The iPhone 16 doesn’t have the Pro attached to its name, but it’s easy to forget that, given how many features it shares with its pricier siblings in the lineup this year. Pound for pound, the base iPhone is the biggest upgrade this year and, save for the few who can justify the Pros feature set as a business expense, this is the iPhone to buy for most folks this year.
You’re not going to spot the year-on-year revolution immediately, as the overall design, screen and dimensions remain the same as last year’s model (and just as handy). Peer closely and you’ll likely spot the rear cameras switched to a vertical alignment for spatial video, but you’ll more likely spot the color infused glass back with the gorgeous array of hues first – pink, teal or my favorite, the deep blue shade that Apple calls ultramarine. The iPhone 16 design did see two major upgrades that bring it on par with the Pros – on the left is the customizable Action button previously exclusive to the 15 Pros and on the right is the new Camera Control feature…I mean, it goes way beyond what a button does. This button-touchpad hybrid lets you fire up the camera with a single click, take photos or videos with another, and even double tap to adjust zoom, focus and Photographic Styles, Apple’s new color-grading tools that go way beyond mere filters, all without taking your finger off the button. It’s quick to get a hang of the new feature, although I would have preferred a higher button placement for one-handed portrait use.
Speaking of, shooting photos with the iPhone 16 was a joy, with the 48MP primary camera and the 12MP ultrawide, the latter with autofocus for macro photography and better low-light chops. The 24-megapixel shots are rich with details and especially good at providing a natural bokeh, and the low-light shots are strong on details and colors. Macros on the base iPhone are a big win too, but what I found most interesting is that Apple added the audio mix capabilities across this year’s lineup – you can now shoot a video and then select the amount of voice isolation you want on your videos after the fact.
Rounding out the package is the new A18 Bionic chip that the base iPhone shares in large parts with the Pro variants. In a nutshell, the iPhone 16 flies through everyday tasks and high-end games like Resident Evil, but some may note the screens aren’t as buttery smooth as the Pros – that comes down to the dated 60Hz display on the device, likely the biggest knock against the base iPhone. The display does get adequately bright (2000 nits peak, outdoors), and goes down to 1 nit at night. Battery life sees a big boost too, with the phone drawing less power and lasting a full day with about 15-20% left. MagSafe charging is faster at 25W, but data transfer speeds over the USB 2.0 port feels rather slow. Apple Intelligence cannot come soon enough, to breathe new life into the latest iPhones, but even till then, the iPhone 16 is the best base iPhone in a very long time, and comes highly recommended.
Rating: 9/10
Price: Rs. 79,900 onwards