iPhone 16 Pro Review in a Month: Holding Apple's Newest Smartphone in Your Hands
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iPhone 16 Pro
4.5/5 Buy on Amazon
One Month iPhone 16 Pro usage proves that the company’s early foray into generative AI is still rudimentary but useful — but don’t upgrade just for Apple Intelligence.
In AppleInsider’s original iPhone 16 Pro review, Mike called it the perfect combination of performance, price, and device size. It’s been a month since Apple Intelligence was added, and that’s certainly true.
Apple Intelligence wasn’t officially released until late October, but I’ve been using the beta without any real issues to test the features for this follow-up review. To sum it up, Apple Intelligence is a useful set of features depending on your needs, but it’s not life-changing — not that any so-called “AI” really is.
There’s a lot to talk about between the iOS 18.1 update with Apple Intelligence and actually using the iPhone 16 Pro, so this review will focus on the iPhone aspects and less on the software. I’ll go into more detail in the iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 review, covering the Apple Intelligence features in more detail.
iPhone 16 Pro One-Month Review: Design and Features
Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max may have gotten a little bigger, but after a month of use, I haven’t noticed any negative effects. The display is larger and some apps take advantage of that, and battery life has improved, but the size and weight aren’t an issue.
iPhone 16 Pro review in a month: iPhone 16 (left) has a slightly smaller screen than iPhone 16 Pro (right)
I’m not sure there won’t be issues with the increase in the future. At 6.3 inches, it’s close to the previous Pro Max sizes, and I doubt this size class should be at 6.5 inches.
Some of that size increase has come from smaller bezels, and it’s noticeable. Moving from the iPhone 15 Pro may not show that much of a difference, but when compared to the older bezels, there may not be any.
The 2,000-nit display has a 460 ppi pixel density, 120Hz ProMotion, P3 color support, and HDR. Dynamic Island is still around and is more useful than ever, with new apps like Apple Sports adding features.
iPhone 16 Pro
Buy on AT&T Buy on Verizon Buy on Amazon
It's not often that an iPhone update makes me rethink my entire setup. Every aspect that can be customized has had to be rethought thanks to Camera Control.
iPhone 16 Pro review in a month: The action button is everywhere on the iPhone 16 lineup
I reconfigured the Action Button Shortcuts folder with the Delta launcher and flashlight toggle in place of Camera and Halide. The Camera app button is no longer on any Lock screen in any Focus — instead, it’s replaced with Alarm in Sleep, Delta in Gaming, or Slack in Work.
Even Control Center has seen some changes because I don’t need the Camera button anymore. There are so many ways to view information and launch apps on the iPhone that I’m a little overwhelmed by the options.
iPhone 16 Pro review in a month: Customizing the action button is easy
The iPhone 16 Pro runs iOS and has access to the App Store. The hardware changes are welcome and do change the way I use the device compared to the iPhone 15 generation, but most iPhone 14 or later users will be happy to forgo them.
iPhone 16 Pro One-Month Review: Cameras and Camera Control
The photography pipeline has been updated for the iPhone 16 lineup, and the new Fusion Camera helps take better photos in many situations. But the biggest physical upgrade is the ultra-wide camera, which has gained a 48MP sensor.
Each camera upgrade has had some impact on my photography process. I think about photography styles when shooting or editing, I use macro mode more, and I don’t shy away from the ultra-wide camera.
iPhone 16 Pro Review in a Month:
If you're looking for an in-depth look at the cameras, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max reviews go into detail about those cameras and their upgrades. A month later, I still stand by the fact that the reversible photo styles are the most significant change to the cameras.
The camera controls took some getting used to. Once I figured out where the button actually was, I got into the habit of pressing it whenever I picked up the phone to take a photo.
The only thing I used the camera controls for was the zoom control (yes, pedants, not the actual zoom, but switching cameras and digital cropping). I'm either in the zoom control or the camera controls, since everything else can be adjusted in post.
iPhone 16 Pro review in a month: Using the camera controls to adjust the zoom
The upcoming update that lets you lock focus and exposure with a light press will be interesting. Until then, the camera controls are a great shutter and zoom controller.
Reversible photo styles are a big hit, and I hope Apple opens them up even more by allowing third-party apps to use them or provide new styles. However, the camera controls are a great addition that will get better with updates and practice.
iPhone 16 Pro One-Month Review: Apple Intelligence
I was incredibly skeptical of this so-called “artificial intelligence” technology that uses large language models (LLMs) and generative pre-trained transformers (GPTs) to spit out what is essentially a really good next-word prediction. Apple has taken these technologies and implemented them in iOS, taking advantage of the advanced neural processing on the A18 (Pro).
Many experts seem to think Apple is lagging behind in the AI space, and in some cases it is. Last year, Apple was slow to release half-baked products that multiplied fingers, confidently spewed lies, and outright stole real content.
Instead, Apple waited until it had a product that lived up to its mission statement — secure, private, protected. Apple Intelligence is a tool that’s used on existing content or information, and that’s what sets it apart.
iPhone 16 Pro review this month: Apple Intelligence arrives in iOS 18.1
My position is that there’s nothing particularly revolutionary about AI for consumers. There are some amazing applications in research and industry, but the biggest use I’ve seen of Copilot or ChatGPT seems to be creating text, images, and now video out of thin air.
