iPhone 16 Review: New Features and Performance Insights

The iPhone 16 offers improved battery life, camera features, and customization options, making it a worthy upgrade for older models.

### Unveiling the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus: Features and Impressions
* 📱 The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus come with larger batteries compared to their predecessors, promising **longer usage times**, as demonstrated by a drop from **94% to 78%** after over five hours of use.
* 📸 Key features include a **new camera control button**, an **action button for customizable shortcuts**, and the powerful **A18 chip**, enhancing the overall **user experience**.
* 🌈 The new color options—ultramarine, teal, pink, white, and black—feature a **frosted, color-infused glass back** that **resists scratches**, making them **visually appealing without cases**.
* 🔍 The camera improvements include a **2X optical-quality zoom** using the sensor's middle pixels and an enhanced ultrawide camera for **better low-light performance** and **macro photography**.
* 🎤 A new audio mix feature allows users to adjust audio after recording, **improving voice clarity even in noisy environments**, which was particularly effective in a **busy ferry building**.
* 🤖 Apple Intelligence is set to roll out next month, promising **advanced features like summarizing notifications and messages**, although its full capabilities remain **untested** as they are currently in **preview**.
* 👍 Overall, the iPhone 16 offers significant enhancements, particularly in **photography and user interface**, but some features like the **always-on display** and **full Apple Intelligence access** are still missing at launch.
* 💬 As the reviewer concludes, while the iPhone 16 is a **worthy upgrade for those with older models**, the absence of certain features may make it **less compelling for recent iPhone users**.

[Music] This is the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, which I've been testing out all around San Francisco and here in New York. I'm going to show you what's new. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have bigger batteries than last year's iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. So, I'm here taking the phone out around San Francisco during a really busy day. Right now, I'm using the iPhone 16 Plus, and I've been using it all morning since about 7:00 a.m. And so far, it's down to 94% at just after 10:00 a.m. So, we'll see how long this lasts. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are Apple's newest entry-level phones. They come with a new camera control button, bigger batteries, the action button, and Apple's new A18 chip. They're also among the only phones that will be able to run Apple intelligence when it starts rolling out next month for the first time. It's hard to say exactly how big of

a step up. The new iPhone is compared to the previous generation because the full version of Apple intelligence isn't available yet. I've only been testing a preview of it so far, but based on my experience, it does seem like there's plenty that's new about the iPhone 16 in other areas. Once you get the hang of it, the new camera control button does make it easier to swap between shooting modes when you're using the camera. Do you need it? No. But is it fun to use? Absolutely. I was also really taken with the new version of Apple's photographic Styles effects, much more so than I expected. The action button's arrival on the iPhone 16 also means you'll have a faster way to trigger the flashlight, turn on do not disturb, or record a voice memo. Yet Apple didn't give me everything I wanted with the iPhone 16. For example, I'd still really like to see the always-on display make it to Apple's cheaper phones instead of just being for the pro. As always, the iPhone 16 will be worth it.

for those coming from an iPhone that's at least a couple of years old, the days of upgrading your iPhone every year seem to be far behind us. Although maybe I'll feel differently after spending time with Apple intelligence. Let's take a look at these new colors. The iPhone 16 comes in ultramarine, teal, pink, white, and black. I've been testing the pink iPhone 16 Plus and the ultramarine iPhone 16. Like last year's iPhone 15, these phones have a color-infused glass back that gives them a frosted look. These colors really pop, and it makes me not want to cover them with a case. In fact, I carried these phones around San Francisco for days without a case and tossed them in my bag, and they haven't scuffed or scratched like last year's devices. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are available in 6.1 and 6.7-inch sizes. Unlike the Pro model, they can't boost their refresh rates up to 120 Hz for smoother scrolling, and they don't have an always-on display for

