iPhone 16 review roundup: Small but necessary upgrades

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus introduce a few changes to the smartphone, including a new A18 chip that is made to power Apple Intelligence, when it becomes available. There are also new buttons on the sides, macro photography, and even Spatial Photos support thanks to the movement of camera sensors.

In the initial wave of reviews for this generation, reviewers consider it a much more gradual update, with mixed results for the Camera Control. The lack of Apple Intelligence also leaves some questions open as to whether it will be a truly worthwhile update.

The Verge

There's less of a gap between the non-Pro and Pro models than in previous years, starts Allison Johnson for The Verge. " It's a good year for the basic iPhone, and it's a good year to upgrade."

The iPhone is still a "work in progress," due to the lack of Apple Intelligence. There's also mixed feelings about Camera Control which is found "hard to use," specifically the press to fire the shutter itself.

The lack of ProMotion in the standard models continues, especially when others often have 120Hz screens by default. This is "irritating," but so is the lack of an always-on display.

The review concludes hopeful that Apple Intelligence will prove to be the "time-saving, stress-easing set of features Apple insists it will be." But at the same time, it adds "there's nothing groundbreaking here, and certainly nothing you should trade in your iPhone 15 for."

Gizmodo

Florence Ion writing for Gizmodo on an early review is bullish on Apple Intelligence, and Apple's approach on AI. "It's Apple Intelligence unobtrusively attempting to improve the value of the typical things you already do with the iPhone."

The internals are a "definite bump" from the iPhone 15, with the A18 ripe for Apple Intelligence processing. Apple is also "invested" in the Camera Control button "for the long haul."

While the iPhone 15's cameras were "fine, really" but basic compared to Android rivals, the new models' camera are stacked for Spatial Video and Photos. The use of the same Photographic Styles as available on the Pro is a plus, but optical zooming is still "pretty limited" for consumers.

As for upgrading, the article ends "There's no need to have FOMO for the iPhone 16 quite yet."

MKBHD

The YouTube personality MKBHD offers some quick opinions on the new models, including wondering how useful the Capture Control will be. "It's kind of in this awkward spot on the bottom right of the phone. It makes sense as a horizontal shutter button but they're kind of splitting the difference trying to make it useable in a vertical orientation."

He is also concerned that Apple is still limiting the iPhone display to 120Hz on an "$800 flagship in 2024."

Even so, he says that the iPhone 16 overall "is probably a better buy for most people over the Pro phones."

CNET

The iPhone 16 "may not have one big knockout feature," but it has improved in "small and clever ways," begins Lisa Eadicicco for CNET. The changes are more incremental, but they all add up.

This doesn't extend to Apple Intelligence just yet, and it's "impossible to know" if it will be impactful enough for upgraders. However, the preview has "at least given me a sense of Apple's direction," she reasons.

The Camera Control and Action buttons are the "most significant changes," but neither are "worth upgrading your iPhone for if you weren't already planning to." As for Camera Control itself, it's "nice to see Apple updating the iPhone's interface" for things most people do on their iPhones.

However, she adds "As much as I love the idea of the Camera Control button, I also worry that it could end up being ignored much like the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar."

It's a slow transformation into "something more customizable and efficient" that people who haven't upgraded for a few years will certainly notice. "The days of upgrading your phone every year for the one big new feature are far behind us, and the iPhone 16 is proof. And that's not a bad thing."