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Apple’s new iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are spectacular telephones with unbelievable efficiency and capabilities. Whereas they’ve a well-known exterior, they provide important upgrades over their predecessors, like bigger display screen sizes, longer battery life, Apple’s quickest cellular processors, enhanced digicam system, and a devoted digicam button. And, the iPhone 16 Professional fashions are amongst a small handful that may assist Apple Intelligence AI options when iOS 18.1 rolls out in October.
For this evaluate, we examined the usual iPhone 16 Professional. The iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max are similar in efficiency and options, apart from display screen dimension and battery life. We’ll be testing the iPhone 16 Professional Max quickly, and we’ll replace this evaluate to incorporate our ideas on the bigger dimension and battery life.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max
The iPhone 16 Professional fashions assist Apple’s headlining new function, Apple Intelligence, beginning with iOS 18.1. In addition they embrace upgraded cameras, the A18 Professional processor, a brand new Digital camera Management button, and improved battery life.
Design: A devoted digicam button and bigger shows
Apple hasn’t drastically altered the final design because the iPhone Professional 12. Nonetheless, the Professional fashions at the moment are made with titanium (launched within the 15 Professional) as an alternative of aluminum, and the iPhone 16 Pros are barely bigger with 6.3-inch (Professional) and 6.9-inch (Professional Max) shows versus the 6.1 and 6.7-inch shows of earlier Professional fashions.
The iPhone 16 Professional (left) is simply barely bigger than the iPhone 15 Professional (proper).
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The scale variations are negligible, however chances are you’ll really feel it within the weight — it is minor, however it’s there. But, they’re lighter than the iPhone 14 Professional fashions, the heaviest iPhones I’ve examined. (Word that this expertise is from my iPhone 16 Professional evaluate unit, however it must also apply to the iPhone 16 Professional Max.)
The brand new Digital camera Management button is positioned on the underside proper fringe of the iPhone 16 sequence.
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On the decrease proper edge is the brand new Digital camera Management button. It is designed as a shortcut to open the digicam app, however it’s additionally used to deal with digicam features like depth, publicity, and zoom. The iPhone has all the time had a digicam shortcut button on the lockscreen, however the Digital camera Management is far more helpful because it has a capacitive sensor that helps a wide range of presses, mild presses, and swipes. I am going into extra element about how the button works within the digicam part additional down.
The Motion button continues to function within the iPhone 16 Professional fashions and has additionally trickled all the way down to the bottom fashions.
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Carried over from the iPhone 15 Pro models, the Motion Button — on the highest left edge — is a shortcut button to 11 helpful preset features, like toggling the flashlight or recognizing a music taking part in in your environment. It is also able to many extra customizable features with the Shortcuts app. With iOS 18, Apple added in-app performance with the Motion button, like unlocking your automobile, when used with the Shortcuts app.
Apple Intelligence: Not out there till October, however beta reveals promise
Apple Intelligence is the key new function coming to the iPhone’s working system. When iOS 18.1 launches in October, the iPhone 16/16 Plus, iPhone 16 Professional/16 Professional Max, and iPhone 15 Professional/Professional Max would be the solely fashions to assist Apple Intelligence, which brings a number of helpful new features and options to your on a regular basis expertise with the telephones.
With Apple Intelligence, Siri will see dramatic enhancements in automating duties based mostly on voice prompts, like opening Apple Music and taking part in a music simply by saying “play that” when a buddy sends you a music identify in Messages or attaching a photograph in a message with out having to drill by way of menus.
Apple Intelligence options will start rolling out in October with iOS 18.1.
Apple
Siri may dig by way of information in your iPhone to extract contextual data, just like the identify of a TV present a buddy talked about in Messages or reminding you of the identify of an individual you met a while in the past based mostly on an entry within the Calendars app.
Siri can be extra forgiving for those who stumble over your phrases whereas making your request, and it enables you to right your self with out having to restart the Siri course of. Typing to Siri can be a brand new possibility in iOS 18.1 if talking out loud is not doable.
Different AI-powered features embrace text-based options, like summarizing emails, notifications, notes, and changing short-hand notes into full textual content. It might additionally work with pictures, like utilizing textual content to explain and discover pictures in your Library, and gathering pictures that match an outline into an album or storyline.
