Apple iPhone 16 Pro: A Closer Look at Apple’s Latest Flagship
Explore Apple iPhone 16 Pro, featuring an A18 Pro chip, stunning display, advanced cameras and long battery life.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max may get more attention with its huge 6.9-inch screen but iPhone 16 Pro shouldn’t be overlooked. After testing both iPhone 16 Pro offers great value for $999. It has a larger 6.3-inch display than before, powerful 5x zoom (previously a Pro Max exclusive) and much-improved battery life.
Both models share key features like A18 Pro chip, a 48MP ultra-wide camera and 4K 120 fps video recording with background noise reduction. Plus, iOS 18.1 promises new Siri and Writing Tools which will roll out soon.
Table of Contents
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Specification
| Specifications | iPhone 16 Pro |
|---|---|
| Price | 💲 $999 / £999 / AU$1,799 |
| Display | 📱 6.3 inches (2622 x 1206) |
| Chip | ⚙️ A18 Pro |
| Rear Cameras | 📸 48MP main (f/1.78) |
| 📸 48MP ultrawide (f/2.2) | |
| 📸 12MP telephoto (5x, f/2.8) | |
| Front Camera | 📷 12MP (f/1.9) |
| Video | 🎥 4K Dolby Vision up to 120fps |
| Battery | 🔋 Up to 22 hours streaming video |
| Colors | 🎨 Black, White, Desert, Natural Titanium |
| Size | 📏 5.89 x 2.81 x 0.32 inches |
| Weight | ⚖️ 7 ounces |
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Price & Release Date
iPhone 16 Pro will be available starting September 20 with base price of $999 / £999 / AU$1,799 for 128GB storage. iPhone 16 Pro Max, however, starts with 256GB at its base level.
Pricing for iPhone 16 Pro:
- 128GB: $999 / £999 / AU$1,799
- 256GB: $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,999
- 512GB: $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,349
- 1TB: $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,699
You can save $100 compared to Pro Max by getting 256GB version and you still have option to go up to 1TB if you need extra storage.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Design
iPhone 16 Pro is now more of a mid-size phone with a larger display though it’s still compact overall. Its dimensions are slightly bigger than iPhone 15 Pro at 5.89 x 2.81 x 0.32 inches, weighing 7.03 ounces, compared to previous model’s 6.6 ounces.
Apple has made the bezels thinner, so it’s still easy to use one-handed. It’s also more durable, thanks to 50% tougher Ceramic Shield display and titanium band.
As for colors, iPhone 16 Pro comes in White Titanium, Black Titanium, Natural Titanium and Desert Titanium, soft rose gold that gives it a fresh look.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Display
iPhone 16 Pro’s display hasn’t changed much except it’s now slightly larger at 6.3 inches and can dim down to just 1 nit (from 2 nits on the iPhone 15 Pro). This lower brightness is ideal for using your phone at night without disturbing others, especially in StandBy mode as an alarm clock.
Display still has 120Hz refresh rate, with peak brightness reaching 2,000 nits outdoors and 1,600 nits for HDR content. In tests, it reached 1,553 nits—brighter than Galaxy S24 Ultra but not as bright as Pixel 9 Pro.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Camera Control and Camera Performance
iPhone 16 Pro has new Camera Control button, a capacitive switch that lets you quickly open camera with a press and take a photo or hold for video recording. You can also slide your finger on it to zoom or double-press to open a mini menu for settings like exposure and Photographic Styles. This frees up Action Button on left side for other shortcuts.
Camera Features and Testing
iPhone 16 Pro’s upgraded 48MP ultra-wide and faster main Fusion Camera make it stand out and it borrows the 5x zoom from Pro Max. Photographic Styles now let you adjust skin tone and mood effects directly in Camera app. Testing it alongside Galaxy S24 Ultra iPhone generally delivered more natural colors & sharp detail especially in well-lit conditions. In low light, it captured well-exposed images but struggled slightly with finer details compared to competitors.
Video Quality
iPhone 16 Pro now records in 4K at 120fps, allowing smooth playback and easy slo-mo adjustments. In tests, iPhone excelled in natural colors and sharpness but sometimes took a second to focus at 5x zoom. In low light, it kept steady detail, though slightly dimmer than Galaxy S24 Ultra.
iPhone 16 Pro Apple Intelligence and Siri Updates
Apple Intelligence is coming in October, bringing some helpful tools. With Writing Tools, you can easily summarize notes or make emails sound more polite. It also guides you step-by-step for tasks like screen recording.
In Photos, you can create custom Memory Movies by describing themes like “Beach memories with happy music.” The new Clean Up feature, similar to Google’s Magic Eraser, removes unwanted objects in photos, though it may not be perfect every time.
Siri has improved too. Now, it handles follow-up questions, lets you correct commands, and can be typed instead of spoken. While better, Siri still doesn’t feel as conversational as other AI assistants.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Performance, Battery, and iOS 18 Updates
Speed and Graphics: iPhone 16 Pro features the A18 Pro chip and 8GB of RAM, making it Apple’s fastest phone yet. It excels at games like Resident Evil Village and Infinity Nikki with impressive graphics. On performance tests like Geekbench, it outperforms rivals like Galaxy S24 Ultra in single-core performance, though slightly behind on some graphics tests.
Battery Life and Charging: Battery life is notably better, lasting up to 14 hours in continuous web use — a big improvement over iPhone 15 Pro. Charging speed remains at 20W, reaching 56% in 30 minutes while MagSafe wireless charging now supports 25W with 30W adapter.
iOS 18 Features: iOS 18 brings more customization options to iPhone 16 Pro. Users can freely arrange icons on home screen and access three customizable shortcut screens in Control Center. Photos can be organized by topics and new Passwords app and Tap to Cash make security and payments more convenient.
Pros and Cons of Apple iPhone 16 Pro
| 🟢Pros | 🔴Cons |
|---|---|
| 📱 Bigger, brighter screen | 🐢 Slower charging (20W) |
| 🔋 Longer battery life | 🛠️ Apple Intelligence is new |
| 🎛️ Easy Camera Control button | ⏳ Some features delayed |
| 🔍 Better zoom and wide camera | ⚖️ Heavier than last model |
| 🎵 Improved audio | 🔒 Limited camera options |
| 🤖 Smarter Siri | 📦 No extra base storage |
| 🚀 Faster A18 Pro chip | 🎮 Graphics not as strong |
| 🎥 4K video at 120 fps | 🕒 Visual features after launch |
| 🔌 Faster MagSafe charging | 🔴 |
Conclusion
iPhone 16 Pro now has a larger display and 5x zoom from the Max model, all without a price increase. It brings improved Apple Intelligence, a smarter Siri and longer battery life, making it a great flagship choice. Only downsides are unchanged charging speed and a wait for Visual Intelligence and ChatGPT features.
