Which mannequin must you purchase?

Unique launch date: September 20, 2024 | Storage capability: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Display screen measurement: 6.3 inches | Options: A18 Professional chip, At all times-on 120Hz ProMotion show, USB-C port (USB 3), Titanium body, Digicam Management button, Motion button, 25W MagSafe charging, Apple Intelligence | Cameras: 48MP broad, 48MP ultrawide, 12MP 5x telephoto, 12MP entrance | Coloration choices: Pure Titanium, Desert, White, Black | Dimensions: 5.89 x 2.81 x 0.32 inches | Weight: 7.03 ounces

Learn our full iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max review

The iPhone 16 Pro is the iPhone we’d suggest to most individuals. Sure, its beginning worth of $999 could be steep, however a smartphone is a long-term funding. If the query is “which iPhone is almost certainly to maintain you cheerful for the subsequent three to 5 years,” we predict the iPhone 16 Professional’s benefits over the usual iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are nonetheless significant sufficient to be price the additional $100-200 — even when the hole isn’t as broad because it’s been in years previous.

For one, the iPhone 16 Professional’s blasted titanium body feels higher-quality than the aluminum one on the bottom iPhone 16. It’s a bit heavier than the usual 16 and the older iPhone 15 Professional, nevertheless it’s removed from an anchor, and its barely curved edges are pleasing to carry. It runs on the marginally sooner A18 Professional chip, which doesn’t make an enormous distinction with on a regular basis duties however is extra future-proof all the identical, notably you probably have any curiosity in gaming or content material creation. And whereas each iPhone 16 has a USB-C charging port, the Professional fashions assist sooner information switch speeds (supplied you have got the appropriate cable).

Essentially the most distinguished improve is the show. Whereas the OLED screens on the iPhone 16 Professional and normal iPhone 16 are equally sharp and brilliant, the previous’s is extra spacious at 6.3 inches (as an alternative of 6.1 inches), regardless of the telephone itself solely being 0.08 inches taller and 0.02 inches thicker. That is primarily because of the Professional’s thinner bezels, which grant you extra room for streaming movies and studying internet pages in a tool that isn’t considerably extra cumbersome to carry.  

On high of that, the Professional’s display has an adaptive refresh price as much as 120Hz, which may make scrolling internet pages, gaming and streaming video noticeably smoother. Some will inform you that the common particular person doesn’t want this, and it’s true that not all the things performs at 120Hz. However utilizing a smartphone is nothing if not interacting with a small display, and when you’ve seen a sooner refresh price in motion, it’s troublesome to surrender.

It’s a irritating state of affairs: You will get a budget Android phone with a 120Hz show for round $300, but Apple continues to make use of “ProMotion” as a method to upsell individuals from gadgets that already price a whole lot extra. However, our job is to inform you what’s greatest — and the Professional’s display is solely extra trendy. It’s additionally an always-on show, not like the panels on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, so you’ll be able to view your notifications at a look with out having to bodily contact the gadget.

One other step up is the digital camera system. The iPhone 16 Professional has a trio of rear cameras: a 48-megapixel foremost digital camera, a 48MP ultrawide shooter and a 12MP telephoto digital camera. That final one is the biggie, because the common iPhone 16 lacks a devoted telephoto lens totally. Past that, the Professional’s foremost digital camera has a bigger sensor, so it’s a bit higher in low-light environments, plus it helps portrait mode at evening. You’ll be able to take sharper macro shots for close-ups, and there are different fanatic options like the power to shoot ProRAW or file 4K Dolby Imaginative and prescient and ProRes video as much as 120 frames per second. 

If none of this jargon means something to you, know the common iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are nonetheless nice point-and-shoot cameras. These gadgets can now take macro photographs as effectively, plus they’ve the identical upgraded Photographic Styles function that may assist contact up pictures you might discover overprocessed. Additionally they share the Camera Control button for rapidly (if typically awkwardly) accessing the digital camera app, adjusting settings and snapping pics. All that mentioned, the 16 Professional is best, particularly if you happen to take your photographs with a little bit extra intent.

The Professional will get barely higher battery life as effectively, although it’s not the longest-lasting smartphone we’ve examined. Apple charges it at as much as 27 hours of video playback, up from 22 hours with the usual iPhone 16, however each gadgets will possible want a top-up earlier than you go to mattress. The bottom mannequin’s battery is easier to replace, too, which is aggravating for Professional homeowners given the upper worth. 

Apple may be very bluntly promoting every iPhone 16 on how effectively they’ll work with its new “Apple Intelligence” AI features, however you shouldn’t base any buying choices on that performance proper now. As of this writing, the tips embody a slightly extra sturdy Siri, ChatGPT integration, electronic mail and notification summaries, writing assistance and image generation instruments, a Clean Up function that may take away undesirable objects from photographs (very similar to Google’s Magic Eraser) and a “Genmoji” customized emoji maker, amongst others. Extra updates will arrive over time. 

A few of these AI options may be helpful at factors; different instances… not so much. Little about them will actually change the way in which you employ a smartphone at present, and whether or not anybody actually wants them to put in writing a paragraph-long electronic mail or learn a short article is up for debate (to place it charitably). For now, it could be greatest to view Apple Intelligence as an intriguing first step towards a future that will or will not be realized down the highway.

