In terms of appearance, you can see that this year's iPhone 16 Pro doesn’t have too many significant design differences compared to the iPhone 15 Pro.
A noticeable point is that the edges of the iPhone 16 Pro have been polished more than its predecessor. The iPhone 15 Pro had brushed edges, while the iPhone 16 Pro has a smoother finish, similar to the regular iPhone models, with the key difference being that it's made of titanium.
Looking at the current frame of the iPhone, there are now 5 buttons: the Action Button, the volume up and down buttons, the power button, and the new Camera Control button.
This button is designed to be slightly recessed compared to the edge of the frame, and there's a surrounding cut-out finish. I believe this is intended to help users interact more smoothly with the button, as the raised part of the finger naturally touches the recessed area.
It’s also easy to notice when holding it that the screen size has increased slightly—specifically by 0.2 inches compared to the previous generation. This makes the overall size of the iPhone 16 Pro a bit larger than the iPhone 15 Pro, but not significantly.
And the screen size is one of the things that impressed me the most about the iPhone 16 Pro this year. With a reasonably sized device, the significantly increased screen size enhances the overall user experience on the Pro series iPhones. As the screen size increases, it also results in much thinner bezels on the iPhone 16 Pro compared to the iPhone 15 Pro.
The bottom edge still features a USB-C port and two rows of speakers, unevenly spaced like in previous models. Overall, after using USB-C on the iPhone for a year, I find it quite convenient, and I hope that the iPhone 16 Pro will continue to leverage this strength.
When talking about the appearance, color is something that can't be overlooked. The iPhone 16 Pro has a new color called Desert Titanium, which looks similar to the gold color on the iPhone XS Max but slightly lighter. In my opinion, this color looks better than the previous gold shades that Apple has made.
Why do I always mention new colors on the iPhone? Because in 2024, for many people, color can be the reason they decide to buy a new iPhone, rather than new features or hardware.
Back to the Camera Control button, it allows us to adjust various functions, such as brightness, zoom, quick video recording, etc. There's also a new feature, though currently unavailable, called Visual Intelligence, which helps users quickly find information through images, similar to how Google Lens works.
The screen on the Pro series iPhone has always been exceptional, with high brightness levels. Brightness is something I've always been confident about when using an iPhone, ensuring peace of mind when sitting at a café or using it outdoors. The iPhone 16 Pro maintains the same specs as the iPhone 15 Pro with a peak brightness of 2000 nits, and the pill-shaped cutout remains the same size, not any smaller.
A prime example of these improvements is the ability to record 4K video at 120 frames per second on the iPhone 16 Pro. This feature will give content creators the ability to produce cinematic, professional, and captivating footage. There are moments that can only be fully captured at 120 frames per second, conveying the filmmaker's intent to the audience with complete clarity.
Additionally, Apple has introduced the Audio Mix feature, which allows content creators to isolate voices in videos and adjust them with various options.
Moreover, I noticed that the iPhone 16 Pro has some impressive new color filters or color profiles. As someone who enjoys posting on social media, I'm really excited about these fun additions. I always say Apple tends to make things more complex, but sometimes, that complexity makes it more enjoyable, especially with features geared toward content creators.
Here’s how to operate it:
One new feature I can’t fully share yet is the power of the new chip. Apple claims it's the first chip optimized for Apple Intelligence, so I have high expectations for its performance with these features. With the previous generation, the iPhone 15 Pro, using AI features caused it to heat up quickly and run less smoothly, partly because it was still in beta.
In my opinion, that’s everything you need to know about the iPhone 16 Pro. Personally, I believe it will still be a hit, which has a strong preference for gold-colored phones. While the iPhone 16 Pro doesn't differ much from its predecessor, I think iPhone enthusiasts will still buy it, and that trend won’t change this year.
What stands out to you the most about the iPhone 16 Pro?
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