The initial wave of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max reviews is here, and as you would expect, nearly all publications and content creators have flat-out said that the design remains pretty much the same compared to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Thankfully, Apple has banked on making minor improvements to the new flagship models, addressing the numerous grievances that customers had to endure last year. The video reviews are given below if your preference is to skip the text-based ones, but if you do plan on upgrading this year, it is imperative that you listen to various experiences.
Florence Ion from Gizmodo praises multiple aspects of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max but recommends an upgrade only for those customers who have been hanging on to the iPhone model that is several years old. For the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, there is little reason to upgrade, unless you have a desire to pick up Apple’s latest and greatest devices each year.
“If you’re due for an upgrade this year, you’ve been dealing with a crusty old iPhone on its last legs, and were thinking of going Pro, then yes, you should consider the iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max. As Apple said, it built this phone for Apple Intelligence, which should tell you about what’s on the horizon for the well-curated walled garden over the next year. It’s also nice that you can pick a smaller phone with all the camera glass of the larger device but not the bulk.”
Wired’s Julian Chokkattu says that he enjoyed testing out the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max but says that there are few differences separating the ‘Pro’ models from the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, likely hinting that customers should save their money and gravitate to the less expensive models.
“Overall, I had a fairly enjoyable time with the Pro iPhones this year. I've switched over to the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus next for testing, but one thing I want to note so far is that the differences aren't that great between the Pro iPhones and the non-Pro models this time around. The biggest one to me is the lack of a 120-Hz screen refresh rate on the iPhone 16, but outside of this, it's a very similar experience, especially since most people aren't utilizing the “Pro” features like recording video in ProRes codec. Dare I say the iPhone 16 also just looks better?”
Nilay Patel from The Verge says he is not convinced that the new device is worth upgrading from last year’s ‘Pro’ models to this year’s. Additionally, he mentions that while the Camera Control and Action button are nice to have, they are not game-changing. He also states that even without Apple Intelligence not being available for the latest lineup at this time, the company’s latest devices are not ‘bad’ at all.
“So that is the iPhone 16 Pro… so far. As it exists today, it’s a remarkably iterative update to the iPhone 15 Pro — it’s hard to find reasons to upgrade from last year’s model. And I’m not at all convinced that it’s worth upgrading to the 16 Pro from older Pro models just yet, either — the Camera Control and Action Button are nice, but not game changing, and unless you’re excited about dialing in the new Photographic Styles and the new tone control, you might find the even-brighter-and-flatter photos to actually be a step backward in photo processing. If you can’t tell, I am personally thrilled by the tone control, so this is an easy choice for me, but it feels like it’s worth waiting a tick for everyone else.”
CNET’s Patrick Holland speaks highly of the several upgrades present in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, such as improved battery life and a new camera. However, he says that getting 128GB of internal storage for $999 is a bit of a stretch, and the color options are not really extraordinary.
“The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max have everything we've come to expect in a year-over-year upgrade. Even without Apple Intelligence, the 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max have a slew of upgrades including a good battery life, outstanding photo and video chops and iOS 18. And the negatives are as thin as the borders around the larger screens: You only get 128GB of storage for a grand, plus drab color options and a new camera button that might get accidentally tapped.”
CNET
The Verge
Dave2D
Brian Tong
PetaPixel
It is worth noting that despite the notable upgrades, Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max pre-orders are 12.7 percent less compared to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max from last year. However, customer sentiment can change drastically in the coming weeks, so let us keep our fingers crossed for more updates.
