In recent years, Apple has provided the iPhone Pro models with significant chip upgrades to differentiate their performance from other models. This year, however, all models share the same starting point with the A18 chipset. The iPhone 16 Pro devices feature the A18 Pro, which includes larger CPU cache sizes and an additional graphics core, offering slightly improved overall performance. Benchmark tests indicate that the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are only marginally behind the Pro models, while remaining more powerful than any other phone on the market.
Testing of AAA games such as “Resident Evil” and “Assassin’s Creed Mirage” revealed a few more stutters compared to the Pro models, and a similar number of crashes, potentially due to the use of a developer beta of iOS 18.1. These games represent the pinnacle of graphical fidelity and were specifically chosen for stress-testing. Most other games are expected to run perfectly. Despite the improved thermal performance in the Pro models, Apple has made tweaks to enhance heat dissipation in the standard iPhones, and they do not appear to overheat significantly.
A notable feature is that every iPhone 16 model will support Apple Intelligence, a suite of artificial intelligence features scheduled for an October update. Details on Apple Intelligence can be found in the iOS 18 guide, and an evaluation of the current experience is available in the iPhone 16 Pro review. Among the features are real-time transcriptions in Voice Notes and call recordings, although the complete suite will be released in the future.
Battery life is a strong point for these models. The iPhone 16 Plus demonstrated over 7 hours of screen-on time with 36 percent battery remaining at 1 am, while the iPhone 16 provided 6 hours of screen-on time with about 20 percent remaining. This was achieved with a combination of activities including social media browsing, picture-taking, navigation, and music streaming, indicating that these devices can last through a full day and more. Additionally, battery replacement is easier on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus compared to the Pro models. iFixit has rated the iPhone 16 a 7/10 in overall repairability, marking a significant improvement over previous years.
However, Apple has not updated the charging port specs. Last year, when Apple switched to USB-C, the iPhone 15 retained the same data transfer speeds of 480 Megabits per second. In contrast, the Pro models offer USB 3 speeds of up to 20 Gigabits per second. While this difference is substantial, it primarily affects users who frequently transfer files between devices using a cable.
Regarding camera capabilities, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus perform well. There are no significant differences in low-light conditions when using the main and ultrawide cameras, though the Pro models have a slight edge. The 12-MP ultrawide camera on the standard models now includes autofocus, enabling users to take macro photos.
[Photograph: Julian Chokkattu]
