Apple made quite a splash this year with the iPhone 16 lineup. In fact, the base model iPhone 16 appeared to be the star of the show, with phenomenal colors and even more Pro-level features than ever before. And whether you love it or hate it, the new vertical camera layout breathes some fresh life into the phone.
But I didn’t go for the base model this year, even though I really wanted a pink iPhone. Instead, I went with the iPhone 16 Pro, as drab as it may look compared to the iPhone 16. I was excited about some new features, but then I initially had some second thoughts after the first few days.
It’s now been over a month, and the iPhone 16 Pro has been my daily driver since then. Do I still have that little bit of buyer’s remorse?
The camera upgrades are worth it
One of the advantages of the iPhone Pro over the base models has always been the cameras. That especially holds true with the iPhone 16 Pro. It’s one of the reasons I always upgrade every year.
In 2023, I went with the iPhone 15 Pro, even though I really wanted the 5x telephoto camera on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Why the smaller one? I find the Max phones to be a bit unwieldy for me in daily use. While I was happy with the size of the iPhone 15 Pro, I was annoyed that Apple had such a feature disparity between the Pro cameras — not everyone wants the big phone to have the best camera. So, I was stuck with the 3x telephoto camera.
Thankfully, Apple fixed that this year with the iPhone 16 Pro. Since it got a slight bump up in physical size, Apple was able to fit the 5x telephoto camera into it. Now, those who prefer smaller phones (hi, it’s me) aren’t missing out on major camera features.
It may seem minor, but I’ve really been enjoying the 5x telephoto lens and using it more than I thought. It’s not like I couldn’t do 5x zoom with the iPhone 15 Pro, but it was digital zoom, which meant a loss of quality the more I zoomed in past 3x. With the 5x optical zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro, I can zoom in closer to my subjects without losing precious details.
I typically use the telephoto when I see the ducks at Disneyland or when I see squirrels and feral cats (and whatever other critters are running around) in my neighborhood because I love taking photos of animals. Having the 5x telephoto has been very useful for me in getting some nice wildlife shots without having to get close and possibly disturb them.
The ultrawide lens on the Pro models was also bumped up to 48MP instead of 12MP. I don’t use the ultrawide camera as much as the other two for most scenarios, but I have appreciated the increased detail in those ultrawide images. The sensor can also capture more light, making ultrawide lowlight shots much better than before.
Since macro photos use the ultrawide lens, that also means your macro photos look even better. In fact, I did a camera comparison between the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro, and the macro shots taken with the iPhone 16 Pro reveal a very obvious difference in quality over those taken with its predecessor.
How the rest of my iPhone 16 Pro is aging
As great as the cameras are, there are plenty of other things that I’ve been enjoying with my iPhone 16 Pro.
Apple equipped the iPhone 16 Pro models with the new A18 Pro chip, which is about 16% faster than its predecessor, the A17 Pro. As someone who also had the iPhone 15 Pro last year, I haven’t seen much of a difference in performance between the two. But that’s because the A17 Pro was also quite a fast and powerful chip, and the A18 Pro is just slightly faster.
In my daily use, I haven’t encountered any issues with the A18 Pro regarding usage and performance. Launching apps has always been fast and snappy. I’ve encountered no stuttering or lag when using my apps, and Game Mode is actually useful when I want to immerse myself in something to take my mind off more pressing matters for a bit.
I’ve also finally been using Apple Intelligence thanks to the iOS 18.1 update in October. Though the Writing Tools can be useful, I haven’t used that feature too much since I tried it out briefly. However, the Clean Up tool in the Photos app has been excellent and something I’ve been looking forward to for years. It works well and tidies up my images nicely. I’m thrilled I now have Clean Up so I don’t need to download a third-party app (likely with a subscription) to remove unwanted objects from my images.
I’ve been getting much better battery life on my iPhone 16 Pro than I was with my iPhone 15 Pro. The battery on my iPhone 15 Pro was already degrading pretty fast, and from what I’m experiencing, the iPhone 16 Pro has been much more power efficient. I typically unplug my phone around 5:30 a.m. on weekdays, and I’ve been hovering around 70% by noon, whereas my iPhone 15 Pro would be around 50% at that point. If I don’t top it off in the middle of the day, I get to about 30% to 40% by dinner.
It may not be the best battery life I’ve experienced, but it’s an improvement over what I got with its predecessor. I wish Apple improved the wired charging speed, but the claimed 50% charge in 30 minutes is pretty accurate.
Checking in on the Camera Control
One of the significant changes across the entire iPhone 16 lineup was the addition of the Camera Control feature. When I first saw it was being released, I was excited because I thought it would make the iPhone feel more like an actual camera, which is one of the main things I use my iPhone for.
However, a feature that I was looking forward to using turned out to be a big disappointment for me, personally. I just don’t find myself using Camera Control as much as I would have liked.
Previously, with my iPhone 15 Pro, I had set the Action button to launch the Camera app. Now that the Camera Control can do that, I’ve assigned a different function to my Action button (turning on the flashlight) and I use the Camera Control to quickly access the Camera app. But that’s pretty much all I’ve used it for.
I’ve talked about it before, but the position of the Camera Control button makes it awkward to use as an actual shutter button, especially in landscape orientation. It could have been much better if Apple had moved it a little lower on the frame. But with its current location, it’s easier for me to use the touchscreen controls.
Then there’s the fact that Camera Control is harder to press than the other buttons. Since it’s flush with the frame and composed of glass for haptic controls, you have to put a little more effort into the presses and half-presses. The result of this, especially when using it as a shutter button, is that it will cause a slight camera shake, which can ruin a photo. Yes, even after you adjust the settings, it’s better, but not perfect. It’s just so much easier to touch the button on the screen.
I wish the Camera Control wasn’t flush and was raised and easy to press like the other four buttons. The half-press gesture to access the various settings is finicky for me, and it’s just easier to use the onscreen controls for that.
Again, I was really looking forward to the Camera Control, but the way that Apple has implemented it is a letdown. It’s a great idea with poor execution.
The iPhone 16 Pro was worth the upgrade
As much as I would have liked to have a pink iPhone 16, I’m quite enjoying having the iPhone 16 Pro instead. Not only do I need the 1TB storage offered only on the Pro models, but the camera upgrades are very nice this year.
The biggest reason I’m happy with the iPhone 16 Pro is that I’m not missing out on camera features this year. I finally have the 5x telephoto lens I missed out on last year, and it’s been great for my use cases. And macro photos look better than ever.
Even with the awkward Camera Control placement, the iPhone 16 Pro has proven fantastic. As an active shutterbug, the upgraded telephoto camera in a smaller iPhone addresses my main complaint about the iPhone 15 Pro. Combine that with the improved battery life and more capable chipset, and the iPhone 16 Pro has been a worthy upgrade for me — and all of my buyer’s remorse has disappeared.