seeing the time and notifications at a glance. So, this is the action button. It's new to the iPhone 16, but it was on the iPhone 15 Pro last year. You can program it to do a lot of things, like recognize music, turn on the flashlight, things like that. I'm going to use it to record a voice memo right now. Note to self: the ferry building has a lot of good restaurants, and I should definitely try the burger place because it looked really good. I don't think it's reason enough on its own to buy a new iPhone, but I do think the action button is a little underrated. It brings a level of customization to the iPhone that you just really didn't have before. For example, I've programmed mine to order my morning coffee from Dunkin', and I mean, what can be better than that? Just having a dedicated coffee button on your phone. Now, for that new camera control button, pressing it launches the camera, and from there, you can access certain settings and shooting modes in an overlay that appears on screen. So, I can

swipe between all these different settings, so you have styles, you have the different cameras, you can switch between Zoom, depth, exposure, things like that. So if I want to get out of this, I can just kind of tap to go back to whatever the last setting was that I was using, and then I can press down to zoom in a little bit and take a picture. I do feel like there's a little bit of a learning curve. Sometimes I forget how many taps I need or how many presses I need or how hard I have to press down, but it's really fun, and it makes the iPhone feel a little bit more like a point-and-shoot camera, and it's fun to see Apple kind of playing around with the camera interface in a different way. I'm going to be honest, using the camera control button didn't come naturally to me at first. On my first day with the phone, I kept instinctively reaching for that camera icon on my lock screen, but once I started using it, I really liked that I didn't have to obscure the screen with

my finger to snap a photo. It's also a lot easier to keep the shot consistent since I don't have to move my hands as much to zoom in. The camera control button isn't a reason to go out and buy a new iPhone right now, but it's really nice to see Apple improving the interface for one of the things that we use our phones for the most. Unfortunately, the most interesting thing about the camera control button won't be coming until later this year when visual intelligence launches. That feature will let you launch the camera and point your phone at objects in your surroundings to learn more about them, like the hours for a nearby restaurant. It's also worth noting that Apple isn't the first company to have this kind of idea. Sony's Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 phones also have a dedicated camera button. What really impressed me the most, though, was Apple's new photographic styles, which the company improved to better understand skin tones, colors, highlights, and shadows. There's a lot more range in customization, and it makes the version

on the iPhone 15 and other older iPhones feel basic by comparison. So, as you can see, there's far fewer options here as well. You can still adjust the tone and warmth, but you just don't have quite as many options. I had so much fun adding different effects to my photos. In particular, I tended to gravitate towards the more dramatic looks, like the vibrant option and the stark black-and-white option. These photos taken at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in San Francisco are some of my favorites. For someone like me who doesn't have a background in photography, these effects gave me some creative control over things like color, shadows, and contrast without having to do much more than press a button. You're about to get into a driverless car to go to the ferry building. How do they [Music] know? So, I'm here in AO. Let's do another battery check. It's 12:22 p.m. This is down to 78%. I've been using this for a little bit over 5 hours, and I've had the

screen brightness up pretty high, and I've been taking a lot of photos, so not too bad all things considered. Apple made some other updates to the iPhone 16's camera too. It improved the 2x Zoom by using the sensor's middle 12 megapixels to create what it claims is a 2X Optical quality Zoom. It's important to remember the iPhone 16 does not have a dedicated telephoto lens; that's only on the pro. But Apple has done some work with the sensor to improve the quality of the 2x Zoom. Then there's the ultrawide camera, which now has larger pixels for gathering more light and should be able to produce better images in dark scenarios. It can take photos in macro mode now too. Can you see the difference between these photos taken with the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15? Let me know in the comments, and I'll have a lot more to say about the iPhone 16's camera in my written review on CET. There's another new feature for

