iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro! Which Should You Buy?
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:43 Design
1:15 Display
2:14 Materials
2:26 Action Button
2:39 Camera Button
3:42 Exclusive AI features
5:02 A18 vs A18 Pro
6:51 Cameras
8:55 Pro cameras
11:03 Battery life
12:12 Pricing/storage
13:03 Which should you buy?
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:43 Design
1:15 Display
2:14 Materials
2:26 Action Button
2:39 Camera Button
3:42 Exclusive AI features
5:02 A18 vs A18 Pro
6:51 Cameras
8:55 Pro cameras
11:03 Battery life
12:12 Pricing/storage
13:03 Which should you buy?
Category
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TechTranscript
00:00The high-level pitch for Apple's iPhone 16 is pretty clear this year. These are their
00:03first smartphones designed from the ground up and built for AI. And while they look pretty
00:08visually similar to the year before, there are some big advancements for the camera,
00:12a massive jump with battery life, and some really nice refinements that Apple barely
00:16talked about that I think make these some of the most interesting iPhones they've ever released.
00:21So today I want to do a full comparison between the two lower-end iPhone 16 models and two higher-end
00:26iPhone 16 Pros, as while there are a lot of shared similarities, there's also some
00:30really unique changes that Apple hasn't really talked about.
00:33Beginning with the aesthetics, the lower-end iPhone 16 absolutely looks the most different.
00:38There's a completely revamped color palette with some bright and vibrant options,
00:43like a brand new pink color that I think people are going to absolutely love,
00:47as well as a nice blue and aquamarine option, plus the standard white and black.
00:51But it's really on the back the biggest change is visible,
00:54with a new vertically designed camera system that feels reminiscent of the 2017 iPhone X.
01:00On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Pro design is much more muted,
01:04considering that the colors are basically the same aside from a new gold desert titanium
01:09color option, but even the camera setup on the back is the same triple camera layout
01:13that we've had for as long as I can remember.
01:15On the front, though, are some bigger changes. The screens are the largest they have ever been
01:19on the iPhone, increasing 0.2 inches on both model, up to 6.3 and 6.9 inches.
01:25And on top of the larger displays, Apple also made the bezels a lot thinner on the Pro.
01:30So the displays simply look almost edge-to-edge,
01:32and they are the thinnest bezels on any smartphone ever made.
01:36They're also Apple's best displays, as they support the 120Hz ProMotion
01:40refresh rate for that super smooth animation.
01:43On the base iPhone 16s, they're smaller at 6.1 and 6.7 inches,
01:48and still locked at a 60Hz refresh rate. So yet another year of 60Hz on the base iPhone 16s.
01:56That being said, all iPhone 16 displays have Apple's strongest glass they have ever put in
02:01an iPhone, and they say it's two times tougher than the glass on any other smartphone.
02:05So I'm very interested to see how that holds up durability-wise.
02:09And make sure you hit that subscribe button,
02:10in case you haven't already, for more videos on the iPhone 16.
02:14The Pro models are also again made out of titanium this year,
02:16which is a significantly more premium material than aluminum, although a bit heavier,
02:21as Apple continues to use the same aluminum chassis on the lower-end iPhone 16s.
02:26But this year, there are so many Pro features making their way down to the base models.
02:30Like on the left side of the phone, you are getting the action button now,
02:34instead of the mute switch. This is user-remappable,
02:36so you can now assign it to any action that you want.
02:39And on the right side of the phone, you are getting one of the flagship features
02:42for the entire lineup this year, which is the all-new camera control button,
02:46which is so interesting in so many ways.
02:49So this is an iPhone first. It sits just below the power switch.
02:52It's a new touch and capacitive button centered entirely around the camera.
02:56Whenever you press it, it will automatically open up the camera app.
02:59And when you press down again, it will snap a photo or start a video recording.
03:02But then there's some other really cool Apple magic features they've built in here.
