7 reasons to be excited for the iPhone 16 Pro

As with Apple journalists, store employees, and fans alike, September is always an exciting time of year. The California tech giant recently unveiled its lineup of iPhone 16 models, including an iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max. When 5 AM PT struck on Friday, September 13th, I jumped at the opportunity to order a 128GB iPhone 16 Pro in black titanium to replace my current daily driver, an iPhone 15 Pro in blue titanium.

Here are seven reasons why I can’t wait to take ownership of my iPhone 16 Pro on launch day, Friday, September 20th.

1 The display

It’s bigger and better than ever

Apple

Before the event streamed, I debated whether I should get the iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max. I used the larger iPhone since the iPhone 7 Plus, but that was only until I switched to the iPhone 13 Pro, abandoning the Max size. This year, I decided that if there was a feature difference between the Pro and Pro Max, I’d get the Pro Max. To my great fortune, the core features between the two were the same, leading to display size and battery life being the only two differentiators.

Even though I’m sticking with the iPhone 16 Pro over the Pro Max, I’m still seeing a display size increase from 6.1″ to 6.3″. On top of a larger display, the Pro models’ always-on display can also dim to a single nit. A single nit is equivalent to a single lit candle, meaning we’ll get some of the most granular smartphone brightness levels, leading to a better experience at night and in dark environments.

2 Battery life

The longest battery life yet

Battery life is easily one of the most relatable features anyone can complain about. Whether it’s your smartphone, smartwatch, tablet, headphones, or other device, anyone can always appreciate better battery life.

Despite Apple not drawing much attention to the battery life of its iPhone 16 lineup, there are some impressive gains. The iPhone 16 Pro gets an additional 5 hours of battery for video playback compared to the iPhone 15 Pro, which results in a total of 27 hours. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is increased to a whopping 33 hours.

3 Camera improvements

Improved zoom and macrophotography

Apple

The camera improvements to the iPhone 16 Pro are what really pushed me to buy this model. Initially, when watching the keynote, I considered not upgrading my iPhone this year for the first time since buying my first iPhone, an iPhone 4S. Fortunately, the camera segments of Apple’s keynote presentation convinced me to buy without hesitation.

The iPhone 16 Pro’s camera is receiving the following upgrades:

• A new 48MP ultra-wide camera, up from the previous 12MP, which allows for greatly improved macrophotography
• 4K video recording at 120fps for the smoothest video ever recorded on an iPhone
• Spacial photo capture, in addition to spacial video capture for incredible Apple Vision Pro experiences
• 5x zoom powered by a tetra-prism (periscope) lens as first released exclusively on the iPhone 15 Pro Max

4 Camera Control

A dedicated capture button

Camera Control is available for all iPhone 16 models but will be a true standout on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. This new button makes capturing photos and videos and accessing associated tools easier. While I’m not a massive fan of the Action Button on my iPhone 15 Pro, I have complete faith that I’ll use Camera Control religiously.

Camera Control mimics a traditional camera capture button by providing haptic feedback when pressing down to capture an image. Additionally, the placement of Camera Control on the lower right side of a virtual iPhone puts it in a similar place to a traditional camera when horizontal for natural hand placement.

When lightly pressing Camera Control, users will be exposed to camera tools, which they can swipe between as this new button has capacitative sensors. When a tool is selected, like zoom or bokeh, another light press can select it. Camera Control will make photography and videography on the iPhone 16 Pro absolutely incredible.

5 WiFi 7

The best wireless connectivity of any Apple product

While WiFi 7 isn’t widely used yet, it’s finally coming to Apple’s products with the iPhone 16 lineup of devices. Hopefully, you’ll see WiFi 7 come to iPads and Macs later this fall because nerds like myself already use WiFi 7 networks like the Eero Max 7.

By upgrading wireless connectivity to WiFi 7, the iPhone 16 lineup of devices can benefit from lower latency, improved network efficiency, and faster speeds up to a theoretical 46 Gbps. WiFi 7 also provides improved reliability when streaming and gaming.

6 Faster MagSafe

It’s time to charge faster than ever before

Apple / Pocket-lint

Let me be clear: I love MagSafe. While it’s fantastic charging technology for my iPhone, the ring of magnets has afforded me a degree of flexibility and versatility for swapping between accessories I never thought I’d enjoy so much. Swapping from my charger to my wallet to my car mount to a spare battery to my tripod mount, and so much more, there are near limitless accessories.

MagSafe charging has been upgraded with the iPhone 16 lineup to go from 15W to 25W when using a 30W power brick or higher. I charge my iPhone every night using a MagSafe-certified Belkin 3-in-1 charger, so I hope to see new versions come up with the improved MagSafe spec if needed.

7 Apple Intelligence

I’m skeptical but so excited

Apple 

Recently, I published an editorial about how I’m both excited and skeptical about Apple Intelligence. While the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are to support Apple Intelligence, the iPhone 16 lineup is clearly being advertised as being built for Apple Intelligence. Writing tools, natural language understanding with Siri, and personal context are all features I’m pumped to use when Apple Intelligence releases officially in a future software update.