Say hello to the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. Apple’s latest high-end models may look familiar, but they have slightly larger displays than the iPhone 15 Pros: the iPhone 16 Pro’s screen is 6.3 inches and the Pro Max’s is 6.9 inches, an increase of 0.2 inches in both cases. That means the 16 Pros’ bezels are extremely thin.
In fact, it’s all about the camera button this time. Both new Pro models have a dedicated button for taking photos and filming videos, professional style.
It’s also touch-sensitive: light pressure opens additional tools that are controlled by swiping along the button, such as setting zoom, exposure, and aperture.
A long press on the camera control button swaps between still photo and video modes. Apple plans to update the button with a two-position focus feature later this year, allowing a half-press to activate focus and a full press to actually take a picture.
The camera control button feels like a natural evolution for Apple, part of the company’s long-term mission to establish the iPhone as an all-inclusive filmmaking machine. The button is built into the non-Pro iPhone 16 models as well.
Internally, the camera is getting a slight boost. The telephoto lens is capable of 5x optical zoom — that’s an increase especially for the smaller Pro, which previously maxed out at 3x zoom. The ultra-wide-angle camera in both Pro models has been upgraded from 12 megapixels to 48 megapixels.
The new phones support customizable photographic styles, and users are able to change their chosen style after taking a photo, which is a useful improvement.
The iPhone 16 Pro can shoot video in 4K at 120 fps, and after shooting, you’re able to select frames to play in slow motion if that’s your favorite.
It also supports spatial audio capture in video. With Audio Mix, you can isolate the voices of people on camera, make the shot look like it was recorded inside a studio, or pull out environmental noises to highlight speaking voices, resulting in a more cinematic experience.
The iPhone 16 Pro has a bigger battery, which gives us another classic line from Apple during its live events: This is the “best iPhone battery life ever,” obviously.
The new phones run on the A18 Pro chip, an upgraded version of the A18 found in the regular iPhone. It has a 16-core Neutral Engine, and Apple says its AI features will run up to 20 percent faster than the iPhone 15 Pro.
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have built-in support for Apple Intelligence, as do the non-Pro models this time around. Apple Intelligence is an AI system that touches every aspect of the new phones, improving Siri, the Writing Tools feature, phone call summaries, and other apps.
This includes a new visual intelligence feature that works just like Google Lens – using the new camera button, users are able to take photos of signs and objects to instantly get information about the places and things they see.
The latest Pro come in gold (Apple calls it “desert”) titanium, or the standard white, black or natural titanium colours we’ve become accustomed to. Gold titanium replaces last year’s blue titanium case for the iPhone 15 Pro.