03:06When you swipe across the button,
03:08you can zoom in on whatever you're trying to take a photo of without touching the display.
03:12And a light double press on this button will allow you to see all of your different controls.
03:16And you can even adjust the exposure exclusively through this button.
03:20Not only does this look incredibly useful,
03:22I think it is going to make photos feel so much more tactile,
03:25which is something you've never really gotten on a smartphone
03:28unless you used a traditional digital camera.
03:30And it also feels like the most Pro feature Apple could have designed.
03:34So I'm shocked again that it is coming to all four new iPhone 16 models.
03:38So why did Apple add this to every single unit this year?
03:42Well, that's because the iPhone 16 is Apple's first AI camera
03:45that can tell you about the world around you.
03:47See, when you press the camera control button on the iPhone,
03:50you can now point it at pretty much anything and ask about what you're looking at.
03:55Apple gives the example of looking at a restaurant
03:57and immediately pulling up the reviews and everything you would want to know before going in,
04:02which genuinely feels like a breakthrough
04:03because you've never been able to just point at something and learn about it instantly.
04:07You've always had to use your voice or type it in.
04:09Now you can just point your iPhone 16 at something
04:12and know everything you'd want to know about it.
04:15It's an exclusive AI feature that you will only be getting on the iPhone 16,
04:19although Apple has also announced that these models are, of course,
04:22getting all of the other suite of features that they announced
04:24with Apple intelligence a few months ago.
04:27Later this year, the iPhone 16 will support the ability to create any image you want,
04:31including custom emojis, which is going to be so much fun.
04:34Apple intelligence can summarize text and notifications
04:37while also helping you rewrite things.
04:39And of course, the new version of Siri is also here.
04:42Something that knows you personally, has greater context,
04:45and you can even stumble over your words and Siri will still understand you.
04:48Now, to be fair, Apple is also bringing the image, text,
04:51and Siri features to last year's iPhone 15 Pro with iOS 18.
04:55However, Apple says that these features will be the fastest
04:58and about 15% quicker on the iPhone 16 series.
05:02And that's because of the super powerful new chips on the inside.
05:04We've got the A18 on the iPhone 16 series and a better A18 Pro on the iPhone 16 Pros.
05:11Although honestly, the differences between these two chips do seem to be pretty tiny
05:15as the A18 Pro only difference is it has an extra GPU core.
05:19So if you are really into gaming or heavy graphic performance,
05:23you'll want to buy the Pros.
05:25Now, with all these announcements that Apple has made,
05:27there are so many projects and deadlines that I have this month.
05:29This is by far the busiest time of year for me.
05:32And that's actually why I partnered up with Motion, who sponsored today's video.
05:35See, Motion is like hiring your own AI executive assistant,
05:38somebody that not only knows your calendar and schedule,
05:41but also the tasks that you need to get done
05:43and the priority and order that you need to do them.
05:45Because Motion has a proprietary algorithm
05:47that is engineered to help you be more productive.
05:50With Motion and every task that you need to get done,
05:52you assign a priority and a deadline.
05:54And as you go through adding things throughout your day,
05:56it will automatically rearrange your tasks
05:58depending on how important they actually are.
06:01Not only is it super satisfying to see it build your day
06:03around your preexisting events,
06:05it's also nice to not actually have to think about the thing yourself.
06:09It just shows you what to do and you start working on it.
06:11Cool, but what about when your day gets interrupted
06:13by a last minute meeting that pops up?
06:15Well, with Motion, whenever something gets added to your calendar,
06:18it automatically reschedules your day around that event.
06:21Again, assigning the things you need to do the most important first.
06:25Motion is simply the first tool I've used that actually feels as flexible as life.
06:29They know things are going to pop up,
06:31so rather than acting like they don't,
06:33it's built around your actual schedule.
06:36And right now you can get an exclusive seven-day free trial of Motion
06:39when you use my link down below in the description.
