Apple iPhone 16 Review: Unexpectedly Irksome

Value When Reviewed

$799

Finest Costs Immediately: Apple iPhone 16

$799

$829.99

One other 12 months, one other iPhone. In 2024, the main target from Apple, like virtually each telephone maker, is on AI. 

Apple Intelligence goals to do all kinds of issues so that you can make your life simpler, however it’s absent from the iPhone 16 vary for now (within the UK), regardless of the telephones being constructed for the AI system. 

Luckily, there are additionally upgrades to the digital camera, battery life and two new bodily buttons however is it top-of-the-line telephones you should buy?

Design & Construct 

• New colors 
• Motion button 
• Digital camera management 

It’s no shock that Apple hasn’t overhauled the design of the iPhone for 2024. So, the iPhone 16 is the everyday mixture of familiarity together with small tweaks right here and there. 

The general look is similar as the previous few generations, which means the iPhone 16 has that old-friend feeling (assuming you’ve used an iPhone earlier than) whereas having sufficient to make it new. 

For starters, there are new colors accessible, together with the putting Ultramarine choice I’m testing right here. It’s a vibrant mixture of blue and purple with out being garish, although you’ll in all probability cowl it up with a case anyway.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Different colourways comprise Teal, Pink, White and Black. Just like the iPhone 15, I just like the colour-infused glass on the again with its frosted end however it’s nonetheless extra slippy than I’d like. 

From the entrance, the telephone appears primarily equivalent to its predecessor, however there are modifications on the edges and again. The digital camera module now has the lenses subsequent to one another, relatively than in a diagonal association inside a sq. module.  

I choose the look of the cameras this 12 months, however it does make the telephone extra wobbly when on a flat floor, even with the official case on.

Chris Martin / Foundry

There’s a sensible motive for this which I’ll cowl within the digital camera part, the place I’ll additionally go into extra depth on the brand new Digital camera Management button/slider. This sits on the best aspect so underneath your index finger when taking pictures in panorama orientation. 

On the left, you’ll discover the Motion button, which was a Professional-only function final 12 months. This customisable button can do varied issues, however it replaces the enduring alert slider, which is a disgrace. I’d relatively have that bodily swap for muting and liberate the Motion button for one thing else like Shazam, translation or a shortcut to an app. 

The bodily dimension and form of the iPhone are virtually equivalent to earlier generations, making it a pleasant stability of compactness however with sufficient display screen. In case you are upgrading from an iPhone 14 or earlier mannequin, there are extra noticeable upgrades. 

The most important of those is the swap from Lightning to USB-C for the bodily port and Dynamic Island as a show function. Haptic suggestions is premium however I discover it too aggressive at instances for my liking, notably whenever you get a telephone name.

Chris Martin / Foundry

As typical, the telephone is IP68 mud and water resistant, and Apple has top-of-the-line eco-friendly processes within the business. The iPhone 16 makes use of extra recycled supplies than any mannequin earlier than it, together with 95% recycled lithium within the battery and 100% recycled copper foil within the MagSafe inductive charger. 

The packaging can also be 100% fibre‑primarily based for the primary time. 

Display & Audio system 

• Virtually the identical 
• 1 nit brightness 
• Nonetheless 60Hz 

The show on the iPhone 16 is sort of equivalent to final 12 months, solely it will possibly drop to simply 1 nit of brightness for darkish conditions whenever you don’t need to be blinded. 

In any other case, it’s nonetheless a 6.1-inch Tremendous Retina XDR, which means it’s an OLED panel with spectacular specs and options like True Tone, huge color, Haptic Contact and extra.

Chris Martin / Foundry

There’s no difficulty with picture high quality, as you’d anticipate from Apple. The display screen is crisp and vibrant and may attain a peak outside brightness of 2000 nits in keeping with the agency. 

I’ve had no issues utilizing it and if you happen to’re upgrading from an iPhone 14 or older you then’ll be gaining Dynamic Island. It’s a intelligent technique to make use of the pill-shaped part of the display screen which homes issues just like the front-facing digital camera to offer you snippets of data and a shortcut to the app displaying stated info. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

Whereas the display screen is nice general and I like the scale as a candy spot of dimension and usefulness, there’s nonetheless one obtrusive difficulty – Apple has nonetheless caught with a 60Hz refresh charge. 

In 2024 that is very primary and whereas 120Hz is reserved for Professional fashions, which I can perceive to an extent, why not no less than go for 90Hz? The soar from 60- to 90Hz is noticeable in so many use instances and in comparison with the Android market, the place you will get 120Hz on even price range telephones (with caveats), that is simply merely outdated.

The stereo audio system are excellent and make for a superb expertise whenever you’re watching movies or listening to music with out headphones. 

