Apple’s new iPhone 16 Pro is here and if you’re tempted to upgrade from last year’s iPhone 15 Pro then here’s all you need to know.
Apple’s September event has come and gone, revealing no less than four new phones the iPhone 16 line-up for 2024. If you want to know about the base level iPhone in that range then be sure to check out the iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15, but for a breakdown on the incoming and outgoing Pro level phones, keep on reading.
By most verdicts, the iPhone 15 Pro was no slouch thanks to a ton of key features, but Apple seems poised to outdo itself once more with the even more featured packed iPhone 16 Pro. Ahead of our full review, here are the main differences to be aware of, as well as one vital aspect that they share.
Price
If you’re familiar with the standard pricing of Apple’s Pro level phones then you won’t find anything to surprise you here. Just like the iPhone 15 Pro before it, the iPhone 16 Pro has a starting price of £999/$999.
Of course, with the iPhone 15 Pro no longer officially sold by Apple, you can expect to see a handful of price cuts at other retailers as they attempt to shift any remaining stock.
The display is bigger this year
For the longest time, Pro-level iPhones have had a display size of 6.1-inches, similar to the base model iPhones they’re paired with, and this was certainly the case for the iPhone 15 Pro. This time around however, Apple’s followed the likes of Samsung and found room for a larger screen by slimming down the bezels.
Now the iPhone 16 Pro comes with a slightly larger 6.3-inch display which not only makes it look like a far more modern phone, but it’ll no doubt be a welcome change to anyone who likes to stream content on the go.
There’s an all-new button on the iPhone 16 Pro
Every single phone within Apple’s new line-up is bestowed with the all-new Camera Control button, and the iPhone 16 Pro is no exception. This new input sits slightly below the Siri button and allows users to not only summon the camera app instantly, but also autofocus and take pictures, much like a traditional camera shutter.
The Camera Control can also work like a dial, letting you change features like the zoom level or aperture, simply by swiping your finger across it. It’s unlikely to be the feature that people upgrade for, but it does seem like it could go a long way towards making iPhone photography even more convenient in day to day use.
Filming is now more pro-grade than ever
Content creators who film primarily with their phone will want to hear about this. For the iPhone 16 Pro, Apple’s gone all out on two fronts by introducing a new 48MP Fusion Camera, a 48MP ultra-wide and a new video capture ceiling of 4K Dolby Vision at 120fps.
It’s the latter of those three upgrades that’ll make the iPhone 16 Pro the most alluring phone for professional creatives, as it offers more flexibility over what can be done with the footage you capture, such as utilising slow-motion playback after the fact.
Both have Apple Intelligence
Apple was keen to highlight that its take on AI will be coming to the iPhone 16 Pro, but it’s crucial to remember that this feature is also coming to the iPhone 15 Pro. Apple Intelligence will not only allow for vastly improved requests and conversation with Siri, but it’ll also have an impact on mainline iPhone apps.
For instance, the Mail app will be able to show summaries of an email in a preview, as opposed to the opening lines. There will also be generative AI functions to create new pictures that can then be shared in Messages.
iPhone 16 Pro sets the bar on battery
In spite of its larger display, the iPhone 16 Pro has been able to utilise its internal space a great deal better, resulting in a battery bump of up to four hours according to Apple. As part of its presentation, Apple mentioned that the 16 Pro could achieve up to 27-hours of video playback, while the 15 Pro was supposedly capped at 23-hours.
That’s a massive leap that should certainly help new adopters in getting more use of out the iPhone 16 Pro in an average day, although we imagine that this particular feature will be more appealing to those upgrading from much older devices that are starting to lag behind.
Early verdict
Ahead of a full review, the iPhone 16 Pro feels like it’s in a tricky spot in the eyes of consumers. On the one hand, the Pro series has always attempted to raise the bar each time to become the go-to pick for content creators and photographers, and in that regard the iPhone 16 Pro fits the bill rather nicely.
However, given that the iPhone 15 Pro will also be getting the headline feature of Apple Intellgence, it doesn’t seem as though its successor will make for a must-buy upgrade unless you’re coming from a much older device, maybe one from the iPhone 12/13 generation.
