Apple iPhone 16 review

Apple’s annual iPhone launch has been and gone, and with it came the usual quartet of new devices; two ‘standard’ iPhones and two ‘Pro’ iPhones. As expected, Apple spent very little time covering AV performance and stuck to the core areas of design, processor and camera features – though, as we’ve found with many previous iPhones, there are upgrades to be found even if Apple won’t give them the spotlight. 

This is once again evident with the standard iPhone 16, which we have to put through our rigorous testing process. As ever, its merit as a portable movie and music device will be put to the test – so can it deliver the goods when it comes to picture and sound?

Price

Apple’s latest entry-level iPhone costs £799 / $799 / AU$1399 for the base 128GB storage configuration, though 256GB and 512GB models are also available for a premium. Apple also offers a ‘Plus’ version with a larger 6.7-inch display and higher capacity battery starting at £899 / $899 / AU$1599. Above that are the iPhone 16 Pro (£999 / $999 / AU$1799) and 16 Pro Max (£1199 / $1199 / AU$2149), which have larger displays than their non-Pro equivalents, a more powerful processor, 120Hz ProMotion screens and an additional camera.

If you’re looking to explore Android alternatives to the iPhone 16, then there are some noteworthy options. The Sony Xperia 5 V is our preferred alternative, though it's over a year old now and not available in the US or Australia – so if you live in either of those regions you may want to look at either the Samsung Galaxy S24 (£799 / $799 / AU$1399) or Google Pixel 8 (£699 / $699 / AU$1199).

However, the iPhone 16’s greatest competitor is its own predecessor, as Apple’s strategy of keeping its previous iPhone models on sale at a reduced price continues. The iPhone 15 can be found for just £699 / $699 / $1249; considering it’s a five-star handset and shares many features with the iPhone 16, it might be a preferable purchase for those who want to save £100 / $100 / AU$150.

Build

The iPhone 16 is easily distinguishable from the iPhone 15 at a glance, so long as you’re looking at the back of the device. The ‘new’ vertically stacked duo of camera lenses look like they’ve been plucked straight from the iPhone 11, while the frosted matte glass back returns from the iPhone 15 for a premium feel in the hand. 

There are also a pair of new buttons. First and foremost is the Action Button, which replaces the mute switch. While it can be set to act as a mute shortcut, this remappable button can also be set to open apps, identify music with Shazam, switch on the torch or just be turned off altogether. This is the first standard iPhone model to feature the button after it was introduced on last year’s iPhone 15 Pro models. 

You’ll also find the new Camera Control button on the right-hand side of the handset. It can be used to open the camera, and a firm press snaps a photograph, while a gentle press allows you to zoom in or out, choose your photography style, switch between cameras and set the exposure. We’ll get onto how useful this new button is in just a moment, but before that, we’d like to make a note that it feels a little too high up on the phone to be used comfortably in landscape mode. Adjusting our grip on the phone alleviates this issue somewhat, but it's not how we’d naturally hold the device. 

Elsewhere on the phone, you’ll find a pair of volume buttons and a USB-C socket. There is, of course, no headphone jack. Flipping the phone around we find that it looks practically indistinguishable from the iPhone 15 – the same dynamic island, uniformly slim bezel and Ceramic Shield glass coating are all present and correct. It’s also the exact same size as the iPhone 15. 

One way in which this phone is visibly different to its predecessor is the range of finishes it is available in. Gone are the muted pastel tones of the iPhone 15, as Apple has juiced up the 16 range with a bombastic trio of bright hues; namely a vibrant blue Ultramarine, a punchy Pink finish and a rich Teal colour – all of which look rather fetching. For a more subdued look, you can opt for Black or White.

Features

Apple has caught the AI bug from Google and Samsung and, as a result, has developed a system for the iPhone 16 called Apple Intelligence (AI – see what it did there?). It incorporates generative AI emojis, AI writing suggestions, advanced photo editing and more – but there is an unfortunate catch. Apple Intelligence is, as of now, missing. Yes, despite being plastered across the product page on Apple’s website and TV advertisements alike, we cannot access it on our review unit. 

It’s a disgruntling move from Apple to launch its latest premium handset without the headline feature; furthermore, when the full update arrives, it will only add some of the promised features that were shown off during Apple’s various live-streamed events, with other features coming at a later undisclosed date. It’s also worth noting that the availability of Apple Intelligence will vary by region, with many European territories especially being restricted. 

These AI features apparently require an advanced new processor, and Apple has loaded the iPhone 16 up with its A18 processor and 8GB of RAM. The iPhone 16 flies through the iOS 18 operating system and remains staunchly stutter-free during day-to-day use. We do wish that it could squeeze a bit more life out of its 3561mAh battery – we can just about get a full day out of the handset, though the speedy wired charging, which can juice the phone up to 50 per cent in 30 minutes, is appreciated. That does require you to buy a compatible fast charger, as you’ll only find a USB-C cable in the box; though Apple has at least switched to a more rugged and higher-quality braided cable this year, which is a nice touch.

Moving away from AI and onto AV, here we can take a deep dive into the iPhone 16’s picture and sound features. With its 6.1-inch OLED screen, the iPhone 16 feels pleasantly compact in the hand, meaning we can comfortably reach practically every part of the screen while using the device one-handed and without needing to shuffle the device around too awkwardly. 

The Super Retina XDR display sports a familiar pixel density of 460ppi (the same found on practically every iPhone), support for the HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR formats, an impressive peak brightness of 2000 nits and a frustrating 60Hz maximum refresh rate. Apple, it’s 2024 – there is no need to limit 120Hz display technology to the Pro-series iPhones when Android devices costing half this price have it as standard.