Specs & Efficiency 

• Apple A18 chip 
• Begins at 128GB of storage

I’ll maintain this part brief as, other than some software program glitches which I’ll handle later, the efficiency of the iPhone 16 is as you’d anticipate. 

Somewhat than getting the chip from final 12 months’s Professional fashions because the 15 sequence did, Apple now presents up the common A18 chipset and the Professional telephones get the A18 Professional. 

As a fast overview, it’s a 3nm chip with a hexa-core structure and a 5-core GPU.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Efficiency is easy, although as talked about beforehand I’d like the next refresh charge show to take advantage of the A18. It could actually play video games from Monopoly Go to PUBG with no hassle. 

When it comes to storage, it’s the acquainted story of 128GB on the entry-level and you may soar to 256- or 512GB do you have to really feel the necessity. Solely the Professional fashions have 1TB although, if that’s what you’re after.  

Cameras 

• Comparable specs however now ‘Fusion’ 
• New spatial mode 
• New Macro pictures 
• Digital camera Management button 

Though the cameras have moved bodily, the iPhone 16 comes with the acquainted mixture of a 48Mp important digital camera with a 12Mp ultrawide alongside it.  

Although the specs are primarily the identical because the iPhone 15, Apple is looking this an ‘all-new’ Fusion digital camera, which means the primary one can take full-resolution pictures in addition to the flexibility to take 2x optical‑high quality telephoto snaps.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Primarily, the decision is excessive sufficient to crop it to create a 2x zoom picture, however this isn’t unusual within the wider telephone market (and was on the iPhone 15 with out this advertising time period). A tweak to the ultrawide (which has a quicker f/2.2 aperture) means it’s higher in low gentle than earlier than, no less than in principle.

Keep in mind although that pictures from the Fusion digital camera will likely be 12- or 24Mp relying on varied components, until you go into the settings and swap on ‘Decision management’ to entry the complete 48Mp. Simply watch out if you happen to do choose this and have the 128GB storage capability as a result of it can replenish quick.

That setting, together with many different helpful issues, as typical, is a bugbear of mine. They’re not accessible within the digital camera app however in the primary settings of the telephone, with no shortcut to get there both. 

Specs and settings apart, the standard of photographs from the iPhone 16 cameras is usually excellent. Out and about in good lighting, you may snap away to your coronary heart’s content material, understanding you’ll get a well-rounded mixture of element, color, publicity and the like.

I’ve discovered the digital camera to be much less spectacular in relation to indoor low-light conditions, however these are difficult even with out making an attempt to get an awesome shot of a two-year-old who’s virtually all the time shifting. 

A brand new (to the common fashions) Macro pictures mode can routinely swap to the ultrawide digital camera for close-up pictures however as I discover with the sort of function (Apple or in any other case) I virtually all the time choose to modify it off and use the primary digital camera, largely for the pure bokeh (seen on the left).

Spatial is a brand new mode within the digital camera app and the primary motive why the cameras are actually in a vertical structure on the again. It could actually create 3D photographs and movies, however you’ll want a Imaginative and prescient Professional headset to view them making it extremely area of interest. As such, I can’t touch upon their high quality. 

Everybody can use the brand new Digital camera Management button, which Apple hasn’t held again for the Professional fashions. It sits on the aspect wanting like a further energy button of kinds. 

You should use it to launch the digital camera (or customise it to a different app) after which use it primarily as a mixed shutter button and zoom management. It’s an awesome thought and just like what we’ve seen, in a extra primary kind, from the likes of Sony for a few years. 

Nonetheless, the execution of it isn’t nice, beginning with the place. It’s too far up the aspect, so when holding the telephone in panorama, it’s a little bit of a stretch to succeed in. It must be nearer to the nook. 

There’s a little bit of a studying curve to utilizing Digital camera Management however you do get used to it. Apply a small quantity of stress and the zoom management comes up so you may slide left and proper. Nonetheless, I need to swap the path of what zooms out and in to what feels pure to me – you may’t.

Chris Martin / Foundry

You should use the Digital camera Management slide gesture to regulate different parts resembling publicity and types however this isn’t apparent. Different apps can use it too and lots of of those points will be probably fastened with software program updates, however the placement can’t. 

I’d nonetheless relatively have it than not as having the ability to rapidly launch and snap with one button has resulted in some good pictures I wouldn’t have achieved in any other case. Specifically when a fast-moving toddler or canine solely gives a slender window of alternative to get the shot. 

To spherical off this part, the front-facing digital camera is 12Mp once more and presents good-quality photographs. The iPhone 16 additionally stays top-of-the-line telephones in the marketplace for video, with glorious high quality and a spread of options. I notably just like the Cinematic mode. 

Battery Life & Charging 

• Comparable efficiency 
• Quicker wi-fi charging 

On Apple’s web site, it says the iPhone 16 can final 22 hours of video playback, which is 2 hours greater than the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15. 