06:41So a huge thank you again to Motion for sponsoring this one
06:44and for helping me actually plan my day effectively.
06:47Thank you, Motion AI, you're the GOAT.
06:49Okay, now let's get back to it.
06:51And it does seem like the A18 Pro chip
06:53will enable some exclusive Pro camera features,
06:55which I realize we haven't even talked about the actual camera improvements
06:58coming this year, of which there are a lot.
07:01Apple's calling the new main lens on both iPhone 16s their Fusion camera system,
07:05which I was a little bit confused about,
07:07so I looked into it.
07:08I think it is just a marketing term,
07:10as it's basically Apple referring to the main camera sensor
07:12being able to take a 1x photo,
07:14but also crop in on the sensor to do a 2x telephoto zoom too,
07:18bringing this feature like they did last year to the base iPhone 16s.
07:22Without the need for an actual zoom lens, which is really cool.
07:25But the big upgrade on the regular 16s this year
07:28is actually the ultra wide lens below.
07:30Apple has given it a massive jump forward
07:32with an improved f2.2 aperture for improved low light performance
07:36and finally bringing macro photography to the base iPhones.
07:40This was previously a Pro feature.
07:42It allows you to get crazy close to your subject
07:44and just capture photos you could not have done without the feature.
07:48It has genuinely been one of my favorite iPhone features
07:50since Apple debuted it on the Pros a few years ago,
07:53and it is so cool that, again,
07:54they are bringing this down for everyone.
07:57And notably, every lens on all iPhone 16 models
08:00is getting a new anti-reflective coating this year,
08:02which should improve some of these things like streaks and ghosting
08:05whenever you are taking photos.
08:07Speaking of photos,
08:08every iPhone 16 can now capture 3D spatial and immersive photos.
08:13These are, of course, for playback on your $3,500 Apple Vision Pro headset
08:17because Apple refuses to let us forget
08:19that they announced this product a few months ago,
08:21and it does still exist.
08:23The entire iPhone 16 lineup also gets new photographic styling options,
08:27which Apple has updated in a pretty significant way this year.
08:30It seems way more intentional
08:31in how it decides to color and style the photos,
08:34and there's even a cool little slider in the Photos app now
08:37where you can edit it in post to really customize it.
08:40Plus, when you're shooting video on an iPhone 16,
08:42there's a new audio mix feature,
08:43so you can completely customize using AI
08:46if you just want the people in the scene to be heard,
08:48if you want the entire studio around you or to be more ambient.
08:51It actually looks really, really cool,
08:53and I cannot wait to try it out.
08:55All that being said though,
08:56the iPhone 16 Pro camera system is a lot better in a number of key ways,
09:01like just the fundamental camera sensor underneath.
09:04Apple has improved that even from the 15 Pros
09:07for the best quality photos and videos you can get.
09:10And that 48 megapixel sensor has been extended now from the main camera
09:14also to the ultra wide lens.
09:16So if you are shooting photos at that 0.5x ultra wide zoom,
09:21they are going to just look night and day better on the Pros
09:24versus the regular models.
09:26The Pros also get that third telephoto zoom lens,
09:28which now on all iPhone 16 Pros is a 5x telephoto option.
09:33Video recording is also going to be a standout feature on the Pros this year
09:36as Apple has introduced 4K 120 frames per second,
09:40which means you can get slow-mo video at the highest resolution we have ever had
09:45that just looks so good.
09:46And on the Pros, you can even attach that external hard drive
09:49if you're really serious about video
09:50to record a 4K 120 ProRes video
09:54for the absolute highest quality possible.
09:56The ability to shoot night mode portraits is also exclusive to the Pros
10:00on top of previous improvements that the Pros have
10:02like the LiDAR sensor on the back to improve autofocus and low light
10:06and high quality photo capture formats like Apple ProRAW.
10:09The Pro iPhones also have a completely new microphone system
10:13that Apple says greatly improves audio capture for video
10:16but is also just likely going to help the iPhone hear you
10:19and understand what you are saying better,
10:21even for something like Siri requests.
