Introduction
That entire intro was shot on the iPhone 16 Pro, and I did not use any external lighting whatsoever. Everything was shot in natural lighting. It was around 6 p.m., almost sunset, so not a lot of light—a kind of dark scenario. I feel that the iPhone did a good job in terms of capturing everything. I did shoot in ProRes, 4K 60 FPS by using an external SSD; I connected the external SSD, and everything was recorded directly onto the SSD.
Problems with Auto Mode
Now, there were some problems because it was set on auto mode. There is no manual control for exposure, white balance, focus, and everything in the default camera application, and that is something Apple should add. You could clearly notice the exposure shift. That’s why manual control over these things is very important. But regardless, the iPhone 16 Pro did a very good job in terms of capturing that scenario. I could create a proper cinematic video by just using the 16 Pro without any external lighting, and that says a lot about this phone.
Recording with the iPhone 16 Pro
Also, this part is being recorded with the iPhone 16 Pro. I’m not using ProRes for this part; I just wanted to use the normal mode, so that’s what it is. Now, I feel the Pro Series in iPhones is definitely for professional people, especially in terms of the cameras. Apple keeps adding these Pro features, which are useful for professionals: photographers, videographers, YouTubers, content creators, etc. This year, on paper, the 16 Pro might seem like a small upgrade, but in real life, that does make a difference.
Camera Specifications and Performance
The 3x Telephoto Camera
I’ve been using the normal 16 Pro and not the Pro Max. In fact, in this smaller variant, there are two new sensors. First is the new 3x telephoto. Last year, Apple introduced this new sensor only with the Pro Max and not with the 16 Pro, but this year both the models get it, and I feel this 3x telephoto is the most fun perspective to shoot with. Detailed, high-quality photos with really good colors. I mean, the look and the perspective that you get with the 3x is just something else. While I was shooting with this phone, the most used camera was definitely that 3x telephoto for street photos, landscape photos, and even for portraits. In fact, when you shoot portraits with 3x, you have to move behind a lot, and that’s why you get a better depth of field.
Performance in Low-Light Scenarios
I really like how the 3x telephoto works over here. Also, portrait mode is excellent in terms of edge detection as well as background blur. Now, when you give the 3x camera a lot of light, it shines. But as you move to low-light scenarios, it is kind of weird. See, in low-lighting conditions, the phone automatically decides whether to use the 3x telephoto or the main camera, and then it just crops into 3x. It decides which one is better. I’ve noticed a lot of scenarios during low light where the 3x telephoto is just not used. It will switch to the main camera because the main camera does a better job in terms of low-light photography. So in terms of low-light photography, the 3x telephoto is still not there. It has a long way to go.
Video Capabilities
Also, shooting videos with this new 3x perspective is excellent. It can shoot 4K videos, which look amazing. But with that being said, stabilization on the 3x telephoto is very difficult. Like, you have to keep your hand very stable because it is a telephoto. If you’ve ever used a telephoto lens on your camera or in your smartphone, you know what I’m talking about. See, all things considered, the 3x telephoto is definitely an upgrade.
The New Ultra-Wide Sensor
The second new sensor is a new Ultra-Wide. It has been upgraded from the old Ultra-Wide, but to be honest, I did not notice a huge difference in terms of photos. Here are a few photos side by side from the 16 Pro and the 14 Pro, using the ultra-wide angle camera, and you can see that the difference is very minimal. So I feel the new 16 Pro’s ultra-wide sensor is just an incremental upgrade over the 14 Pro when it comes to the ultra-wide angle camera. But don’t get me wrong, it’s still one of the best ultra-wide angle cameras out there in terms of photos as well as videos. You can shoot amazing videos with the ultra-wide angle camera, and it is great for vlogging. I mean, almost all the major vloggers out there who shoot with their smartphone do use an iPhone because the ultra-wide angle camera is just great. But the ultra-wide video struggles in terms of low-lighting conditions, and that has still not been solved. Even with the new 16 Pro sensor, low-light ultra-wide angle videos are grainy.
New Video Features and 4K 60 FPS
Now, as far as we’re on the topic of upgrades, there is a new video resolution: 4K 60 FPS, and this works in both normal as well as ProRes log. I just want to say one thing—4K 60 FPS natively is just awesome. You can slow down the footage to like 20% and still get 60 FPS smooth video, which looks absolutely stunning. So, 4K 60 FPS is a very good tool to have in a smartphone, and the implementation of 4K 60 FPS is excellent because you can change the FPS after shooting the video. It will not decide automatically, so Apple is kind of giving you the control. You can either keep it normal or slow it down to 20%, 50%, whatever you want. So for people who vlog with their phones, this is a very handy tool. But I wish that it was available for the other two cameras as well, like the ultra-wide angle camera and the telephoto camera. It is only available for the main camera. But good job, Apple, for giving 4K 60 FPS.
