iPhone 16 Pro Long-Term: One Feature Stands Above All Others

2 months ago 25

It's funny how time sorts everything out. When the iPhone 16 Pro launched in September, commercials with Snoop Dogg touted it as the first iPhone built for Apple Intelligence. But unknown to Snoop, the phone arrived with zero Apple Intelligence. The first Apple Intelligence features started to roll out over the course of a few months. Fast forward six months, and you can now remove a person from the background of a photo, get summaries of messages and edit text you've written to sound more professional -- or in the words of the Apple Intelligence rewrite I just requested: "Enhance the professional tone of your written text by employing appropriate language and editing techniques."

While not every feature that Apple previewed at the Worldwide Developers Conference 2024 is here, the Apple Intelligence features out now are clever at best. But even without factoring Apple Intelligence into the equation, the iPhone 16 Pro is excellent. For months, I've traveled with it, taken photos and videos with it, had video meetings on it, tapped back like no one's watching, and played lots of Mario Kart. And while many of the phone's features caught my attention, there's one in particular that stood out among the rest: battery life.

Watch this: All Things Mobile: Our iPhone 16 Pro 7-Month Check-In

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iPhone 16 Pro battery life

The iPhone 16 series generally has excellent battery life, especially the iPhone 16 Plus. While the model I'm using, the iPhone 16 Pro, has a smaller battery than the 16 Plus, it still gets through a full day on a single charge. Sometimes I'm even able to make it through half of a second day.

When traveling for tech events where I'm filming videos with the 16 Pro and uploading them to a shared drive over 5G, it lasts about three-quarters of a day after a full recharge. Overall, I'm impressed with the battery life on the iPhone 16 Pro. I'm averaging 5 hours and 54 minutes of screen-on time. And my iPhone 16 Pro's battery health is "normal," with my max capacity at 100% and only 179 cycle counts after seven months, which is still pretty low.

In CNET's 45-minute endurance test, the 16 Pro outperformed the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus, the OnePlus 13 and the Pixel 9 Pro. It was bested by its iPhone 16 siblings, most of which had less battery loss (including the iPhone 16E).

In our 3-hour video streaming battery test, the 16 Pro beat the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus and the OnePlus 13. The only phones to beat the 16 Pro were the Oppo Find N5 foldable phone and the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

In terms of charging, I use a MagSafe fast charger 90% of the time and hardly ever use a wired charger. That might also be why I still have pretty good battery health since charging at higher speeds with a cable can deteriorate the battery's lifespan over time.

iPhone 16 Pro durability

Something that didn't get a lot of news when the iPhone 16 Pro came out is that the Ceramic Shield that makes up the screen got updated. Ceramic Shield, which debuted on the iPhone 12 series, isn't pure glass in that its composed of nano ceramic crystals embedded in a glass matrix.

When I tested the iPhone 15 Pro Max with the previous version of Ceramic Shield, I was shocked by how many small scratches and nicks had accumulated over seven months. Now, granted, I didn't have a case or screen protector on it, but I don't for the 16 Pro either. Over the same amount of time, the iPhone 16 Pro and its newer Ceramic Shield came out nearly unscathed with just four minor scratches on it -- two of which are hard to see. This is such a major improvement.

iPhone 16 Pro Camera Control

Using the iPhone 16 Pro's Camera Control button

Camera Control, a new button on the right side of iPhone 16 series phones (minus the iPhone 16E), received a lot of hoopla from Apple when it first launched. But I've found it weird to get used to -- sometimes I trigger it accidentally, and for a stretch of time, I ended up turning it off. But after seven months of experimenting, I've ended up at a nice place with it.

I now double-click the Camera Control to open the Camera app. I don't even have to think about it. As I'm pulling my phone out of my pocket, I can double-click the Camera Control button so it's open and ready for me to take a photo by the time I have my phone at eye level. It reminds me of using the double-twist Moto Action to do the same thing on Motorola phones. And by setting the Camera Control to activate with a double-click, I've done away with the accidental presses I experienced early on.

