In my iPhone reviews, I attempt to remember the fact that most iPhone upgraders are coming from a cellphone that is no less than three years previous. With that in thoughts, I’ve put collectively an inventory of a very powerful upgrades you may discover in your new iPhone 16 Pro (or Max) if you happen to’re coming from the 2021 iPhone Professional or earlier.
Spoiler: You are most likely going to be fairly completely satisfied.
Additionally: We’ve used every iPhone 16 model and here’s our best buying advice for 2024
What’s it like upgrading from iPhone 13 Professional?
In case you’re coming from an iPhone 13 Professional or earlier then you’re in for lots of serious new capabilities if you swap to an iPhone 16 Professional or Professional Max. Here’s a checklist of among the greatest options you’ll be able to count on if you happen to improve.
- Longer battery life for 5 hours hours of further utilization time — in comparison with the iPhone 13 Professional fashions
- Apple Intelligence options will run on this cellphone when launched in iOS 18.1 and past
- Digicam Management for fast digital camera entry and rapidly altering settings for images and movies
- 5x tetraprism telephoto to get crisp images and movies of issues farther away
- 48 megapixel images for extra detailed photographs and the flexibility to crop in farther
- 4K120 video permits you to shoot Hollywood-like cinematic sluggish movement video clips
- USB-C charging with a extra common cable that connects to many different varieties of units
- Wi-Fi 7 connectivity offers you a lot sooner add and obtain speeds you probably have a gigabit connection at dwelling and a Wi-Fi 7 router
- All the time-on show for getting the time and primary information if you’re not utilizing the cellphone
- Brighter show for higher use outdoor (2000 nits peak brightness on iPhone 16 Professional versus 1200 nits peak brightness on iPhone 13 Professional)
- Dynamic Island brings a helpful new notification system
- Standby Mode to see helpful widgets when your cellphone is docked
- Motion button to get quick entry to your common favourite apps for options
- Motion mode movies for taking pictures easy movies that appear to be drone photographs
- Emergency SOS by way of satellite tv for pc to contact emergency companies when you do not have a mobile sign
- Crash Detection for alerting emergency companies and your contacts if you happen to’re in an accident
My 3 favourite iPhone 16 Professional options
I spent a number of hours with Apple’s new flagship iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max on September 9 within the Steve Jobs Theater and rapidly fashioned some first impressions. I am additionally now doing extension testing on each the iPhone 16 Professional and iPhone 16 Professional Max for extra in-depth protection on ZDNET.
Additionally: iPhone 16 hands-on: So packed with features, I didn’t envy the Pro models
And whereas the very first thing a number of patrons could discover is the 12 months’s new cellphone coloration — it is Desert Titanium this 12 months, which is definitely only a shade of gold — the factor that almost all of us barely take note of is the newest advances within the mind that powers the iPhone. It is all the time the case that it unlocks new capabilities, however this 12 months, that feels more true than ever with the brand new A18 Pro. Or no less than it powers my favourite new characteristic — and a bunch of others that show how ridiculously highly effective this machine is.
And sure, I am going to give up speaking about chips and get to my three favourite options.
1. Digicam Management
The brand new Digicam Management permits customers to do extra with the iPhone digital camera and do it rapidly. This new key sits on the appropriate aspect of the cellphone beneath the ability button, however it’s made from darker metallic and sits extra flush to the aspect of the cellphone.
It is also touch-sensitive, which is a feat of engineering. One press opens the digital camera app. A second press takes a photograph. Press and maintain and it begins recording video. A light-weight press and a swipe to at least one aspect or the opposite allows you to zoom out and in. A double mild press and a swipe to both aspect lets you choose totally different settings from zoom to depth of subject to the brand new photograph types to a number of different choices.
Additionally: iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro: Should you upgrade?
If it sounds a bit difficult, it’s not. You will rapidly get the grasp of it. I attempted it and it is goes to be tremendous helpful for individuals who take a ton of images with the iPhone — and let’s be sincere, there are numerous us as a result of the iPhone is the most used camera in the world. The Digicam Management button offers the iPhone a characteristic no different cellphone on this planet has proper now. The Sony Xperia 1 V comes the closest with its devoted shutter button, nevertheless it would not do practically as a lot.
