Which mannequin must you purchase?

Unique launch date: September 20, 2024 | Storage capability: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Display measurement: 6.3 inches | Options: A18 Professional chip, All the time-on 120Hz ProMotion show, USB-C port (USB 3), Titanium body, Digicam Management button, Motion button, 25W MagSafe charging | Cameras: 48MP huge, 48MP ultrawide, 12MP 5x telephoto, 12MP entrance | Coloration choices: Pure Titanium, Desert, White, Black | Dimensions: 5.89 x 2.81 x 0.32 inches | Weight: 7.03 ounces

Learn our full iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max review

The iPhone 16 Pro is the iPhone we’d suggest to most individuals. Sure, its beginning value of $999 is likely to be steep, however a smartphone is a long-term funding. If the query is “which iPhone is probably to maintain you cheerful for the following three to 5 years,” we predict the iPhone 16 Professional’s benefits over the usual iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are nonetheless significant sufficient to be price the additional $100-200 — even when the hole isn’t as huge because it’s been in years previous.

For one, the iPhone 16 Professional’s blasted titanium body feels higher-quality than the aluminum one on the bottom iPhone 16. It’s a bit heavier than the usual 16 and final yr’s iPhone 15 Professional, nevertheless it’s removed from an anchor, and its barely curved edges are pleasing to carry. It runs on the marginally quicker A18 Professional chip, which doesn’t make an enormous distinction with on a regular basis duties however is extra future-proof all the identical, notably in case you have any curiosity in gaming or content material creation. And whereas each iPhone 16 has a USB-C charging port, the Professional fashions assist quicker knowledge switch speeds (offered you will have the correct cable).

Probably the most outstanding improve is the show. Whereas the OLED panels on the iPhone 16 Professional and customary iPhone 16 are equally sharp and vibrant, the previous’s is extra spacious at 6.3 inches (as a substitute of 6.1 inches), regardless of the cellphone itself solely being 0.08 inches taller and 0.02 inches thicker. That is primarily as a result of Professional’s thinner bezels, which grant you extra room for streaming movies and studying internet pages in a tool that isn’t considerably extra cumbersome to carry.  

On prime of that, the Professional’s display has an adaptive refresh price as much as 120Hz, which might make scrolling internet pages, gaming and streaming video noticeably smoother. Some will inform you that the common individual doesn’t want this, and it’s true that not all the pieces performs at 120Hz. However utilizing a smartphone is nothing if not interacting with a small display, and when you’ve seen a quicker refresh price in motion, it’s tough to surrender.

It’s a irritating scenario: You may get a budget Android phone with a 120Hz show for round $300, but Apple continues to make use of “ProMotion” as a method to upsell individuals from units that already price a whole lot extra. However, our job is to inform you what’s finest — and the Professional’s show is solely extra present. It’s additionally always-on, not like the screens on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, so you possibly can view your notifications at a look with out having to bodily contact the machine.

One other step up is the digicam system. The iPhone 16 Professional has a trio of rear cameras: a 48-megapixel predominant digicam, a 48MP ultrawide shooter and a 12MP telephoto digicam. That final one is the biggie, because the common iPhone 16 lacks a devoted telephoto lens fully. Past that, the Professional’s predominant digicam has a bigger sensor, so it’s a bit higher in low-light environments, plus it helps portrait mode at night time. You’ll be able to take sharper macro shots for close-ups, and there are different fanatic options like the power to shoot ProRAW or document 4K Dolby Imaginative and prescient and ProRes video as much as 120 frames per second. If none of this jargon means something to you, know the common iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are nonetheless nice point-and-shoot cameras. These units can now take macro pictures as effectively; they’ve the identical upgraded Photographic Styles function that may assist contact up photographs you might discover overprocessed; and so they share the brand new Camera Control button for shortly (if generally awkwardly) accessing the digicam app, adjusting settings and snapping pics. All that stated, the 16 Professional is best, particularly if you happen to take your pictures with a bit extra intent.

The Professional ought to get higher battery life as effectively, although it’s actually not the longest-lasting smartphone we’ve examined. Apple charges it at as much as 27 hours of video playback, up from 22 hours with the usual iPhone 16, however each units will possible want a top-up earlier than you go to mattress. The bottom mannequin’s battery is easier to replace, too, which is aggravating for Professional house owners given the upper value. 

Apple may be very bluntly promoting every iPhone 16 on how effectively they’ll work with its new , however you shouldn’t base any buying choices on these proper now. As of this writing, the methods embrace a barely extra sturdy Siri, e mail and notification summaries, and a function that may take away undesirable objects from pictures (very like Google’s ), . Extra options will arrive within the coming months. A few of these might be helpful at factors; different instances… . Little about them will really change the best way you employ a smartphone right this moment, and whether or not anybody wants assist writing a paragraph-long e mail or studying a quick article is up for debate (to place it charitably). For now, it is likely to be finest to view Apple Intelligence as an intriguing first step towards a future which will or will not be realized down the street.

Whereas we predict the iPhone 16 Professional is a good flagship, our subsequent choose ought to higher swimsuit those that don’t thoughts a much bigger machine and desire a cellphone that may really final all day.