The iPhone 16 series was unveiled earlier this week after months of rumours, leaks and speculations. Most of the things we heard about the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max leading up to Apple’s Glowtime event actually turned out to be true. Both the phones are now bigger than before, they have a new Camera Control Button and Apple has also introduced a new ‘Desert Titanium’ colour, as predicted in the leaks.
Interestingly, both phones launched in India at a reduced price than last year’s iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. The iPhone 16 Pro will cost Rs 1,19,900 while the iPhone 16 Pro Max will start at Rs 1,44,900. In fact, the last I checked, the iPhone 15 Pro was still selling at Rs 1,24,900 on Amazon India. Fortunately, I was at Apple Park and got an early access to all the new devices announced at the event, including the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. While I will do my thorough testing in the days to come, the initial experience makes me believe that it will be difficult to choose between the two this year.
That’s because the Pro Max models have always been the ultra-luxury, ultra-premium phones from Apple with the best of everything. However, the iPhone 16 Pro can now do everything that a Pro Max does. It has the same A18 Pro Bionic chip, 5x optical zoom on the telephoto sensor and a 6.3-inch display. I actually think it’s more ideal in size than the 16 Pro Max.
Buttons are fun
It’s interesting that Apple has added a Camera Control Button to all the iPhone 16 series models, given that there are leaks suggesting that the iPhone 17 will be a buttonless phone! For now, the Camera Control feels so good. It was difficult to get my hands on the Pro models at the Steve Jobs Theatre but I will manage to spend some time them and experience the new camera controls. It allows users to mimic a traditional point-and-shoot camera experience and has a "taptic" feel, which takes a bit of getting used to.
You can single-tap to activate it, double-tap to click a picture, long-press to record a video and light press to open the controls. It’s very intuitive to use and the transition between different modes is very seamless. I still needed both my hands to properly use it so don’t expect it to improve the single-hand experience. Additionally, the Action Button is back and does everything it used to do on the 15 Pro series.
Bets big on AI
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have been equipped with Apple’s latest and most powerful A18 Pro Bionic chip and big claims were made about its capabilities at the launch. I want to see how much of it translates to real-world performance. We will also have to see the impact on battery life and how Apple’s thermal improvements translate to real-world use.
The other major part of the iPhone experience this year will be Apple Intelligence — which is still — work in progress. There are a bunch of things that were demonstrated at the event, including the ability to create emojis and images on the phone itself, but a lot of these features will not be available immediately after the launch. While I like Apple’s implementation of AI and measures around privacy, the enhancements still don’t feel as advanced as Google’s Gemini. I think the next few months will be interesting to watch in this space.
The usual stuff
The rest of the stuff is business as usual. The colours options for both the Pro models are more subtle than the vibrant colours of the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. The new desert titanium has a bronze-like finish and looks good. The camera now supports 4K 120fps video recording for the first time. Also, both models feature the same 5x optical zoom. I clicked a few pictures using the iPhone 16 Pro and even the shots at 5x were so crisp.
Traditionally, I have always preferred the Pro over Pro Max — because of the size and ease of using it. I have been happy to trade off the extra screen size and battery life of it. With the iPhone 16 series, I am once again more inclined towards the Pro model, especially now that it’s bigger, matches the Pro Max with its camera and offers even a greater value.