10:23With these exclusive microphones,
10:24the Pro models can also record spatial audio now.
10:27So when you're watching content back on your Apple Vision Pro,
10:30you will be more immersed in it than with standard video.
10:33As far as the front cameras on all iPhone 16s though,
10:36there are no differences that I could find.
10:38It looks like the identical Face ID camera system
10:41to what Apple used on last year's iPhone 15 lineup,
10:44so no improvements in quality there,
10:46still 12 megapixels, 4K 60 video.
10:49In short, this is a really good year for cameras on the base 16s
10:52but on the iPhone 16 Pros,
10:54it adds so many things that I've wanted to see for a while,
10:57including that 4K 120 video
10:59and the best possible sensor across more lenses than ever before.
11:03But setting absolutely everything I've mentioned in this video
11:06about the iPhone 16s aside,
11:07there was one change this year that I was interested in
11:10more than anything else,
11:11and that was improvements for battery life.
11:13And it seems like Apple has finally delivered
11:16as there are improvements across every single iPhone 16 model
11:19with the largest jumps on the Pro lineup.
11:22Using video playback as a baseline metric,
11:24the iPhone 16 will last for two hours longer than the iPhone 15
11:29and the iPhone 16 Plus will last for an hour longer
11:32than the iPhone 15 Plus.
11:34And it's even better on the Pro models
11:36as on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max,
11:40Apple says that video playback will be four hours longer
11:43on these new models when compared to last year's iPhone 15 Pros.
11:48And that's four additional hours on the regular Pro
11:50and four additional hours on the 16 Pro Max.
11:53So if you have wanted the best battery life in an iPhone,
11:56that is the 16 Pro Max at 33 hours now.
12:00And at a time where the Pro battery life has been so bad for so long,
12:04it just finally feels like Apple listened
12:06and delivered great battery improvements,
12:08not just on the base models,
12:10but seriously on the Pros where you are spending the most money.
12:13So how expensive are all these iPhones
12:15and what are the configuration options available?
12:17It's great to announce that the iPhone 16
12:19starts at the exact same prices as last year,
12:22$799 for the 16 at 128 gigabytes
12:25and $899 on the iPhone 16 Plus for again 128 gigabytes of storage.
12:30And if you want, you can upgrade to a max of 512 gigs on these base models.
12:36Now for the Pros, honestly, good news here.
12:37There has not been a price increase.
12:40So the iPhone 16 Pro still starts at $999 for 128 gigabytes.
12:46And the larger iPhone 16 Pro Max again starts at $1199 for 256 gigabytes.
12:52And these can be configured up to one terabyte of storage,
12:55yet another year where we still have not gotten a jump to two terabytes.
12:59Although I think one terabyte on an iPhone is more than enough.
13:02So those are all the changes on this year's iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro.
13:07Now for most people, I think the standard 16 is going to be more than enough,
13:10especially that you're getting these Pro-like features now,
13:13including that new camera button on the side
13:15and the ultra wide lens that shoots macro photography plus better battery life.
13:18Although for me personally, the extra $200 for the Pros are completely worth it
13:22with the massive upgrades to camera performance there,
13:25as well as the 120 hertz screen on the front
13:28and the best battery life you can get on an iPhone.
13:31Overall, I'm really happy with the iPhone 16s.
13:33I think Apple improved all of the areas I've had problems with,
13:37and I cannot wait to get my hands on one of these very soon.
13:40You can pre-order the iPhone 16s on Friday, September 13th,
13:43and they will be out worldwide on Friday, September 20th.
13:46So those are my thoughts for now.
13:48I hope you enjoyed this video.
13:49If you did, drop a like and hit subscribe for more on the iPhone 16.
13:52I've been Sam. I hope you're doing well.
13:54So many more videos coming.
13:55I love you so much. I gotta go.
13:57Buh-bye.