Table of Contents
TOApple’s latest iPhone bucks the trend of buttons disappearing from phones, getting not one but two new controls on the outside, plus a big jump in chip performance and a two-day battery life on the inside.
The standard iPhone 16 is Apple’s smallest and lowest-priced phone in the new 16 series, costing £799 (€959 / $799 / A$1,399) and sitting below the 16 Plus and 16 Pro models , larger and more expensive.
The tone of the entry-level iPhone hasn’t changed in years, offering most of what’s great about Apple’s phones, but with fewer bells and whistles than its best Pro models. At first glance, the 16 looks identical to the many phones that came before it: a sandwich made of aluminum and glass that weighs a relatively light 170 g.
The 16 even has the same 6.1-inch screen size as before, where the Pro models have grown. The screen is similar in brightness and sharpness to the outgoing iPhone 15 and is still stuck at a 60Hz refresh rate, which can make scrolling and motion more jarring compared to models with faster screens. It also lacks the iPhone Pro’s always-on display option.
The cameras on the back have been rearranged to line up the dual lenses, reminiscent of the iPhone 12. That leaves the two new buttons as the main physical updates, including the useful action button from last year’s 15 Pro that replaces the power switch. silence. and can be used for a variety of functions such as turning on the flashlight, changing focus modes, recording voice memos and other actions using the Shortcuts application.
The standard iPhone also has the same new camera control button as the 16 Pro, which quickly launches the camera, zooms, changes settings, and takes photos.
It runs iOS 18 but lacks Apple’s much-hyped AI features, which won’t arrive in beta as part of iOS 18.1 update until later in October in the US and December in the UK, Australia and other English-speaking countries outside the US, while the rest of Europe will be out of luck for the foreseeable future.
Budget
-
Screen: 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR (OLED) (460 ppi)
-
Processor: Apple A18
-
RAM: 8GB
-
Storage: 128, 256 or 512 GB
-
Operating system: iOS 18
-
Camera: 48MP main + 12MP Ultra; 12MP front
-
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Thread, USB-C, Satellite, UWB and GNSS
-
Water resistance: IP68 (6 meters for 30 minutes)
-
Dimensions: 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8mm
-
Weight: 170g
Faster A18 chip with solid battery life
The 16 has a new A18 chip at its heart, which is 30% faster than the two-year-old A16 used in its predecessor with 40% faster graphics. It feels snappier in operation and will stay fast for a long time, as well as enabling impending AI features.
The chip is also more power efficient, which helps the 16 have very long battery life for a phone of this size. It manages to last over 48 hours between charges for general use, including a combination of 5G and Wi-Fi, while actively using the screen for over seven hours. It should last even the heaviest days.
Sustainability
Apple says the battery should last over 1000 full charge cycles with at least 80% of its original capacity and can be replaced for £95. Out of warranty screen repairs cost £289. The 16 has repair guides available and was awarded seven out of 10 in repairability by iFixit specialists.
Contains more than 30% recycled material, including aluminum, cobalt, copper, gold, lithium, plastic, rare earths, steel, tin and tungsten. The company breaks down the phone’s environmental impact in its report. Apple offers free exchange and recycling programs, even for non-Apple products.
Camera
The dual camera system on the back of the phone is basically the same as last year’s model, including a 48MP main camera and a 12MP ultrawide camera, which can be controlled by touch or the new physical control button of the camera next to the power button.
The main camera produces excellent images in a variety of lighting conditions, while the 2x sensor zoom is still useful in good light, but struggles in darker conditions. The ultrawide now has autofocus and a slightly faster lens, producing better photos in darker environments. It also allows for a macro photography mode for taking close-up images up to 2cm away from the subject, a fun feature that until now was limited to Apple’s Pro models.
The 16’s camera also has the 16 Pro’s interesting Photo Styles feature, which works a bit like advanced filters that adjust the color, tone and palette of photos, either while taking them or after taking them. The camera can also take spatial photos and videos for viewing on headphones like the Vision Pro, and it has the impressive audio-to-video mixing feature of the 16 Pro.
Overall, the 16’s camera does a good job in most conditions, but the lack of a telephoto camera holds it back against similarly priced Android rivals.
Price
The iPhone 16 costs from £799 (€959/$799/A$1,399) with 128GB of storage.
For comparison, the iPhone 16 Plus costs £899, the iPhone 16 Pro costs £999, the iPhone 16 Pro Max costs £1,199, the Google Pixel 9 Pro costs £999the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra costs £1,249 and the Fairphone 5 costs £499.
Verdict
The iPhone 16 may not look all that different from the latest versions of Apple’s standard smartphone, but it features a variety of upgrades that make it more interesting than it appears at first glance.
The added action button from last year’s 15 Pro is really useful for one-button access to your most used app or feature, like the torch. The camera control button is equally useful for quickly opening the camera and taking photos, even if it’s a little fiddly to use to fine-tune settings.
The camera itself is solid and captures great photos quite easily. The new photo styles and macro photography features are a lot of fun for those who want to get creative. The lack of a true zoom camera, a faster, less shakey screen, and an always-on display is disappointing. They are features common to its rivals but that Apple maintains for the iPhone 16 Pro.
The much faster chip and solid two-day battery life are very welcome and should help the iPhone 16 last longer before it needs service or replacement. It may not be the most interesting phone anymore, but the iPhone 16 is a big leap from models from five years ago and ready to go the distance.
Advantages: fast, good dual camera with macro mode, decent screen, large size, action button, camera control button, photo styles, USB-C, great battery life, long software support, Face ID.
Cons: no telephoto camera, slower screen than competition and Pro iPhones, no always-on display mode, similar design.