Persons are going to like this characteristic.
2. Measurement and end
Each of the professional iPhones received greater screens and thinner bezels this 12 months, which makes them a bit taller than final 12 months’s professional fashions. The Professional expands from 6.1 inches to six.3 and the Max grows from 6.7 inches to six.9. Each ZDNET evaluations editor Kerry Wan and I observed it instantly within the iPhone 16 demo space — and we felt completely satisfied about it as a result of we each are likely to want the marginally taller and thinner kind components of most Android devices because it makes them a bit simpler to function with one hand.
Additionally: Apple just gave me a compelling reason to buy the smaller iPhone 16 Pro over the Max this year
Nonetheless, there was one other new bodily attribute of the iPhone 16 Professional fashions that received me simply as excited. The titanium sides have a brand new end that feels far more grippy. In truth, it is so grippy that I am tempted to do the unthinkable and check out utilizing it with out a case. I am additionally tempted to make the smaller 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Professional, fairly than the Max, my every day driver — particularly because the smaller professional mannequin now has the identical digital camera system because the bigger one.
3. Upgrades to video and audio recording
The opposite space the place the brand new A18 Professional chip actually exhibits its energy is within the new video and audio recording choices obtainable within the iPhone 16 Professional. First, now you can file in 4K at 120 frames per second, which supplies you the ability to do the type of tremendous sluggish movement you solely see in large cinematic movies. Even simply a few years in the past, you’d have wanted an costly pro-level digital camera and a desktop laptop with a robust video card to shoot and edit pro-level 4K120 video. Now you are able to do it on an iPhone — and the footage Apple has proven up to now seems to be nearly indistinguishable from professional gear.
Additionally: Every iPhone model that will be updated to Apple’s iOS 18 (and which ones won’t)
Subsequent, Apple additionally upgraded the audio within the iPhone 16 Professional with what it calls “4 studio-quality mics” which are paired with software program and AI to do some loopy issues I have not seen on a smartphone earlier than. With the brand new Audio Mix software, now you can edit audio immediately on the iPhone 16 Professional, which separates foreground and background sounds and allows you to decide from a number of sound profiles, together with a Studio profile that routinely dampens background sounds and a Cinematic profile that makes it sound like a film edit.
It may additionally now seize Spatial Audio encompass sound throughout video recording (which you can even edit in Audio Combine). And the Voice Memos app goes to make use of these upgrades for an replace later this 12 months that may allow you to layer two totally different tracks. These audio options are a terrific instance of the place Apple is placing AI to make use of in sensible, behind-the-scenes methods which are going to be much more approachable than typing in a chatbot.
Extra to return
Apple referred to as the brand new A18 Professional chip as highly effective as high-end desktop PCs, which feels like hyperbole, however the above options are convincing sufficient to make me suppose it could be no less than as highly effective as high-end desktops from a few years in the past. We’re working the iPhone 16 fashions via benchmarks and placing the telephones via some real-world eventualities to measure and evaluate the efficiency.
Additionally: Every iPhone 16 model compared: Which new iPhone should you buy?
Apple additionally claims the brand new A18 Professional chip is far more energy environment friendly and can consequence within the iPhone 16 Pro Max having the longest battery lifetime of any iPhone but. We’ll additionally problem that declare with our personal battery assessments.
The digital camera system upgrades to a 48 megapixel sensor for the ultrawide digital camera, which ought to lead to higher macro images and a lot of different enhancements. We’ll be testing that as nicely in a brand new set of ZDNET smartphone digital camera assessments.
The AI options that Apple talked about this summer time at WWDC, together with the newly upgraded Siri, won’t arrive until the iOS 18.1 update — and even then, they will nonetheless be in beta and among the options will not come till iOS 18.2 or later. However when the AI options do lastly arrive, Apple’s new flagship supercomputer in your pocket seems to be like it’ll have the oomph to run them with out breaking a sweat.