I also use the Camera Control's half-press setting to lock autofocus and auto exposure, especially if I'm taking a photo of a person or pet under tricky lighting. I like being able to lock my exposure, making sure people's skin tones are protected and knowing that my subject will be in focus.

As for the other ways of controlling the camera -- zooming, changing exposure compensation, choosing photographic styles and the rest -- I find that I'm happy sticking with just the focus and exposure lock.

I did try using the Camera Control button for Visual Intelligence. While it can be fun to point my camera at something and search for it on Google or prompt ChatGPT, it feels more like a novelty than something I need at the ready at any moment. (Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, which owns ChatGPT, in April, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

iPhone 16 Pro and Apple Intelligence

These are the early days of generative AI and LLMs on our phones. While Apple isn't off to an early lead, as many stockholders would like, remember that this is a marathon. While parts of Siri aren't quite fully "Apple Intelligent" yet, a handful of other tools and features are and Apple Intelligence has arrived.

The Cleanup tool in the Photos app is one of Apple's Intelligence features that I use regularly. I can remove an object or person from a photo, and it works pretty well. I also absolutely enjoy generating emoji from prompts for message replies and Tapbacks. I made a really cool Día de Muertos emoji that I can now pull up any time.

Even after seven months, I don't think that you should buy this iPhone specifically for Apple Intelligence. But I look forward to Apple adding some more advanced features that truly help improve my life daily.

iPhone 16 Pro and iOS 18

A hand holds an iPhone in front of a warm fireplace.

The iPhone 16 Pro and iOS 18 are like peanut butter and jelly. I haven't encountered any major bugs. What stands out to me are all the ways I can customize my iPhone. Whether it's changing up the way my home screen looks to work better with a wallpaper or rearranging the layout for the Control Panel, I am blown away by how much curation control Apple has given its customers after nearly two decades of not allowing us to change such things.

I have to give my CNET colleague Zach McAuliffe a shout-out for acknowledging in his iOS 18 seven-month review how annoyingly easy it is to end up on the second page of Control Center instead of the first. Hopefully, Apple can fine tune the pull-down from the top right corner gesture that brings up the Control Center in a future update.

iPhone 16 Pro cameras

An iPhone 16 Pro taking a photo of a spider

From day one, the cameras have been outstanding. I like recording 4K 120 frames per second slow-mo videos. It's actually really great for filming product footage for CNET reviews and videos. Usually, we use a dedicated camera, but sometimes, I have to record a quick pick-up shot with my iPhone. I record them at 4K 120fps to help minimize any shakes and smooth out any camera movements. They can also be sped up or slowed down by the editor.

In general, photos look fantastic. Take a look at some of my faves below.

Another feature I use occasionally is Audio Mix, which comes in handy when I record videos for CNET's social team. If I'm not miked up, I use Audio Mix to reduce the background noise and make my voice sound more present before I share it with our social producers.

Watch this: iPhone 16 Pro 4K 120fps Slow Motion Video Test

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Buy the iPhone 16 Pro or wait for the iPhone 17 Pro?

iPhone 15 Pro Max with neon number 17 on a gradient background

We are now four months away from the expected launch of the iPhone 17 series, which raises the question: Should you buy the iPhone 16 Pro now or wait for the iPhone 17? And what about tariffs?

If you're ready for an upgrade, the iPhone 16 Pro is best for people coming from an iPhone 13 Pro and older. Even if you have the 13 Pro and the battery is still good, I'd recommend considering holding onto it and waiting until the iPhone 17 is announced.

Apple has not told us what to expect with iPhone pricing in terms of tariffs. On an earnings call last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook said, "Assuming the current global tariff rates, policies and applications do not change for the balance of the quarter, and no new tariffs are added, we estimate the impact to add $900 million to our costs."

There are rumors that Apple is shifting production from China to India for all US iPhone models. It seems as if Apple is doing everything it can to not change the experience of buying an iPhone for its customers.

Four months is a long time to wait for the iPhone 17 Pro. I can't imagine the 17 Pro is going to be radically different enough to warrant waiting almost a third of a year for it. I say if you need a new iPhone now and want a pro model, you won't be disappointed if you buy the iPhone 16 Pro.

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