Search
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Review: Get It for the Camera (And Apple Intelligence Later)
October 23, 2024 Andrew Cheng

While the iPhone 16 lineup’s big feature, Apple Intelligence, is not here yet, I’d argue that the iPhone 16 Pro is already quite an improvement over last year’s iPhone 15 Pro. After all, it finally gets the same camera system as the larger iPhone 16 Pro Max; specifically, the 12MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom.

On top of that, the iPhone 16 Pro also gets a number of other improvements, including a bigger display, faster performance – courtesy of the Apple A18 Pro chip – and of course, the new Camera Control. All of these, combined with the fact that the iPhone is also more affordable in Malaysia now, really makes it a compelling smartphone, in my opinion.

Granted, starting at RM4,999 for the base 128GB model, the iPhone 16 Pro still costs a pretty penny, which is the biggest hurdle the iPhone has to overcome to win over potential users.

What It Is

Display6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED (2622 x 1206), adaptive 120Hz
ChipsetApple A18 Pro (6-core CPU; 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores)
GPUApple A18 Pro 6-core GPU
RAM8GB
Storage128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB, non-expandable
Camera (rear)48MP f/1.78 Fusion, 100% Focus Pixels, second-gen sensor-shift OIS
48MP f/2.2 (ultra-wide), 100% Focus Pixels
12MP f/2.8 (telephoto), 5x optical zoom, 100% Focus Pixels, 3D sensor‑shift OIS
Camera (front)12MP f/1.9, autofocus with Focus Pixels
Battery3,582mAh
Dimensions149.6 x 71.5 x 8.25 mm
Weight199g
OSiOS 18
Connectivity5G
LTE
NFC
Bluetooth 5.3
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7
USB-C
PriceRM4,999 (128GB), RM5,499 (256GB), RM6,499 (512GB), RM7,499 (1TB)

While the iPhone 16 Pro may not look drastically different than its predecessor, it actually got a slew of upgrades. There’s the larger battery – 3,582mAh over the 15 Pro’s 3,274mAh cell, as reported by third-party sources – upsized 6.3-inch display, new 48MP ultra-wide camera, and Camera Control.

It cannot be understated just how much better the camera experience of the iPhone 16 Pro is compared to the 15 Pro. Beyond the superior camera hardware, the new Photographic Styles add even more control to the overall look of pictures taken with the phone. I’ll elaborate more in the next section.

The Good Stuff

Photographic Styles on the iPhone 16 series are notably different than the previous version of the feature, which were only offered in four different styles. On the iPhone 16 Pro, I’m not limited to pre-configured styles; rather, I have the freedom to adjust the tone and colour how ever I see fit.

Without a doubt this is a fantastic tool for users who want a particular “aesthetic” for the pictures they take. Users won’t be restricted to Apple’s own colour science anymore, which could prove to be a boon for creative folks. In fact, I imagine this level of customisability alone is enough for some folks to upgrade to the iPhone 16 series.

Camera hardware of the iPhone 16 Pro, as mentioned, has been upgraded quite a bit too; more so than the iPhone 16 Pro Max. That’s because the 12MP 3x telephoto camera of the 15 Pro has been upgraded to a 12MP 5x telephoto lens on the 16 Pro; this level of zoom was first offered on the 15 Pro Max.

Needless to say, I had a lot of fun shooting with the 16 Pro’s new zoom lens, as it allows me to snap subjects that are farther away and frame tighter shots. Naturally, the overall performance of the 48MP primary sensor and new 48MP ultra-wide shooter remain excellent in all kinds of lighting conditions as well. Judge for yourself with these sample shots:

What about Camera Control? Well, as I’ve said in my review of the iPhone 16 Plus – which I still stand by – it is a feature that is not fully realised until Apple Intelligence is ready. I say this because Camera Control will be used for AI-powered features like visual intelligence, which allows users to utilise the camera to quickly look up on a particular subject.

Right now, Camera Control acts as another method for users to…well, control the camera. A click opens the camera app – making it that much easier to quickly access the camera – and a light press with the camera active brings up zoom control. A double light press, on the other hand, allows me to change different camera settings, and if I fully depress the Camera Control, it will snap an image. Sometime later this year, a two-stage shutter will be introduced, allowing users to do a light press to lock focus and exposure.

While I appreciate that there is now a physical shutter on the iPhone 16 Pro, I still find myself defaulting back to the camera’s on-screen controls. While Camera Control does feel intuitive to use – after some adjustment period – I’m just more accustomed to the on-screen controls. But hey, your mileage may vary.

Beyond its camera capabilities, I also enjoy heavy gaming on the iPhone 16 Pro. Whether it’s demanding titles like Zenless Zone Zero or Honkai: Star Rail, the A18 Pro chip can handle these games without issue at maxed out graphics settings. It is also seamless to multitask with many different apps and not have them close on me in the background.

Further enhancing the gaming experience of the iPhone 16 Pro is the larger 6.3-inch 2622 x 1206 Super Retina XDR OLED display. While I’m perfectly comfortable with the 15 Pro’s 6.1-inch panel, the 16 Pro’s bigger display does make for a more immersive experience. I also love the smaller screen bezels, so the overall dimensions of the phone didn’t increase by much despite the upsized panel.

To put things into perspective, the iPhone 16 Pro is only 3mm taller and 0.9mm wider than the iPhone 15 Pro, which was already a reasonably compact smartphone.

Next, we have the battery life of the iPhone 16 Pro, which is noticeably better than the 15 Pro. This makes sense, given that it has a larger battery and a more power-efficient chip. On average, I can get between six to seven hours of screen on time, which is an extra hour compared to its predecessor. That’s really quite impressive with just a slight bump in battery capacity with a larger display.

The Bad Stuff

While I have plenty of good things to say about the iPhone 16 Pro, there are still some aspects of the phone that could be improved upon, such as the storage capacity of the base model. In 2024, offering merely 128GB of storage for a smartphone of this calibre at this price point (RM4,999) doesn’t feel quite right. In reality, I recommend folks to consider the RM5,499 model with 256GB storage as the bare minimum.

With that in mind, what sets the iPhone 16 Pro to the larger iPhone 16 Pro Max apart is just RM500. Plus, unlike the standard 16 Pro, the 16 Pro Max’s RM5,999 base model already features 256GB of storage. This small gap in price difference, in my opinion, isn’t very favourable to the smaller iPhone 16 Pro, though I personally think the 16 Pro Max is a tad too big for my liking despite also having better battery life.

Another point worth mentioning is the absence of Apple Intelligence at launch; the one headline feature of the iPhone 16 series that is touted by Apple at every given opportunity. Yes, the AI-powered suite of features could be coming as early as next week, but it remains to be seen exactly how complete Apple Intelligence will be once it is available to users.

Is It Worth It?

At the end of the day, the iPhone 16 Pro is still a fantastic high-end smartphone that improves upon its predecessor in many ways. From the improved camera performance, bigger display, longer battery life, and of course, faster performance, the Pro iPhone has never been better.

Sure, despite the price cut in Malaysia, the iPhone 16 Pro still costs quite a bit of money with a RM4,999 starting price, not to mention the fact that the base model still comes with only 128GB of storage. But if you are willing to pay the price of entry for the iPhone, I reckon you will be very happy with it, especially once Apple Intelligence is available.

Comments