Which mannequin do you have to purchase?

Authentic launch date: September 20, 2024 | Storage capability: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Display screen 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 | Colour 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 worth of $999 is likely to be steep, however a smartphone is a long-term funding. If the query is “which iPhone is almost certainly to maintain you cheerful for the subsequent three to 5 years,” we expect the iPhone 16 Professional’s benefits over the usual iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are nonetheless significant sufficient to be value 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, however 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, significantly if 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 help quicker information switch speeds (supplied you’ve got the correct cable).

Essentially the most distinguished improve is the show. Whereas the OLED panels on the iPhone 16 Professional and commonplace iPhone 16 are equally sharp and shiny, the previous’s is extra spacious at 6.3 inches (as an alternative of 6.1 inches), regardless of the telephone 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 high of that, the Professional’s display has an adaptive refresh fee as much as 120Hz, which might make scrolling internet pages, gaming and streaming video noticeably smoother. Some will let you know 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 fee in motion, it’s tough to surrender.

It’s a irritating state of affairs: You may get a budget Android phone with a 120Hz show for round $300, but Apple continues to make use of “ProMotion” as a strategy to upsell folks from units that already value tons of extra. Nonetheless, our job is to let you know what’s greatest — and the Professional’s show is solely extra present. It’s additionally always-on, in contrast to the screens on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, so you may view your notifications at a look with out having to bodily contact the system.

One other step up is the digital camera system. The iPhone 16 Professional has a trio of rear cameras: a 48-megapixel primary digital camera, a 48MP ultrawide shooter and a 12MP telephoto digital camera. That final one is the biggie, because the common iPhone 16 lacks a devoted telephoto lens totally. Past that, the Professional’s primary digital camera has a bigger sensor, so it’s a bit higher in low-light environments, plus it helps portrait mode at night time. You may take sharper macro shots for close-ups, and there are different fanatic options like the flexibility 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 photographs as properly; they’ve the identical upgraded Photographic Styles characteristic that may assist contact up photographs chances are you’ll discover overprocessed; they usually share the brand new Camera Control button for rapidly (if typically awkwardly) accessing the digital camera app, adjusting settings and snapping pics. All that stated, the 16 Professional is healthier, particularly when you take your photographs with a bit extra intent.

The Professional ought to get higher battery life as properly, although it’s definitely 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 probably 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 homeowners given the upper worth. 

Apple may be very bluntly promoting every iPhone 16 on how properly they’ll work with its new “Apple Intelligence” AI features, however you shouldn’t base any buying selections on these proper now. As of this writing, the tips embody a barely extra strong Siri, , e-mail and notification summaries, writing assistance and instruments, a Clean Up characteristic that may take away undesirable objects from photographs (very like Google’s Magic Eraser) and a “” customized emoji maker, amongst others. Extra updates will arrive over time. 

A few of these AI options will be helpful at factors; different instances… not so much. Little about them will really change the way in which you utilize a smartphone at the 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 greatest to view Apple Intelligence as an intriguing first step towards a future that will or will not be realized down the street.

Whereas we expect the iPhone 16 Professional is a good flagship, our subsequent choose ought to higher go well with those that don’t thoughts an even bigger system and need a telephone that may really final all day.