iPhone 16 Review: Apple’s base model is best

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The iPhone 16 is an excellent device, boasting a typically reliable camera system with a lightning fast chip and premium design. Just don't buy it for Apple Intelligence or the Camera Control button because they are both useless.

The Good

1. Brilliant camera with unbeatable video performance
2. Tip-top performance from the A18 chip
3. Apple's best value offering

The Not So Good

1. Typically underwhelming battery life
2. Apple Intelligence is almost enough to put you off

• User Ratings (323 Votes)
  3.8

Need-to-knows

• The entry-level iPhone 16 offers the best value for money if you want an Apple phone
• Camera quality remains excellent with superb video capabilities
• Lack of 120Hz display remains a disappointing oversight compared to Android phones
• Don’t buy iPhone 16 just for Apple Intelligence because, well, it’s pretty terrible

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This year marks the first time since I became a tech reviewer where I’ve delved into the standard iPhone model – in this case, the iPhone 16.

I now feel like I should have done this much earlier, because Apple’s entry-level phone is the surprising pick of the bunch in 2024. I’ve always gone for the Pro Max version of the iPhone – it has been the default choice for me because it just felt like the right thing to do as a tech guy.

The best camera, the most features, the fastest chip; it’d be rude not to, right?

As it turns out, only one of those elements holds true this time around, which I’ll get to later – but in the meantime, I’ve gathered my thoughts for a full review that picks out some key reasons why the standard iPhone 16 (not the Plus – I think its days are rightly numbered) is the one to go for.

The 60Hz display is good enough

The iPhone 16 still has a 60Hz display. That’s right – Apple won’t be swayed from only placing the variable refresh rate ‘ProMotion’ technology into its Pro devices.

It’s the same story elsewhere. If you want a high refresh rate MacBook, you need to dig deep into that bank account and buy a MacBook Pro. Want an iPad without any form of judder when you swipe between app screens? You’ll need to fork out for an iPad Pro.

Two questions need answering here. Firstly, do the target markets for the non-Pro iPhones care about the absence of ProMotion on their devices? I’d argue that the answer has long been “no”. My girlfriend is the lucky recipient of the iPhone 16 I’ve purchased, and she hasn’t got a clue what ‘refresh rate’ is. Neither do any of my techy mates or family members.

The second question is rather trickier to answer: should Apple add ProMotion to the regular iPhone? Given that practically every budget to mid-range Android phone has at least a 90Hz refresh rate these days, the answer is a resounding “yes”.

But if I put my business hat on and consider that Apple is all about maintaining solid margins, the answer is “no”. If it was my job to maintain those margins and keep shareholders happy, I’d cut corners like this too – if it had zero impact on the end user.

The 256GB iPhone 16 offers the best value for money

iPhones have never been budget smartphones. No one would ever describe an iPhone as ‘cheap’. Like all Apple products, they’re priced on the wrong side of an insta-purchase. Regardless, the £899/$899 price tag of the 256GB iPhone 16 (the sweet spot, in my opinion) offers wonderful value for money.

Just like every iPhone, the iPhone 16 will last for a very long time for anyone who wants to keep it beyond two years. Which is, I think, a lot of people.

You can spend less and buy the iPhone 15, of course, but that will exclude you from Apple Intelligence compatibility, and you’ll have a device which is one step closer to end-of-line support than the iPhone 16. You could also spend less and buy a brilliantly capable – and, in many cases, better – Android phone. But it wouldn’t be an iPhone, and you want an iPhone. 

It’s great value, trust me.

The camera system is GREAT

If there’s one big difference between the 16 Pro series iPhones and the regular version, it’s the camera system.

Despite this, it’s far simpler than you might think to decide which one is for you. If you’re not fussed about how optical your 5x zoom is and you have no interest in dealing with hundreds of gigabytes of ProRes footage, just get the iPhone 16.

Beyond those significant additions on the flagship phones for the camera-conscious, there’s little separating the two devices if you’re just looking for an excellent camera system. The iPhone 16 has a 48MP main camera and an ultrawide which doubles as a macro. It also has the Photographic Styles feature where you can dial in your preference for the look and feel of images.

