The iPhone 16 is already with us. And once again, it stole hearts and disappointed in equal measure. Opinion is more divided than ever on this occasion due to the clumsy launch of Apple Intelligence (it will arrive in the United States next month, that is, while on the old continent due to our law) and due to the design. A continuation of what Apple has been doing with its flagship mobile for generations.
At ABC we’ve been using the new iPhone 16 Pro as our main terminal for a week and it’s easy to think it’s just a minor update to the iPhone 15 Pro, although we find little surprises that tell us a mobile with great changes that are not only visible on the outside, such as the new camera control button, but the device’s ‘ Found under the hood’.
More battery, more power, more everything
Underneath, the iPhone 16 Pro features a new processor that has more graphical power and some improvements to support video and photo processing in higher quality formats. Compared to the rest of the chips on the market, Apple has been able to blow away the competition with an incredibly powerful processor that can handle just about anything you can think of.
Ultimately, all that power is needed because it’s needed by Apple Intelligence, the artificial intelligence tools that Apple is preparing. As we mentioned earlier, this service is not currently available, but some beta versions in English already have it. But besides the brute force, the iPhone 16 Pro has small changes that are appreciated on a daily basis.
For example, the new iPhone now has a much faster charge, more autonomy and better brightness calibration, which allows you to look at social networks at night or while waiting for the bus in the afternoon, without raising the ‘nit’ too much. It is more convenient. In the end, it is a hypervitaminized version of what Apple already offered with the previous version of the Pro, and in our case, coming from the iPhone 12, which we received with great pleasure. We assure you that you will end the day with more than enough battery, and if necessary, the terminal will now charge at record speed. Cooling has also been improved, meaning the terminal heats up much less than before, and the difference here is noticeable.
The design of the iPhone 16 Pro is once again similar to its predecessor
The screen also has improvements. Along with the 120 Hz speed, it has also increased. It did this almost without changing the dimensions of the phones. They are a bit big, but you won’t notice it. The screen has smaller bezels and this helps the base model jump from 6.1 to 6.3 inches and the maximum from 6.7 to 6.9 inches. When it comes down to it, it seems that consuming audiovisual content is more enjoyable if there are no restrictions.
Camera control, a new button that simulates professional equipment
As for the new camera control button, it works like the shutter release on a standard professional camera with a comfortable press, although it differs from the rest of the buttons. We encounter the tactile and pressure-sensitive element that makes everything else. Allows you to control shooting, zoom level, exposure or shutter opening.
However, due to its location (just below the terminal’s unlock button), we felt it wasn’t as convenient as we expected. It is designed for users who can shoot very calmly and not for those who want to capture a quick snapshot. In our case, despite all the new features it has, we only used it to quickly access the camera and shoot a couple of photos. A little more.
A new camera control button lets you control shooting, zoom level, exposure or shutter opening
We found it more convenient and easier to tinker with the settings via the screen rather than the new button. And if it doesn’t die by the wayside (yes Touch Bar, us) as it has already done with other news that passed without pain or glory, we’re sure Apple will add new functions to this addition to make it even more useful. looking at you).
Camera improvements
Since we’re talking about photography, it’s important to point out that the cameras on these new iPhones, like the rest of the phones, have more quirks and surprises than meets the eye. The iPhone 16 has minor improvements in sensors. Ultra wide angle, for example, now has greater sensitivity and shoots with less noise in low light. The main sensor processes images differently and with sensor cropping the sharpness benefits especially when zooming in at 2x. The sensors are repositioned to record video and take three-dimensional photographs for viewing on Apple Vision Pro.
Now the Pro model gets x5 zoom, which was previously only available to the Pro Max, but the main sensor is faster even when shooting using very large formats. It can, for the first time, record in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second. The ultra-wide angle camera has increased in resolution to 48 megapixels, which is a. Macro photos are also of good quality and sharpness.
What really changes the photographic capability of the new iPhone (both basic and Pro models) is the new Photographic Styles function, which allows you to change the tone, color and contrast both during taking and after capturing the moment. They are not traditional filters, but an additional level of exposure control that allows you to restore the look of photographs from generations ago.
Is it worth it?
The iPhone 16 Pro is now on sale at a price of 1,219 euros. There are many colors to choose from, made of titanium, more boring options than regular terminals or more elegant and sophisticated depending on taste. We at ABC found this to be an exceptional device, however, we don’t believe it’s a good idea to update if the user has any models from the last two or three years. If you’re not too keen on Apple’s intelligence, starting with the iPhone 13 might be a good choice (and you have high hopes that its arrival in Europe won’t take more than a year).
