra Wide camera is new, with a faster aperture, now f/2.2 instead of the previous f/2.4, and it has bigger pixels. This is supposed to work better in low light, and my tests bear that out.
It also means that now you can take macro shots, previously a Pro exclusive. While the iPhone 16 Pro can still claim to be better, as that phone now has a 48-megapixel Ultra Wide sensor, results here are strong.
iPhone 16 And iPhone 16 Plus: Other Features
Audio Mix is a very cool extra. When you’ve shot some video and you realize there was someone talking loudly in the background and ruining the atmosphere, you can edit the video to take that voice out completely. It’s very useful.
There is a great new app, the highly useful Passwords, that uses the data that was previously buried in Settings, and puts it front-and-center in its own app.
Speaking of Settings, there’s one weird little change in that app. It’s now much harder to find the Phone setting. It used to be in a list of key features like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but it’s now been downlisted to the apps section. I get that the need to make calls has declined but I’d still like to access these settings really easily. An iPhone should still be about phone calls — the clue is in the name.
iPhone 16 And iPhone 16 Plus: Performance
Last year, the iPhone 15 had a hand-me-down processor from the iPhone 14 Pro. It was fast, but nowhere near the speed of the A17 Pro chip in the iPhone 15 Pro. That’s why only the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max can handle Apple Intelligence.
Apple has created an all-new processor this year, the A18 and a souped-up version called the A18 Pro is in the iPhone 16 Pro. Enough of the numbers, the point is that the new chips are both designed for Apple Intelligence, and this may mean the 16 and 16 Plus got more of a speed boost than they otherwise would have. Yet another way the regular iPhones have inched closer to the power of the Pro this year.
Of course, a fast processor isn’t just there for Apple Intelligence; it has benefits across the phone. Unsurprisingly, it’s a fast performer in every situation, from that zero shutter lag on the camera to instant opening of menus across the board.
Apple Intelligence, the company’s take on AI, can assist with writing, summarize emails and websites and create unique emoji or images on the fly. It also introduces a much more intelligent Siri. But that’s coming later, with the first features arriving in October.
Meantime, there’s that improved battery life, which is so welcome. We nearly all charge our phones overnight, so the minimum requirement is a full day’s usage. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus deliver this and more.
Apple quantifies battery life in different ways, one of them being video playback. This year’s phones have two more hours’ playback juice in the regular size, and a huge five more hours on the Plus. I haven’t been watching video that much, you understand, but I’ve been getting great battery life on both handsets.
iPhone 16 And iPhone 16 Plus: Verdict
Apple iPhone 16 in ultramarine finish.
While there’s no doubt that the pricier Pro models of the iPhone 16 series are better, with improved and larger displays, a third camera, that gorgeous titanium build and more, this year’s iPhone has a lot in common with the Pro. For many people, the Pro adds bells and whistles they can manage without.
More cameras are great, but remember there’s a virtual optical 2x telephoto zoom lens here, and this phone can shoot macro for the first time.
And then there are the places where the iPhone 16 overlaps with the 16 Pro completely: that cute new Camera Control, improved photographic styles, Audio Mix, the improved Ceramic Shield and, above all, the soon-to-arrive Apple Intelligence.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are closer to their Pro cousins than ever. They have so many of the new and important features that they have become the optimum smartphone choice for everyone.