The video quality is superb, too – among the best you’ll find on the market at that price point. It is, quite simply a great and highly reliable camera system.

You get Camera Control, even if it isn’t very good

The iPhone 16 has the Action Button and the new Camera Control. That means it has the exact same number and configuration of hardware buttons as the Pro and Pro Max devices.

The Action Button is genuinely useful if you decide to configure it for an often-used command. I’ve realised this recently; it’s now my toggle for going in and out of my ‘Filming’ focus mode, which I do on a daily basis. It’s well placed, out of the way if not required, and small enough not to grate, design-wise.

The Camera Control is a miss, in my opinion. It’s badly placed, fiddly, and, worse, attempts to fix a problem none of us had; we’ve been used to pressing that little white shutter button on the display for many, many years.

You might like the Camera Control, though, and, good news – if you go for the iPhone 16, it’s on there.

Audio Mix is an excellent feature

The iPhone 16 may not have the ‘studio quality’ mics that can be found inside the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, but it does have access to Audio Mix, which is an astoundingly useful little feature.

If you undertake any kind of filming of yourself with your iPhone and want it to sound as good as possible, Audio Mix enables you to apply a ‘Studio’ setting in post-production which all but removes echoes, room reflections, and background noise. I’m fairly sure they’ve lifted this out of Final Cut Pro and to have that option on a phone is utterly joyful.

You can go one step further, too, and apply the ‘In-frame’ setting, which retains audio clarity for the people who are speaking on camera, even if people are talking in the background. There’s also ‘cinematic’, which basically lumps all of the voices (both yours and those around you) into the centre channel of the mix – just as they do in the movies.

If you think this sounds like a feature that should be reserved for the Pro and Pro Max devices, I’d be inclined to agree. The fact it’s on the entry-level iPhone and is so stupidly easy to use reveals Apple at its best.

Apple Intelligence

I’m sticking resolutely to my guns on this one – I will not comment on Apple Intelligence until I’ve used it, and I’ve decided to wait like everyone else, rather than install the beta. Although, it’ll still technically be in beta when it’s launched in the UK this December, but let’s not dwell on that.

In fact, I’m not going to moan about the lack of Apple Intelligence at all today. Instead, I’m just going to say that if you buy an iPhone 16 today, it’ll be ready for Apple Intelligence, and if Apple Intelligence is as game-changing as we’re led to believe, that’s a very good thing indeed.

The reason the iPhone 16 can deal with Apple Intelligence is because it has the A18 chip inside, and enough RAM (which is 8GB, if you’re wondering). That chip is also 60% faster than the A14 Bionic in the iPhone 12, which I think a lot of people will be upgrading from.

That’s huge. And it will be noticeable for those upgraders in particular.

iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15

The iPhone 15 is still available from Apple and is £100/$100 cheaper. This begs the question: should you just go for last year’s model?

The storage options are the same (128GB, 256GB, and 512GB), and you get the same display size options. On the subject of the display, it’s identical to last year’s phone, too – the same resolution, the same 2,000 nits of peak brightness, and the aforementioned fixed 60Hz refresh rate.

There are some differences, though. The iPhone 16 has the Action Button and Camera Control, the ability to shoot macro photos with the new ultrawide sensor, and a slightly bigger battery. More importantly, it has the A18 chip, which will enable Apple Intelligence.

That’s the kicker. No matter the grumblings about the unavailability of Apple Intelligence during the launch of the iPhone 16 lineup, it is coming, and if you buy an iPhone 15, you won’t be able to use it.

That, in my mind, makes the iPhone 15 a bad buy.

Conclusion

I want the iPhone 16 more than I want my iPhone 16 Pro Max – that’s how good it is. The only reason I won’t swap is because I do care about the optical-ness of my 5X zoom, and at the moment, we only have that option on the Pro and Pro Max.

For everyone else, there’s the iPhone 16. Despite a rather turbulent release (the aftermath of which has been, arguably, only really obsessed over in this tech space bubble), this is a solid release from Apple. The existence of the Action Button, Audio Mix and all the other goodies Apple has refined over the years, makes the iPhone 16 a brilliant phone that will make lots of people happy.