We examined Apple Intelligence within the iOS 18.1 developer beta, and whereas we will not definitively say how nicely it really works — developer betas do not signify the expertise of a ultimate model — it reveals promise. For instance, utilizing my voice to ship pictures is simpler than tapping the Share button and discovering the appropriate contact. Many options Apple is touting weren’t out there throughout testing, however we’ll be updating this evaluate once they launch within the ultimate iOS 18.1 launch.
Efficiency: Unbelievable energy and powerful benchmark outcomes
The iPhone 16 Professional (proper) scores considerably increased than the iPhone 15 Professional (left) in benchmark outcomes.
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The iPhone 16 Professional fashions run on Apple’s A18 Professional processor, which accommodates newer and extra superior elements than the A18 within the base iPhone 16, together with an additional graphics processor core. Based on our benchmark outcomes, it is a extra highly effective model of the A18 processor discovered within the base iPhone 16 fashions in nearly each manner.
For the iPhone 16 Professional fashions, which means sooner general efficiency for demanding duties like video enhancing. Apple additionally boasted twice the ray tracing efficiency in video games than the iPhone 15 Professional. AI efficiency will possible be sooner, however we’ll check that when Apple Intelligence rolls out in October.
The sport “Battle Thunder” with ray tracing disabled would not look a lot totally different than with ray tracing enabled (under).
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Ray tracing would not seem to drastically enhance lighting graphics on the iPhone 16 Professional.
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Nonetheless, in real-world utilization, the distinction in efficiency between the A18 Professional and the A18 is probably not obvious. The bottom iPhone 16 opens and runs most apps as shortly because the iPhone 16 Professional. Video games additionally look simply nearly as good on the iPhone 16 as they do on the iPhone 16 Professional. I even wrestle to see any distinction in lighting high quality whereas taking part in “Battle Thunder” after I allow ray tracing.
Nonetheless, the iPhone 16 Professional would possibly provide you with an additional yr of quick, snappy efficiency than the bottom iPhone 16 earlier than it reveals indicators of slowing down, due to the A18 Professional’s further efficiency.
Utilizing an iPhone SE 2020 working on the A13 Bionic processor and iOS 18 for reference, we are able to safely say iPhones working on Apple’s base processors can keep most of their efficiency for 5 iPhone processor generations. With that in thoughts, we are able to surmise the iPhone 16 Professional and the A18 Professional may run nearly like new (assuming a wholesome battery) for six generations, whereas the iPhone 16 and base A18 processor ought to maintain up for 5 generations.
Show: Nonetheless the most effective iPhone screens
If there’s one benefit that the iPhone 16 Professional has over the iPhone 16, it is the show. Not solely is it a bit bigger, however the visible expertise is considerably higher.
The iPhone 16 Professional makes use of Apple’s ProMotion OLED show, with a refresh price of as much as 120Hz for fluid animations and gaming. It might additionally scale back all the way down to 1Hz for static photos and the always-on show to scale back battery drain. Apple’s ProMotion know-how and always-on show proceed to set aside the bottom and Professional fashions among the many best iPhones, as the bottom iPhone 16 retains an outdated 60Hz show.
Word the distinction in fluidity between the 60Hz refresh price of an older base iPhone mannequin (left) and the 120Hz show on an iPhone Professional mannequin (proper).
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All iPhone 16 fashions — customary and Professional — can attain as much as 2,000 nits brightness, which makes every little thing on the show clearly seen in vibrant coloration, even below vivid daylight. A brilliant vivid display screen is an underrated and noticeable improve for those who’re coming from an older iPhone mannequin with a decrease most brightness, just like the iPhone 13 Professional and older, or the bottom iPhone 14 and older.
The iPhone 16 Plus (left) with 1-nit brightness is extra comfy in darker environments than the 2-nit minimal brightness on the iPhone 15 Plus (proper).
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Conversely, the show can now attain a minimal brightness of 1 nit for extra comfy viewing in darker situations. The distinction might sound minor in comparison with the 2-nit minimal brightness on the iPhone 15, however the iPhone 16 show is noticeably extra nice to view in a darkish room. Any father or mother who rocks their child to sleep may even respect the iPhone 16 dimmer show, because it enables you to move the time in your cellphone with much less threat of waking your child from a vivid show.