Nonetheless, I haven’t seen a distinction generally utilization in comparison with final 12 months’s flagship. Battery life is fairly good but in addition nothing to jot down house about. 

I’m a lightweight person, working from house and once I end for the day taking care of a toddler, and in my expertise I take advantage of round 50% battery per day. It’s a two-day telephone, however solely with this lighter utilization.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Most individuals will discover themselves charging it in a single day or maybe even topping it up late on within the day. If I used to be nonetheless commuting to an workplace and utilizing my telephone for extra hours of display screen time every day, I’d severely be contemplating the iPhone 16 Plus with its bigger battery. 

Relating to charging, Apple nonetheless simply provides a cable, however advertises 50% cost in half-hour if you happen to use a 20W adapter. Wi-fi charging is now quicker at 25W relatively than 15W, however once more, you want the best MagSafe charger and a speedy sufficient adapter. 

It additionally helps Qi and Qi2 wi-fi charging so that you don’t have to make use of MagSafe. There’s no reverse wi-fi charging although, which is a disgrace. 

Software program & Apps

• iOS 18
• No Apple Intelligence
• Surprising bugs

It’s no shock that the iPhone 16 ships with the newest model of Apple’s working system for telephones, iOS 18. 

It’s largely as you’d anticipate – user-friendly and slick – however I’ve had extra issues than anticipated. Some bugs within the first variations of OSes are to be considerably anticipated, however I expertise them extra with Android than iOS.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Oddly, on the iPhone 16, I’ve seen numerous annoying graphical glitches resembling black bars throughout the display screen, lacking keyboards and tiny thumbnails of pictures I’ve simply taken. I’ve additionally seen the telephone randomly reboot numerous instances and a fast net search reveals I’m not the one one. 

Then there’s the entire Apple Intelligence difficulty. The iPhone 16 vary is constructed for Apple’s AI system however it’s not accessible at launch. On the time of writing it has rolled out within the US, however within the UK the place I’m, we now have to attend till December and different markets should wait even longer. 

It’s not the primary case of AI options on telephones being promised sooner or later however it’s extra shocking from an organization like Apple, which has full management over all its {hardware} and software program. 

One new function in iOS 18 that I really like is the flexibility to customize the management centre. It’s refreshing to reorder it and make it extra environment friendly for the stuff you want probably the most. 

Value & Availability

This 12 months Apple has saved the worth of the iPhone 16 the identical as its predecessor. Meaning you should buy one from £799/$799, with that beginning value getting you 128GB of storage. 

If you wish to soar to 256- or 512GB then it can value you £899/$899 or £1,099/$1,099 respectively. See our the place to purchase the iPhone 16 information for all of the choices within the UK and US, or under for the most effective contract offers.

With Google introducing a value soar for 2024, it means the iPhone 16 prices the identical because the Pixel 9. The Samsung Galaxy S24 can also be the identical beginning value however Apple is the one one of many three to supply 512GB storage on its entry-level flagship. 

You will get the iPhone 16 on contract, after all, and you may see the highest choices under. 

Try our prime 10 suggestions for the most effective telephones proper now.

Do you have to purchase the iPhone 16?

As typical, the reply will rely in your state of affairs.

In the event you’re going to improve, I feel it makes probably the most sense for iPhone 14 or earlier generations, as you’ll see a a lot greater distinction than anybody utilizing an iPhone 15.

Even for these with a 15, it is perhaps tempting to leap with a view to acquire new options just like the Motion Button, Digital camera Management and Apple Intelligence. On the time of writing, I can solely touch upon the primary two, and they’re a blended bag general.

There’s little question the iPhone 16 does all of the fundamentals proper, however is that sufficient in 2024? I’d say until your coronary heart is about on utilizing Apple Intelligence, you’re higher off ready for the subsequent era or getting a now extra inexpensive iPhone 15.

In the event you’re open to Android then there are, after all, loads of nice choices with extra spectacular {hardware} options like excessive refresh charge screens and far quicker charging.

Specs

• Working System: iOS 18
• Show: 6.1-inch Tremendous Retina XDR show
• Chipset: A18 chipset
• RAM: 8GB RAM
• Storage: 128/256/512GB
• Rear Cameras: 48Mp f/1.8 important digital camera, 12Mp f/2.2 ultrawide digital camera
• Entrance digital camera: 12Mp f/1.9
• Battery: 3561 mAh (reported)
• Charging: USB-C quick PD 2.0 charging, 25W wi-fi MagSafe charging, 15W wi-fi Qi 2 charging, 4.5W reverse wired
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G, NFC
• Water Resistance: IP68 water and dirt resistance
• Dimensions: 147 x 71.6 x 7.8mm
• Weight: 170g
• Sturdiness: IP68
• Colors: Ultramarine, Pink, Teal, Black, White