The iPhone 16 Pro is the biggest Pro upgrade in years. Here’s why I’m so excited

The iPhone 16 Pro It packs a bunch of upgrades that everyday users will appreciate. In addition to the new powerful and efficient A18 Pro processor, Apple has fixed (at least on paper) some of the major issues with the new Pro line, making it one of the biggest iPhone Pro upgrades in years.

Also: Everything Apple announced at the iPhone 16 event: AirPods, Apple Watch Series 10, AI, and more

Apple’s final two standout features on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro are Dynamic Island and Action Button. While Apple has introduced a standout feature every year, it has made the iPhone 14 Pro less convenient with the added weight and flat-edge design.

This issue has been addressed to some extent by using Titanium on the iPhone 15 Pro. However, there are two issues that have been present on the iPhone Pro for years and have finally been addressed on the iPhone 16 Pro.

Better battery life and much needed camera upgrade

The biggest issues with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro were below-average battery life and lens flare, and Apple seems to have addressed those issues with the iPhone 16 Pro. Apple says the iPhone 16 Pro has “the best battery life of any iPhone,” which is an overstatement, especially since my iPhone 15 Pro’s battery life was just average.

I’m a heavy phone user who needs to charge twice a day. The last time an iPhone had all-day battery life (and more) was the iPhone 13 Pro Max. That’s still the benchmark for phone battery life for me. If the iPhone 16 Pro Max can get anywhere close to that, it’ll be great.

Also: iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 14 Pro: Is it worth the upgrade?

The new 3nm A18 Pro processor has the same two performance cores and four efficiency cores architecture. However, Apple claims it offers 15% CPU performance and 20% graphics performance while still being more efficient than the A17 Pro. I’m still skeptical about how it performs in everyday life, but I’m hopeful.

The iPhone 16 And the iPhone 16 Pro line also addresses another iPhone-related issue: lens flare. Apple didn’t talk about it on stage, but the new iPhones come with an anti-reflective lens coating, which is meant to reduce this effect when the camera is pointed at a direct light source. This is a long-standing issue that affected the overall quality of my campfire and Diwali photos, but I’ll be putting the anti-reflective lens coating to the test.

Creator-focused features are a welcome addition

The iPhone 16 Pro series is the closest you can get to a pro camera system on a phone. It has an upgraded camera system with a new 48MP fusion camera, an updated 48MP ultra-wide camera, and a 12MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom, which is the same on both devices. You can also now shoot 48MP macro shots and shoot 4K Dolby Vision video at up to 120fps (including slow-motion).

Apple claims to be offering real-time color grading with the new Photographic Styles feature. I’ve used a variety of different styles on my previous two iPhones, but this is an updated version that lets you adjust colors, highlights, and shadows locally in real time.

Also: I Want to Get Excited About the iPhone 16’s New Camera Button But I Can’t (For Now)

The iPhone 16 Pro also adds an Camera control buttons It’s not just a shutter release button. As a traveler, I’ve come to love this feature. You can launch the camera with a single tap, click photos, record videos, and adjust parameters like zoom, exposure, depth of field in Portrait mode, etc. with a swipe. It clears the viewfinder to give you more space to frame your shot.

The camera control button also includes a “visual intelligence“feature that lets you learn about objects and places you see just by taking a picture of it. It’s like a combination of Google Lens And Circle to searchand will launch a beta version of Apple Intelligence in October in the United States.

Physical improvements on iPhone 16 Pro

I’ve accidentally dropped my iPhone 15 Pro a few times — and it didn’t end well. While the back didn’t scratch during my year-long caseless test, Titanium begins to flake off around the edges. The iPhone 16 Pro features Grade 5 Titanium for better durability. Plus, the Ceramic Shield display is said to be up to 2x stronger than before — making the new iPhone much more durable and resilient.

I also wanted the larger 6.3-inch screen on the iPhone 16 Pro. I like big screens but opted for the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro because Apple’s iPhone Pro Max is wider than the competition, making it bulky. The 6.3-inch screen is the perfect form factor.

Also: Comparing Each iPhone 16 Model: Which New iPhone Should You Buy?

Now, this is more appealing because Apple isn’t limiting its best camera system to the Pro Max model. Unlike last year, both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro have the same camera system. The larger size also allows Apple to pack in more battery capacity.

Apple Intelligence will be at the heart of the iPhone 16 Pro’s feature set at launch, though it will also be available on the iPhone 15 Pro. Still, the hardware on the 16 Pro is a big step forward, making it a solid upgrade this year.