In recent years, Apple has begun to offer iPhone Pro models a significant chip upgrade to widen the performance gap between the phones, but this year they are all at the same starting point: the A18 chipset. iPhone 16 Pro devices include the A18 Pro, which features larger CPU cache sizes and additional graphics for better overall performance. That said, in my benchmark tests, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are just behind the Pros and still more powerful than any other phone on the market.
I played AAA games like Resident Evil again Assassin’s Creed Miragethough I did experience fewer stutters than the Pro models (and more crashes, though this may have been because I was using the developer beta of iOS 18.1). I want to note that these games are currently the cream of the crop in terms of image fidelity, so I’m testing the stress on purpose. Most of the titles you will play will run fine. This year’s Pro models have improved thermal performance, but Apple made some tweaks to improve heat dissipation in standard iPhones, and I didn’t notice the phones getting too hot.
More importantly, every iPhone 16 model will be able to use Apple Intelligence, a series of artificial intelligence features that will be updated in October. I look directly at what Apple Intelligence has included in my iOS 18 guide, and I analyze the current experience in detail in my ​​​​​​​​​iPhone 16 Pro review. There are some useful everyday features, such as real-time writing in Voice Notes or a recorded call, but we will have to wait until Apple delivers the complete kit.
Battery life is top notch. I got better battery life on the iPhone 16 Plus than the Pro Max, hitting over 7 hours of screen on time with 36 percent left in the tank at 1 am. The iPhone 16 is no slouch, giving me 6 hours of screen time with about 20 percent charge. And that’s mixed doomscrolling on Instagram, photography, navigation, and music streaming. These devices will get you through a full day and then some. Speaking of the battery, it’s easy to replace on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus (not the Pro models), and iFixit gave it a 7/10 for overall repairability, which is a big improvement over years.
It’s a shame that Apple didn’t deliver an updated spec for the charging port. When Apple switched to USB-C last year, it kept the same data transfer speed as the iPhone 15—480 Megabits per second. The Pro, on the other hand, has USB3 speeds of up to 20 Gigabits per second. It’s a big (and unnecessary) difference, but this is only important if you find yourself transferring files from your iPhone to another device over a cable.
Good Cameras
Photo: Julian Chokkattu
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus hold their own in the camera department. I found no significant difference even in low light when shooting with the wide and ultrawide camera. Pro phones stick out here and there, but the gap is narrow. Autofocus is new to the 12-MP ultrawide, so you can take great photos. I can’t stop taking a shot near my puppy’s nose. Wow!
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