Apple Intelligence, on the other hand, has slipped into the operating system almost too quietly. For me, it’s been useful in my day-to-day life, saved me money, and made a difference. The same can’t be said for the other AI tools that are supposedly coming.
What's here now with Apple Intelligence
To be more precise, iOS 18.1 only contains a few of the promised initial Apple Intelligence features. Writing tools, system-wide summaries, and a couple of Photos features like Clean Up.
iPhone 16 Pro review: New Siri animations
Sure, there's a new Siri animation, and it's better at parsing your input, even if you make a mistake. But Siri isn't expected to get a full overhaul until iOS 18.4, when it will use developer-provided app intents to understand what's on the screen or what actions are available in apps.
Writing Tools has completely replaced Grammarly Premium for me, an instant savings of $140 a year that I paid about $500 over a lifetime. Grammarly has always been a good tool for finding spelling errors, missing punctuation, or more complex things like syntax errors.
While Grammarly got worse around the “AI in Everything” moment of 2023, they changed something to rely more on the hot new AI, and I’ve been reluctant to use it since.
Enter Apple Intelligence and Proofread. While it wasn’t smooth sailing at first, I now trust it enough to ditch Grammarly and save some money — something no other AI-powered tool has done for me.
iPhone 16 Pro Review: Writing Tools Are Available System-Wide
Writing tools also include rewriting content to make it more professional or friendly, or even helping make something more concise. There are also tools to transform your input into summaries, bullet points, lists, or tables.
I’ve played around with these other features in Writing Tools, but I’m not sure if they’ll ever fit into my workflows. That said, summarization has been very useful elsewhere in the system.
Seeing what an email is about, rather than the first few lines of “hope you’re well, we’ll be in touch,” etc., was helpful for quickly triaging emails. And while notification summaries can be hit or miss depending on context, the ones designed to work on summarizing RSS feeds were helpful.
iPhone 16 Pro review: Clean Up in Photos blurs faces, removes objects
I’ve found that having Clean Up in Photos allows me to rely more on the app. If I need to remove an object or hide a face, Clean Up is an easy option that doesn’t require a second app.
I’ll go into more detail about the individual use cases for Apple Intelligence in my iOS 18.1 feature roundup, but with the iPhone 16 Pro as the focus, it’s not a reason to rush out and buy one. Apple’s initial launch of AI isn’t the most exciting thing in the world, but it’s a useful, privacy-focused approach to the technology we should have expected.
We’ll see how Apple Intelligence evolves over the next few years, but for now, it’s at least making a positive impact on my workflows. There are other tools out there that give users different or even more advanced capabilities, but the difference is the same benefit Apple has always had — it’s on the iPhone, and I can use it today.
One Month With the iPhone 16 Pro
After 17 years of iPhone, it's hard for Apple to offer a life-changing upgrade in a simple, annual iterative package. The world knows what the iPhone is, so going too far off the rails with an outrageous redesign or form factor change can do more harm than good.
I said it in my original review — the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are more than an iteration, and they’re a bigger update than most. Apple never adds new buttons, especially one with as many control options as the camera controls.
iPhone 16 Pro review in a month: The iPhone 16 Pro’s triple-camera setup
The improved battery life is evident every day, especially when I spend it away from the charger. Wi-Fi 7 helps future-proof the device, and 25-watt MagSafe is a welcome addition as we continue to reduce our reliance on a physical port.
Apple Intelligence may be boring, but it’s still important. While you shouldn’t rush to buy an iPhone 16 for its features, it’s nice to see Apple working on its AI vision in the public eye.
The A18 Pro is a powerful chipset, but it's still a shame that the game's story is still frozen in time. Another game, Resident Evil 2, is coming to Capcom's iPhone, but nothing else has been announced yet.
The iPhone 16 Pro is worth the purchase, especially if you're upgrading from an older iPhone. While Photographic Styles and Camera Control are the main features this time around, I think Apple Intelligence will become even more important next year.
iPhone 16 Pro One-Month Review: The Pros
- Bigger, but not too big
- The longer battery life is noticeable
- Camera updates, camera controls, and photography styles matter to all users
- Apple Intelligence matters, but…
iPhone 16 Pro One-Month Review: The Cons
- …Apple Intelligence is disappointing
- Case makers still don't do anything with camera controls other than cutouts
- The action button feels tacked on a year later
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Apple makes a solid smartphone, there's no getting around that. Unless we completely rethink our ratings system or Apple releases an absolute flop, the iPhone Pros will likely continue to receive ratings in the 4-5 range.
To fully understand what I think of the iPhone 16 Pro, look at the content, not the rating.
Where to Buy and Save on Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro
Wireless carriers are offering aggressive incentives with bill credits and trade-ins on the iPhone 16 Pro. At the time of publication, the deals offer up to $1,000 off the phone, which you can check out below. You can also visit our iPhone 16 Pro price guide for an easy comparison of current deals.
- Boost Mobile at Amazon: Save up to $1,000 (no trade-in required)*
- AT&T Wireless: Get iPhone 16 Pro on AT&T with qualifying deal*
- Verizon Wireless: Get iPhone 16 Pro on Verizon for just $5 per month*
*Terms and conditions apply. See site for details.
If you're looking for deals on the iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro Max, today's best iPhone deals can be found across the entire lineup.
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