Onto sound, and the iPhone 16 supports Dolby Atmos audio through headphones or built-in stereo loudspeakers, as well as Apple Spatial Audio through supported AirPods or Beats headphones and earbuds. You can plug in headphones via a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone adapter or DAC, or straight into the device if your headphones have a USB-C connector, something we have seen more frequently since Apple ditched the Lightning port last year. Bluetooth 5.3 is on board, though it only supports the LE and A2DP codecs.

Next up are the cameras, and Apple is using a familiar 48MP wide angle and 12MP ultrawide angle duo on the iPhone 16, and the move from a horizontally to vertically stacked arrangement isn’t purely aesthetic. It’s actually so users can shoot spatial photographs and video to be viewed on the Apple Vision Pro headset; the relevancy of this feature will of course depend on whether you own or plan to buy one of Apple’s mixed reality headsets. 

Finally, there are a handful of trademark Apple features that make their return this year. The Dynamic Island returns, which interacts with apps such as Maps, Uber and Apple Music to create shortcuts and show necessary information at a glance. It's a feature that we believe has passed the gimmick stage and is proving itself to be genuinely useful. Within the Dynamic Island there is the Face ID system which can be used to unlock the handset or approve payments via Apple Pay, and on the rear of the device is the built-in MagSafe ring, which can be used to interface with a variety of accessories including chargers and cases. 

Picture

Apple has an impressive track record of delivering stellar picture quality with its iPhones, even when it doesn’t advertise any improvements to the movie-watching experience. The iPhone 16 is no exception, as it carries all of the established characteristics that made its predecessors successful along with a small handful of picture refinements that level the iPhone up to surpass its predecessor.

We load Netflix and Amazon Prime Video onto the iPhone, as well as using the pre-installed Apple TV app to watch content from our library. We watch a variety of reference material including Top Gun: Maverick and Mad Max: Fury Road in Dolby Vision, as well as 1917 and Blade Runner 2049 in HDR10 to assess the capabilities of the iPhone 16 as a portable movie machine. We also have the step-up iPhone 16 Pro on hand as a reference point, to see what picture aspects you might be sacrificing if you opt for the ‘standard’ model. 

The iPhone 16 passes with flying colours, with a rich and three-dimensional image that is deeply engaging. The opening scene of 1917 shows us crisp details in clothing, skin and environmental textures, with a tangible grain to the rough fabric of the soldier’s uniforms and the gritty dirt lining the walls of the trenches through which they weave. Much like the iPhone 16 Pro that sits above it in the lineup, the iPhone 16 also manages to skillfully draw our eye to the focal point of the image while retaining an excellent amount of detail and solidity to objects in the background. 

The iPhone also presents colours in a balanced yet engaging fashion. Skin tones appear very well judged across a range of complexions, and foliage appears natural, with ample depth and variation to the hues of green in the opening shot of a field in 1917. There is also an impressive subtlety to the variation of colour seen in clothing, with patches of darker green and brown to be found on the soldiers' uniforms. 

Switching to Top Gun: Maverick in Dolby Vision, the iPhone 16 shows that it's adept with motion as fighter jets tear down the runway of an aircraft carrier and shoot off into the sky. There is no observable judder to these movements, and the slow-motion scenes of cables whipping and epic high-fives are wonderfully cinematic on this relatively compact screen. 

One area in which the Pro model clearly surpasses the standard 16 is how it handles peak brightness. Make no mistake, the iPhone 16 still delivers punchy areas of brightness, such as the sunset in the high-octane opening sequence of Top Gun, but the Pro manages to add a touch more punch while retaining detail around the brightest part of the image. It reminds us of an MLA OLED TV in this regard, while the regular iPhone 16 performs more like a standard OLED TV – which is by no means a slight on its picture performance. 

Sound

Apple’s iPhones tend to impress when we plug in a pair of headphones, and the 16 is no exception. It’s easily one of the best-sounding smartphones we’ve heard thanks to its rich, detailed and engaging sound regardless of what we throw at it. Buzzy electronic pop tracks such as Jamie xx’s Waited All Night or Charli XCX’s Club Classics are bursting with energy and feature snappy timing alongside deep, rich bass.

Slowing things down with Taylor Swift’s The 1 or playing a dramatic pop ballad such as Chapelle Roan’s Good Luck Babe shows us just how talented the iPhone 16 is when it comes to low-level dynamics. Both vocalists are presented with tangible emotive qualities in their voices, while the methodical piano of the former track and roaring guitar strums in the latter are both packed with detail and tonal variation. 

Moving to the stereo speakers – which combine a bottom-firing loudspeaker and the front-firing earpiece – we find that the iPhone is more than usable for a spot of movie watching out loud. While we’re standing firm in our recommendation to skip these speakers for listening to music and use headphones, the iPhone can still comfortably deliver dialogue and sound effects with plenty of clarity and detail, even if they’re slightly stunted in the dynamics department. 

Verdict

This year’s entry-level iPhone isn’t worlds apart from last year’s 15 series model. In fact, the main difference is Apple Intelligence support which, at the time of writing, is MIA. That being said, it excels in the metrics we test, with its subtle, crisp and engaging picture and rich, detailed sound providing a spectacular AV experience overall.  

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 5
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the iPhone 15 Plus

Also consider the iPhone 15 Pro Max

Read our Sony Xperia 5 V review

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