Unique launch date: September 20, 2024 | Storage capability: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Display screen measurement: 6.9 inches | Options: A18 Professional chip, At all times-on 120Hz ProMotion show, USB-C port (USB 3), Titanium body, Digicam Management, Motion button, 25W MagSafe charging, Apple Intelligence | Cameras: 48MP broad, 48MP ultrawide, 12MP 5x telephoto, 12MP entrance | Coloration choices: Pure Titanium, Desert, White, Black | Dimensions: 6.42 x 3.06 x 0.32 inches | Weight: 7.99 ounces

Would you like a bigger gadget than the iPhone 16 Professional? Are you keen to commerce pocketability for longer battery life? Are you cool with spending at the very least $1,199 on a smartphone? In case your reply to these questions is “sure,” skip the 16 Professional and get the iPhone 16 Pro Max as an alternative.

It has all the identical advantages of our high choose, however with a roomier 6.9-inch show and the longest-lasting battery of any iPhone. It may final nearer to 2 days per cost, whereas the smaller Professional is extra prone to faucet out round sooner or later. It additionally begins with 256GB of storage, which doubles that of the Professional and helps justify the elevated price at the very least considerably.

The draw back is that it’s a tank. The iPhone 15 Professional Max wasn’t precisely tiny, and this newest mannequin is barely taller and wider, so that you’ll in all probability want two arms to function it comfortably in case your mitts aren’t on the bigger facet. In the end, we’re assuming that most individuals would favor the extra hand- and pocket-friendly measurement of the common 6.3-inch Professional, even when it means sacrificing a half-day or extra of battery life. That’s a neater name to make now that there’s no distinction between the 2 telephones’ digital camera setups. However if you happen to simply need the largest beast of an iPhone, the 16 Professional Max is it.

Unique launch date: February 28, 2025 | Storage capability: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | Display screen measurement: 6.1 inches | Options: A18 chip (4-core GPU), 60Hz show, USB-C port (USB 2), Aluminum body, Motion button, 7.5W Qi wi-fi charging, Apple Intelligence | Cameras: 48MP rear, 12MP entrance | Coloration choices: White, Black | Dimensions: 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches | Weight: 5.88 ounces

Learn our full iPhone 16e review

Right here’s the fact: There’s no such factor as a real finances iPhone in 2025. The $429 iPhone SE was the closest factor Apple needed to a value-oriented mannequin coming into the 12 months, nevertheless it was formally discontinued in February, and its severely outdated design made it troublesome to suggest lengthy earlier than that. The new iPhone 16e is the SE’s ostensible substitute, nevertheless it prices $599, effectively above what anybody may name “inexpensive” when there are such a lot of genuinely first rate Android telephones that promote for a whole lot of {dollars} much less.

So after we suggest the iPhone 16e on this spot, consider it much less like a finances choose and extra like “the most cost effective competent iPhone you’ll be able to reliably purchase.” It’s simple to see the way it could possibly be higher, nevertheless it nonetheless will get you most of what makes the iPhone expertise worthwhile. It seems to be and feels far more substantial than the outdated iPhone SE, with a bigger and extra vivid 6.1-inch OLED show, cleaner traces and flat aluminum edges. Its A18 chip is sort of the identical because the one in the usual iPhone 16, simply with one fewer GPU core; both manner, it’s highly effective sufficient to run Apple Intelligence and most video games effective. Its battery life is implausible, with a fair increased video playback score (26 hours) than the bottom iPhone 16. It has a USB-C port, Face ID and the programmable Action button. Most significantly, it’s the least costly route into iMessage, Apple Pay, FaceTime, AirPlay and all the opposite iOS perks locked in Apple’s walled backyard, for higher or worse.

Nonetheless, the usual iPhone 16 does convey significant upgrades for $200 extra. The principle one is a greater digital camera setup, because it has a second, 12MP ultrawide lens and a bigger foremost sensor with higher picture stabilization. The 16e’s single-camera system remains to be completely effective for many conditions, however evening pictures look softer, portraits are a bit blurrier and there’s no macro mode. Annoyingly, the iPhone 16e additionally lacks MagSafe, locking it out of a number of useful accessories, and it’s restricted to gradual 7.5W wi-fi charging. There’s no ultra-wideband chip to extra precisely locate AirTags, and the usual iPhone 16’s show can get brighter. (Each are caught at 60Hz, although.) That display additionally has the Dynamic Island, which makes it simpler to verify timers, Uber ETAs, sports activities scores and the like at a look. The 16e, by comparability, has the static “notch” from older iPhones. The usual 16 can be obtainable in additional colours, whereas the 16e solely is available in a extra fundamental black or white.

In some ways, the iPhone 16e feels prefer it was designed backwards to make the common iPhone 16 appear to be a greater worth. However, if you happen to can afford an iPhone 16 or 16 Plus however can’t spend one other $200 or $300 for a 16 Professional or 16 Professional Max, you need to nonetheless get one of many base fashions over the 16e.

Actually, cut price hunters ought to look to the refurbished market for reductions on older iPhones first. If you will discover an iPhone 15 from a good vendor for $100+ lower than the 16e, that’d be ultimate, because it provides most of the 16’s core upgrades and something older received’t have a USB-C port. Should you see an iPhone 15 Pro across the identical worth, it’s no contest — that one is best than the 16e just about throughout the board. However even a refurbished 15 is unlikely to be all that low-cost, and each older iPhone will inevitably lose replace assist sooner. Nonetheless, which may not matter a lot if you happen to simply need an Apple telephone for fundamental iOS issues and might discover an appropriate price-to-storage ratio. Profiting from trade-in offers or, to a lesser extent, month-to-month installment plans that decrease upfront prices appears particularly prudent as of late as effectively. 

Because it stands now, the shortage of a aggressive finances mannequin within the iPhone lineup is disappointing, and it seems that won’t change anytime quickly. Apple will probably be Apple. However if you happen to simply need to stroll into an Apple retailer and purchase an iPhone that works, the 16e is okay sufficient, even when it is not a slam-dunk worth.