Which mannequin do you have to purchase?

Authentic launch date: September 20, 2024 | Storage capability: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Display screen dimension: 6.3 inches | Options: A18 Professional chip, At all times-on 120Hz ProMotion show, USB-C port (USB 3), Titanium body, Digicam Management button, Motion button, 25W MagSafe charging | Cameras: 48MP extensive, 48MP ultrawide, 12MP 5x telephoto, 12MP entrance | Shade 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 advocate to most individuals. Sure, its beginning worth of $999 may be steep, however a smartphone is a long-term funding. If the query is “which iPhone is almost definitely to maintain you content for the subsequent three to 5 years,” we predict the iPhone 16 Professional’s benefits over the usual iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are nonetheless significant sufficient to be price the additional $100-200 — even when the hole isn’t as extensive 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, notably 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 assist quicker knowledge switch speeds (offered you could have the correct cable).

Essentially the most outstanding improve is the show. Whereas the OLED panels on the iPhone 16 Professional and normal 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 because of the Professional’s thinner bezels, which grant you extra room for streaming movies and studying net pages in a tool that isn’t considerably extra cumbersome to carry.  

On prime of that, the Professional’s display screen has an adaptive refresh fee as much as 120Hz, which might make scrolling net pages, gaming and streaming video noticeably smoother. Some will inform you that the common particular person doesn’t want this, and it’s true that not every part performs at 120Hz. However utilizing a smartphone is nothing if not interacting with a small display screen, and when you’ve seen a quicker refresh fee in motion, it’s troublesome to surrender.

It’s a irritating scenario: You will get a budget Android phone with a 120Hz show for round $300, but Apple continues to make use of “ProMotion” as a technique to upsell folks from units that already value tons of extra. Nonetheless, our job is to inform you what’s finest — and the Professional’s show is just extra present. It’s additionally always-on, in contrast to the screens on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, so you’ll be able to 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 principal 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 principal 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 report 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 nicely; they’ve the identical upgraded Photographic Styles characteristic that may assist contact up pictures it’s possible you’ll discover overprocessed; they usually share the brand new Camera Control button for shortly (if generally awkwardly) accessing the digital camera app, adjusting settings and snapping pics. All that mentioned, the 16 Professional is best, particularly for those who take your photographs with a bit of extra intent.

The Professional ought to get higher battery life as nicely, although it’s actually 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 possible 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 house owners given the upper worth. 

Apple could be very bluntly promoting every iPhone 16 on how nicely they’ll work with its new , however you shouldn’t base any buying choices on these proper now. As of this writing, the methods embody a barely extra sturdy Siri, e mail and notification summaries, and a characteristic that may take away undesirable objects from photographs (very similar to Google’s ), . Extra options will arrive within the coming months. A few of these may be helpful at factors; different instances… . Little about them will really change the way in which you employ a smartphone at this time, 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 may be finest to view Apple Intelligence as an intriguing first step towards a future which will or might not be realized down the highway.

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