The iPhone 16 Pro’s Photography Features
iPhone 16 Pro’s Photo Quality
So, videography-wise, Apple has taken a step forward, and iPhone still remains the best out there for video shooting, and that is not changing this year. But what about photography? See, photos on the iPhone have this processed look. The shadows are bumped, and highlights are taken down to have a flat look, but in a lot of scenarios, that flat image does not look that good. So Apple is trying to solve that problem this year with something called undertones. Basically, Apple is giving the control to the user to change the tone of the photo even after clicking the photo. You can bring down the tone, which essentially brings down the image processing and gives you a more contrasty and detailed image. I particularly love this new feature. Similarly, there are new Photographic Styles. These styles change the look of the image completely. They’re not like normal filters. I really like the implementation of Photographic Styles, and Apple is capturing all the data so you can change the photographic style of a photo even after clicking it. That is amazing.
Lens Flare Issue
Now, one problem that is still there is lens flare. Whenever you show this camera a source of light, you are going to get a flare. This is true for photos as well as videos, and it’s kind of annoying that this problem has not been solved. I don’t know, there should be some coating, like the Zeiss T* star coating on Vivo phones, where the flare is completely eliminated. Why can’t Apple do something like that? Like, just put a coating or do something and get rid of those flares or at least bring them down to a point where they are not annoying. But see, I will say one thing: in terms of photos, this is a pretty solid setup. The main camera clicks amazing photos in all sorts of lighting conditions. Same goes for the ultra-wide camera and the 3x telephoto camera. But I feel the competition is better in terms of photography. Something like the Vivo X90 Ultra or the Xiaomi 13 Ultra or even the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra—all these phones are way better in terms of photography because they have periscope cameras, different styles. Vivo has the Zeiss collaboration, Xiaomi has the Leica collaboration, and these things work better for photography. So, Apple is definitely lagging behind when it comes to photos. They have taken a step in the right direction with Photographic Styles and with undertones, but I want to see that evolve. Maybe Apple can add a periscope camera because that would be awesome.
Pro Features and RAW Photography
RAW Photography and Editing
What about Pro features for photos? Well, you can shoot photos in RAW and then edit them later on. Here are some examples of RAW versus edited. Do let me know what you feel about these photos in the comment section down below. Also, one thing genuinely missing is a true Pro mode. I talked about this for the intro as well—manual control for photos and videos in the native camera application is missing. Apple, if you are watching this, please—we need manual control in the native camera application.
The Camera Control Button
It’s time to talk about the most useless feature on the iPhone 16 Pro—that is the camera control. Apple added a new button on the 16 Pro, and the position of that button is very uncomfortable. They kind of split the difference for landscape and portrait, and it’s so awkward to press this button. That’s something I would like to see improved.
Audio Mixing Features
The New Audio Mix Feature
It’s also a good time to test the audio mix feature. I’m going to be switching to studio now, and you will be able to hear a big difference in terms of my voice. Let me know what you feel about this feature in the comment section down below, and also let me know about the low-light video performance. I think it’s good enough—let me know about that in the comments below.
By default, these new phones, the non-Pro and even the Pro S, will shoot in spatial audio. Apple has designed a new audio mix feature, wherein you can change the audio encoding depending on the type of video that you’re shooting. There is in-frame, studio, cinematic—lots of options. I did talk about this at length in my iPhone 16 Pro video, like the 16 Plus video. If you want to know more about this, I’ll drop a link to that video in the description box below. Please go ahead and check it out.
Battery Performance and Heating
Battery Life After 30 Minutes of Recording
One more thing: I’ve been sitting in the car. It’s a sunny day, for about 16 minutes, shooting continuous photos/videos at 4K 60 FPS with the iPhone 16 Pro, and it is starting to get warm. Like, it is not cold to the touch. The AC is on, and still, it is getting warm. So that is a thing that needs to be considered.
Alright, I am starting the shoot right now. Let’s see how much battery is there. As you can see, it’s at 100%. So let me quickly go ahead and start recording, and let’s see what the battery is after I’m done recording. Alright, 30 minutes of recording is done, and the phone is at 91%. So not bad—in fact, very good battery life. Just one thing to note over here is that the phone was on airplane mode because I did not want anyone calling while I was shooting, so I kept it on airplane mode.
Selfie Camera Performance
Selfie Camera Comparison
What about the selfie camera? Well, the selfie camera remains mostly unchanged. It is very similar to the iPhone 14 Pro. Very good selfies, detailed with good skin tones and dynamic range, and selfie video is one of the best out there, so no complaints in terms of the selfie camera.
My Opinion
See, all things considered, the iPhone 16 Pro is definitely for professionals. So, if you’re someone who shoots videos and photos professionally, then you can definitely go for the iPhone 16 Pro. They have dropped the price this year as compared to the iPhone 14 Pro, so that is a good thing. If you have an iPhone 14 Pro, you can definitely upgrade to the 16 Pro series, but if you have an iPhone 13 or just wait one more year, because then you will get even more upgrades.
That’s been it for this review on the iPhone 16 Pro. Let me know what you feel about this article in the comment section.