those who record a lot of audio on their phones. It's called audio mix, and it lets you adjust audio after shooting to enhance the voice of the person on camera. Based on my experience so far, it makes a huge difference, as I found out when testing it inside the Ferry Building in San Francisco. We're going to see how well audio mix really works, so I'm here in the ferry building where it's really loud. There's lots of people walking by, there's restaurants all around me, there's a lot of echo, not really a great place to be recording audio. There's one big thing we haven't really talked about much yet: Apple Intelligence. The iPhone 16 lineup and last year's iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are the only phones capable of running it, but it won't be available for the iPhone 16 at launch. The first batch of features is rolling out next month, with more to follow. Since it's not out yet, I've only been able to try Apple Intelligence in preview as part of Apple's iOS 18.1 developer beta, and

because it's a preview, and because a lot of Apple intelligence features aren't even available yet as part of the preview, it's really hard to tell whether these features will be worth getting a new iPhone for. So far, I've been playing around with writing tools, which can summarize and rewrite text, and the new version of Siri, which is better at understanding you even when you stutter. What's the name of the lead actor from the chef? Oh, I mean the bear. But I think what stands out to me the most so far is the way Apple intelligence can summarize notifications and text messages. As someone who gets caught up in a lot of lengthy group messaging threads, this feels like something that's actually practical and can be helpful in everyday life. Sometimes the summaries can feel a little silly, like they're missing some context, but other times I've been able to know exactly what I need to know without even unlocking my phone. I'll have more thoughts on the Apple intelligence app after I've had more time with it and after I've tried the full version.

Right B. I'm not trying to hurt you, so this is my final battery check with the iPhone 16 Plus for today. It's about 3:11 p.m., and it's down to 55%. I've had the brightness up for most of the day. I've been walking around, taking lots of photos, so that's after about 7 hours of heavy usage. So, what are my thoughts on the iPhone 16? Here's what I liked and didn't like. I really like the new photographic style effects, and the camera control button does make it easier to adjust your shot without having to cover the screen. Some Apple intelligence features, like the new notification and message summaries, show promise even though it's only available in preview right now. I'm also really glad that the action button made its way down to Apple's regular iPhones this year. As for what I didn't like, it's a shame that Apple intelligence isn't available out of the gate, and I was really hoping to see the always-on display on the regular iPhones.

especially at this price. So, what do you think of the iPhone 16? Let me know in the comments, and don't forget to subscribe to CET for more iPhone coverage. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you next time.

iPhone 16 Review: A More Fun Camera, But Not Perfect

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New Features of the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus

The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have bigger batteries and a new camera control button, along with the action button and A18 chip.

They are among the first phones to run Apple intelligence, although the full version is not yet available.

The new colors and frosted glass back design make them visually appealing, and they are available in 6.

The iPhone 16 introduces a programmable action button, allowing for customized tasks like ordering coffee and recording voice memos.

The new camera control button launches the camera and offers an overlay for quick access to settings and shooting modes.

Apple's improved photographic styles provide better understanding of skin tones and colors, offering more range in customization for photos.

The iPhone 16 offers fewer photo editing options compared to the iPhone 15, but still provides creative control with effects like vibrant and black-and-white looks.

The camera's 2x Zoom is improved by using the middle 12 megapixels, while the ultrawide camera now has larger pixels for better low-light performance and macro mode.

The iPhone 16's camera upgrades aim to enhance photo quality and offer more versatility in different lighting conditions.

Apple's Audio Mix and Intelligence Features

Apple's audio mix feature allows users to adjust audio after recording, making a significant difference in noisy environments.

The iPhone 16 lineup and last year's models are the only ones capable of running Apple Intelligence, with features rolling out next month.

The preview of Apple Intelligence offers writing tools and a new version of Siri, with a focus on summarizing notifications and text messages for practical everyday use.

The iPhone 16 Plus is at 55% battery after 7 hours of heavy usage, with a bright screen and lots of photo-taking.

The new photographic style effects and camera control button are highlights, along with the introduction of the action button to regular iPhones.

However, the lack of immediate availability for Apple intelligence features and the absence of an always-on display at this price point are disappointing.