You get somewhat further visibility and barely bigger photos and movies on the iPhone 16 Professional’s (left) bigger 6.3-inch show in comparison with the iPhone 15 Professional’s (proper) 6.1-inch show.
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As for the larger dimension, it is not a dramatic distinction — you see an additional half or full line of textual content on the backside of the display screen, and pictures, movies and video games seem barely bigger in comparison with earlier Professional iPhones. Anybody who prefers bigger shows ought to nonetheless gravitate towards the bigger 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Professional Max. Nonetheless, those that thought 6.1-inch iPhone shows had been too small however the 6.7-inch shows had been too massive will respect the 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Professional.
Cameras: 5x zoom is now customary, and new slow-motion 4K video seize
The iPhone 16 Professional digicam comes with a number of new options which might be extra considerable when you’ve got an older iPhone.
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Moreover the show, the digicam system within the Professional fashions is one motive many customers select them over the usual iPhone. They provide larger picture and video capturing choices, and professionals and superior customers can tweak them to go well with their manufacturing wants. From my expertise in testing iPhones, the cameras and software program ship a number of the finest pictures and movies taken with a smartphone, and the iPhone 16 Professional fashions proceed that development. Nonetheless, regardless of new options like 4K 120fps movies, Dolby Imaginative and prescient video recording with the entrance digicam, and even a brand new ultrawide digicam, there is not a convincing sufficient motive that the 16 Professional cameras are higher than the 15 Professional fashions and that they warrant an improve.
Most important digicam and video high quality
Launched within the iPhone 16 sequence, the brand new “Fusion” identify for the 48MP primary digicam highlights Apple’s newest technology of Photographic Styles. These are primarily highly effective filters that intelligently apply various adjustment ranges to totally different components of a photograph. For instance, a vibrant type with saturated colours will scale back the impact on pores and skin tone somewhat than blanketing a whole picture with a coloration saturation increase and making pores and skin tone look odd.
There are a number of new kinds, enhanced controls for adjusting every type to your liking, and the flexibility to use a Photographic Type to a photograph you have already taken with any iPhone 16 mannequin (it will not work with pictures from older iPhones).
Whereas the Professional fashions have had a 48MP primary digicam because the iPhone Professional 14, the 16 Professional’s is new due to a sooner sensor, which is meant to assist mitigate movement blur to seize sharper particulars on transferring topics, in response to Apple’s declare. Nonetheless, I am unable to say I’ve seen any enchancment right here in comparison with the iPhone 15 Professional. I get the identical crisp outcomes when taking pictures outdoors on a sunny day, and related movement blur when taking pictures in much less superb lighting situations.
The iPhone 15 Professional’s digicam (pictured) has barely extra coloration saturation than the iPhone 16 Professional’s primary digicam (proven under).
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Colours are barely much less saturated in pictures taken with the iPhone 16 Professional’s primary digicam. It is slight and is probably not noticeable on sure shows.
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So far as picture high quality is anxious, the principle digicam delivers related element and lighting. Coloration saturation is decreased ever so barely in comparison with the iPhone 15 Professional, however pictures taken with the iPhone 16 Professional have a barely extra pure look because of this. It is so slight that you simply may not discover on sure shows, however we seen the distinction on a MacBook Professional’s show.
The true enchancment from the iPhone 16 Professional’s sooner 48MP digicam sensor is taking 4K movies at 120 frames-per-second (fps) within the Dobly Imaginative and prescient or ProRes codecs. This new capability is primarily designed for capturing slow-motion 4K video, which could be appreciated by informal customers, prosumers, amateurs, hobbyists, or professionals alike.
Remember that 4K 120fps movies take up plenty of space for storing. A ten-second check video takes up 165 megabytes, and Apple says a minute of 4K 120fps video can take as much as 800 megabytes — nearly a gigabyte. That is not superb for many informal customers; Execs, then again, will possible file onto an exterior drive, which the Professional fashions are able to. Plus, for those who’re not a fan of the “cleaning soap opera” impact from 60fps video, the place movement seems smoother than a typical video (or perhaps a typical TV show or movie), you are not going to love 120fps video.
