The iPhone 16 Pro—announced at Apple’s “Glowtime” event—brings another level of polish to flagship iPhones. Its improvements even have me sizing up an upgrade from my iPhone 15 Pro. Here are three reasons why I’m excited about the new model.
1 An Improved Pro Camera System
Let’s start with the camera improvements Apple announced at its September 2024 keynote. For many, the most noticeable change will be the new 48MP ultra-wide camera—a bump from the 12MP shooter that’s been around since the iPhone 11 series—which promises more detail thanks to the higher resolution.
There are also improvements to the wide and telephoto camera, albeit the latter is specific to the iPhone 16 Pro. According to Apple, the 48MP Fusion camera has a new sensor that allows for even more detailed images and better video recording (4K videos at up to 120FPS). This should be a noticeable upgrade if you’re a creator.
As for the telephoto lens, the smaller 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro now features the same 12MP 5x telephoto camera as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, giving you better zoom range while shooting images. This is an upgrade I didn’t expect to appreciate so much, but I learned the hard way that there isn’t much to gain when I go from 2x zoom to 3x on the iPhone 15 Pro we reviewed in 2023.
There’s also a new image signal processor built into the A18 Pro chip and an improved four-microphone array to record external audio with better detail.
2 Increased Versatility With Camera Control
Although I love the camera upgrades, I’m more excited about the new Camera Control button that improves the shooting experience with an iPhone. This new capacitive button allows for three types of interactions: a full physical press, a pseudo-short press—where feedback is provided by the haptic motor—and swipe actions.
These will allow users to capture photos, switch lenses, zoom in/out, and more. At first glance, it takes away the need to tap on the screen, something that’s often led to that perfect picture moment slipping away.
The Camera Control button also enables seamless use of visual intelligence, a Google Lens-esque feature where you can quickly pull up results and create actions by scanning your surroundings. Visual intelligence wasn’t part of the many AI features Apple announced at WWDC 2024, but it’s a welcome addition with a tasteful implementation nonetheless.
3 Larger Battery and Faster Wireless Charging
Last on the list is the improved battery life and support for faster wireless charging. While we’ll have to wait for teardowns to learn the increased battery capacities, Apple’s video playback metric tells us that iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will last four hours more than their predecessors. It’s a welcome improvement, just like the 25W wireless charging with MagSafe accessories and 15W wireless charging with Qi2-certified hardware.
Overall, while these changes aren’t groundbreaking, they add another layer of polish to the delicate balance Apple found with the iPhone 15 Pro models, and I can’t wait to put them to the test once I get my hands on them.
