After spending a few hours with the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max – Apple’s latest premium phones, ZDNet tech journalist Jason Hiner shared his first impressions of the top-of-the-line smartphone, the iPhone 16 Pro.
Photo: ZDNET
Accordingly, with the advanced A18 Pro chip, unique camera improvements, screen size, and video recording capabilities, the iPhone 16 Pro is indeed a “supercomputer” in the palm of your hand.
Here are his thoughts.
First Impressions of the iPhone 16 Pro
The iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro were unveiled at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus. I spent a few hours testing out Apple’s newest premium iPhones.
While the first thing many buyers may notice is the phone’s new color, “Desert Titanium,” the latest advances in the “brain” controlling the iPhone have gone relatively unnoticed. And this year, it seems truer than ever with the new A18 Pro processor. Or, at the very least, it powers my new favorite feature – and a host of others that showcase this device’s incredible capabilities.
New Camera Controls
The new Camera Control button is a unique feature on the iPhone. This new button is located on the right side of the phone, below the power button. The Camera Control button is made of a darker metal and sits closer to the phone’s edge.
One press opens the camera app. A second press takes a picture. Press and hold to start recording a video. A slight press and slide to one side will let you zoom in or out. A slight double press and slide in either direction will let you choose from different settings, from zoom to depth of field to new photo styles, and more.
While it may sound a bit complicated, it’s not. You’ll get used to it quickly. I tried it, and it will indeed be convenient for those who take a lot of photos with their iPhone – and to be honest, there are many, as the iPhone is the most popular camera globally. The Camera Control button gives the iPhone a feature that no other phone in the world currently offers. The Sony Xperia 1 V comes closest with its dedicated camera shutter button, but it doesn’t do as much.
People will love this feature.
Size and Finish
Both Pro models feature larger screens and thinner bezels this year, making them slightly taller than last year’s Pro models. The Pro increased from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches, and the Max went from 6.7 inches to 6.9 inches. Both I and ZDNET editor Kerry Wan immediately noticed this in the iPhone 16 display area, and we were thrilled about it because we both tend to favor taller, thinner Android phones for their easier one-handed operation.
But another new physical feature of the iPhone 16 Pro that intrigued me was its titanium edges, which provide a better grip. In fact, I thought I might try using it without a case. I also felt inclined to choose the smaller 6.3-inch Pro over the Max as my daily phone, especially since the smaller Pro now has the same camera system as its larger sibling.
Video and Audio Upgrades
Another area where the new A18 Pro chip truly shines is in the video recording options available on the iPhone 16 Pro. First, you can record in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second, allowing for super-slow-motion effects typically seen in big-budget movies.
Just a few years ago, you would have needed an expensive professional camera and a desktop computer with a powerful video card to shoot and edit professional-quality 4K120 video. Now you can do it on an iPhone, and the footage Apple has shown so far looks indistinguishable from that of professional equipment.
Next, Apple has upgraded the audio in the iPhone 16 Pro with “four studio-quality mics” combined with software and artificial intelligence to do some crazy things I’ve never seen on a smartphone before.
With the new Audio Mix software, you can now edit audio directly on the iPhone 16 Pro, where it separates background noise from the main audio. It can also record Spatial Audio surround sound during video recording (which you can then edit in Audio Mix). And the Voice Memos app will utilize these upgrades for an update later this year, allowing you to mix two different tracks. These new audio features are a prime example of how Apple is using AI in practical, behind-the-scenes ways that will be more accessible.
More to Discover
Apple has touted the new A18 Pro chip as powerful as high-end computers, which sounds like an exaggeration, but the above features have convinced me that it’s at least as powerful as high-end computers from a few years ago.
Apple claims that the new A18 Pro chip is far more energy-efficient, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max has the longest battery life of any iPhone to date. We will also be testing this claim with our battery tests later.
The camera system has been upgraded with a 48-megapixel sensor for the ultra-wide camera, delivering better macro photography and other improvements.
The AI features Apple mentioned won’t be available until the iOS 18.1 update, and even then, they will still be in beta, with some features not arriving until iOS 18.2 or later. But when the AI features do arrive, Apple’s new handheld supercomputer will still have enough power to run them without a hitch.
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