However, for those who like 4K 60 fps video from earlier iPhones, you may love the 4K 120 fps possibility within the iPhone 16 Professional fashions. It is extremely easy and particulars in movement look extremely sharp — it nearly appears sharper than 4K as there’s barely any movement blur. Simply be aware my warning about storage above.
Apple continues to be unbeaten in relation to video high quality, and by a notable margin, too. The iPhone 16 Professional fashions provide you with extra confidence than with another cellphone I’ve examined that movies will get the fundamentals proper, like colours, lighting, and sharpness. The iPhone 16 Professional fashions even have extremely efficient optical picture stabilization to smoothen digicam shake. The remaining, like topic and composition, is as much as you.
Ultrawide digicam
The iPhone 16 Professional takes superbly balanced ultrawide pictures.
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The iPhone 16 Professional has a brand new 48MP ultrawide digicam in comparison with the 12MP ultrawide from earlier iPhones. There is not a perceivable enchancment in good lighting situations, and I am struggling to see enhancements in darker situations the place the next decision digicam is often helpful.
Evening pictures taken with the iPhone 16 Professional do a superb job of balancing vivid and darkish particulars.
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Both manner, the iPhone 16 Professional’s ultrawide digicam by itself takes glorious ultrawide and macro pictures in vivid and darkish situations. I plan to check the ultrawide digicam additional and can replace this evaluate after long-term use.
Zoom digicam
The iPhone 16 Professional and 16 Professional Max have similar digicam setups, with a 5x zoom digicam, whereas the iPhone 15 Professional had a 3x zoom digicam, and the iPhone 15 Professional Max had a 5x zoom.
The iPhone 16 Professional’s 5x digicam takes sharp pictures, and it is a welcome improve over the iPhone 15 Professional’s 3x digicam.
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Pictures taken with the 5x zoom digicam carry the identical glorious stability of coloration, distinction, and brightness as the principle digicam. It nonetheless makes use of a 12MP sensor in comparison with the 48MP primary and ultrawide cameras, however particulars are nonetheless crisp and clear.
Digital camera button
With the brand new Digital camera Management button, you may open the digicam app and snap a photograph or take a video extra shortly and simply than earlier strategies, reminiscent of swiping left, urgent the digicam icon on the lock display screen, and even utilizing the Motion button. The Digital camera Management button additionally makes this simpler than ever with a single hand.
It is somewhat finicky at first to regulate digicam features, like depth, publicity, zoom, and switching Photographic Types and Tones, however you may get used to it pretty shortly. It is best for adjusting zoom, because it affords extra management than pinching on the show. In any other case, it is one other choice to entry these features somewhat than a notable enchancment or alternative of the prevailing strategies.
Zooming with the Digital camera Management button affords higher precision than utilizing pinch gestures on the show.
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For controlling these digicam features, it is nonetheless simpler to carry the iPhone 16 Professional with two fingers — attempting to regulate zoom or another perform feels awkward for those who’re holding the cellphone with one hand, whether or not horizontally or vertically.
Here is what the Digital camera Management button does:
A single press opens the digicam app.
A press whereas within the digicam app takes a photograph.
A protracted press whereas within the digicam app begins a video recording.
A light-weight press whereas within the digicam app reveals zoom management by default.
Swiping backwards and forwards alongside the button adjusts the zoom degree.
A double mild press and swiping adjustments the one mild press’s perform, reminiscent of depth, publicity, digicam switching, Photographic Types, and Tone.
The iPhone 16 Professional remembers which management you final used, so you may shortly alter it.
Battery life and charging: Longer lasting and sooner MagSafe
The iPhone 16 Professional completed our battery check with 62% remaining, a notable enchancment over the iPhone 15 Pro’s 58% outcome. That is glorious for a cellphone of its dimension, beating the 6.3-inch Pixel 9’s 60% outcome, and the 6.2-inch Galaxy S24’s 59% outcome.
Whereas the iPhone 16 Professional affords an enchancment over the iPhone 15 Professional, do not anticipate any change to your each day charging habits. Moderately, the iPhone 16 Professional’s prolonged battery life affords larger confidence it’s going to final by way of your typical day whilst you proceed to cost at your typical interval.
Apple claims that the iPhone 16 Professional Max has the most effective battery lifetime of any iPhone. The declare’s accuracy nonetheless awaits our testing, but when it is true, it has the potential to beat the iPhone 15 Plus’ beautiful 73% outcome. For reference, the iPhone 16 Plus completed our check with 69%, which continues to be a superb rating however inferior to its predecessor. We are going to replace our battery efficiency findings after additional testing to see in the event that they maintain up.
The complete iPhone 16 sequence helps Apple’s second-generation 25W MagSafe charger (in addition to the unique 15W MagSafe charger). Meaning the iPhone 16 Professional can cost wirelessly on the similar velocity as wired charging with the USB-C port — Apple lists 50% battery cost in half-hour (35 minutes for the iPhone 16 Professional Max) for each wired and second-generation MagSafe charging.
Apple suggests no less than a 20W charger for wired charging and no less than a 30W charger for the second-generation MagSafe charger. The corporate would not embrace a charger with the iPhone 16 Professional, so try the best iPhone USB-C chargers you should buy.
The iPhone 16 Professional’s USB-C port helps quick USB 3 speeds, however the included cable solely helps USB 2 speeds.
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The iPhone 16 Professional’s USB-C port nonetheless helps quick USB 3 speeds for transfers as much as 10Gbps. That is invaluable for transferring massive information, like ProRes video, between an iPhone and a pc or exterior drive. Word that the USB-C cable included with the iPhone 16 Professional would not assist USB 3 speeds.
Remember the fact that USB 3 would not assist Thunderbolt, despite the fact that each requirements use the USB-C port. When you’ve constructed up an ecosystem of gadgets round Thunderbolt, like a storage drive, it will not work with the iPhone 16 Professional. Additionally, USB-C gadgets that do not assist USB 3 will not hit these increased speeds, both. Nonetheless, Thunderbolt cables are suitable for those who join them to a USB 3 system.
Must you purchase it?
The iPhone 16 Professional is a superb cellphone for anybody wanting the perfect from Apple.
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When you personal the bottom iPhone 14 or older and wish to transfer as much as the Professional sequence, the iPhone 16 Pro models will supply a dramatically improved expertise due to the bigger 120Hz shows, triple digicam, and highly effective A18 Professional processor.
When you have an iPhone 12 Professional or older, you may additionally discover a notable distinction in battery life, cameras, and show high quality. You possibly can additionally justify upgrading from the iPhone 13 Professional or 14 Professional fashions, too, however the listing of enhancements is shorter for these generations. Extras just like the Motion and Digital camera Management buttons would supply further performance, too.
With the iPhone 16 Pro Max, storage choices begin at 256GB, extra beneficiant than the 128GB that the iPhone 16 Pro begins with. The iPhone 16 Professional fashions are additionally the one iPhones at the moment out there from Apple with as much as 1TB of storage.
Upgrading to the iPhone 16 Professional from the iPhone 15 Professional would not supply a lot of an enchancment in general expertise or utilization. Efficiency and digicam high quality are comparable, and the 15 Professional fashions may even assist Apple Intelligence when it rolls out in October. The iPhone 16 Professional fashions solely supply higher battery life, the Digital camera Management button, a 5x zoom digicam when you’ve got the smaller iPhone 15 Professional and a barely longer lifespan as a result of newer processor.
Apple claims the iPhone 16 Professional Max’s battery life is the most effective on any iPhone, and we’ve motive to consider it. The final time Apple made that declare for the iPhone 14 Plus, we had been capable of positively confirm it with our battery check.
The bigger iPhone 16 Professional display screen sizes could be appreciated by iPhone 15 Professional customers (or these with any older iPhone), however I hesitate to say it is price upgrading for that motive alone. Nonetheless, with the appropriate supply from Apple, your service, or retailers like Finest Purchase, you would commerce in an iPhone 15 Professional mannequin for the price of an iPhone 16 Professional or iPhone 16 Professional Max.
See our guides to the best iPhone 16 Pro cases and best iPhone 16 Pro Max cases to guard both cellphone.