Once we reviewed the iPhone 16 Professional final 12 months, Apple Intelligence was barely accessible. Since then, the iPhone 16 collection has benefitted from a number of new options, apps and enhancements. Some (or most) of them had been Apple Intelligence options that had been teased again at WWDC 2024, months earlier than the iPhone 16 Professional launched.
AI options weren't the one adjustments this time round, with the iPhone 16 getting a completely new button. The so-called Digital camera Management wasn’t only a easy app shortcut, however an elaborate multifunction button that supplied a haptic half-press and the power to swipe throughout to regulate digicam settings and choices.
Managing Editor Cherlynn Low mentioned we had been nonetheless ”ready on Apple Intelligence” in our preliminary evaluation. Now, as we hit iOS 18.4, was it definitely worth the wait?
iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence to date
Apple Intelligence was late, arriving as a part of iOS 18.1 again in October 2024. Preliminary generative AI options included writing instruments like proofreading and rewriting, in addition to textual content summaries and dwell transcription for telephone calls and voice notes within the Notes app. Just a few months later, iOS 18.2 gave us the Apple Intelligence options that made many of the headlines when first introduced at WWDC. That included ChatGPT integration, AI picture technology in Picture Playgrounds and Genmoji.
Beginning with iOS 18.1, some of the controversial Apple Intelligence options is definitely my favourite: Notification Summaries. It’s an excellent try at taming the wild west of numerous group chats throughout a number of messaging apps, calendar reminders, Substack pings and every thing else.
You don't have to replace each particular person app for Notification Summaries to kick in. As quickly as iOS 18.1 landed, my messy WhatsApp chats had been streamlined. I assumed it cute when my iPhone advised me a buddy had laughed at my remark, and instructed the place we may meet and a date. That was distilled from a ten-message barrage they’d despatched.
It’s not good, although. Apple needed to make clear that notification summaries are AI-generated, and make that clearer past a small Apple Intelligence icon. This was after the BBC complained about a number of summaries that twisted the content material of a few of its headlines. I’ve additionally had notification summaries that incorrectly guessed the topic of a sentence or complete subject of a thread, however on the entire, it’s a helpful utilization of AI smarts.
There are extra pure language hooks throughout most of iOS 18, too. Now you can seek for photographs within the Photographs app with descriptions, dates, location and extra. These natural-language smarts tackle a unique perform with writing instruments, courtesy of Apple Intelligence. Regardless that I’m not a very clear author (hey, Cher), these writing instruments usually are not all that helpful. I haven’t used them a lot past fast electronic mail responses to work requests and occasions, however the capability to proofread, rewrite or test tone might show helpful to some.
The writing instruments additionally work contained in the Voice Memos app, which may now transcribe conversations, conferences and extra. Right here, it helps make issues extra concise, with choices to show transcripts into summaries, key factors, lists and even tables. If the recording is obvious sufficient and so they’re not too lengthy, iOS 18 does properly on these transcriptions. A number of occasions, the iPhone 16 Professional straight-up declined to summarize a transcript. Why? All I acquired was a notification that the instruments “aren’t designed to work with one of these content material.”
Elsewhere, Apple struggles to meet up with AI improvements on rival units. Like Google Pixel’s Magic Eraser (and all the opposite Android riffs), Clear Up now lets you scrub out distracting components and picture bombers out of your pics. Nonetheless, the outcomes aren’t fairly as much as the usual of the competitors. Generally, nonetheless, it nails it.
Some Apple Intelligence options have light into the background after an preliminary buzz. Picture Playground presents the power to AI-generate your individual photographs and had loads of customers itching to get off the beta waitlist to mess around with the app. After a little bit of testing, nonetheless, I haven’t used it within the months because it launched.
There is likely to be a future for Playgrounds inside iOS, although. As an illustration, Apple’s Invitations app helps you to embed Picture Playground outcomes inside your occasions, which is useful if you happen to don’t have a photograph for instance the invitation. As a standalone app, nonetheless, it doesn’t fairly ship sufficient to dwell on my house display. It’s gone the best way of GarageBand, Pages and Apple Maps on my iPhone.
Genmoji, alternatively, is simpler to make use of, and I take advantage of it usually. With it, you possibly can create your individual emoji reactions with particular individuals, objects and backgrounds. I have already got a number of established favorites, like me consuming cereal and a chronically late buddy with clocks within the background, and I’ll in all probability proceed to make emoji as life calls for it. For instance, a passenger behind me on a flight to Barcelona final month had three cats together with her. So, I made a cats-on-a-plane Genmoji. Precisely what Tim Cook dinner supposed.
Some software program options are additionally particular to the iPhone 16 Professional collection (and the 15 Professional). Digital camera Management apart, the brand new button additionally presents entry to Visible Intelligence with a protracted press. Visible Intelligence is Apple’s tackle Google Lens, tapping visible AI smarts to investigate what your iPhone is pointing at. It will probably acknowledge textual content, like phrases on menus, and even translate for you. In case you get fortunate, it’ll even establish the surface of a restaurant and (with some ChatGPT energy) let you know the opening hours and how much delicacies it presents. It’s significantly efficient in figuring out landmarks, however busy scenes can rapidly derail it. Sadly, you possibly can’t faucet on a selected object within the body to make clear specifics. Nonetheless, the power to create calendar occasions from a poster is fairly cool — even when I normally overlook to make use of it.
That’s Apple Intelligence, for now. There are a variety of sensible touches, however to date, it isn’t outstanding. I credit score Apple’s makes an attempt to make most of its AI options both processed on system, or related to the corporate’s Personal Cloud Compute, which makes use of bigger server-based fashions. Apple has reiterated that your information is rarely saved throughout these requests. Even with ChatGPT integration, if you happen to don’t use an account with OpenAI, solely your request and attachments are despatched to ChatGPT. Your Apple Account and IP deal with usually are not shared with OpenAI. Apple’s cope with OpenAI means the latter can’t use your request to enhance or prepare its fashions, both.
The patchy arrival of iOS options, particularly Apple Intelligence, isn’t an excellent search for the corporate.
Nonetheless, the remainder of iOS 18 continues to ship useful new options and upgrades to the iPhone expertise, just like the aforementioned Invitations app, further content material (and video games) for Information+ subscribers and my favourite characteristic for the reason that AirPods launched noise-cancellation, the power to nod or shake your head to halt Siri bulletins, Health prompts and even decline calls. I’m a busy man!
Cameras and Digital camera Management
With Digital camera Management, Apple has launched its most intriguing interface change for the reason that short-lived 3D Contact.” That tech, if you happen to forgot, supplied haptic suggestions in your display tapping in the course of the iPhone 6 period. Digital camera Management acts like a correct handbook digicam button, even after I realize it combines a bodily button with elaborate contact sensors. This allows deeper controls by swiping throughout it or semi-pressing.
Immediately, it really works as a fundamental digicam app launcher, identical to the iPhone’s Motion button has achieved in recent times. Already, it’s higher positioned, although, decrease on the precise fringe of the telephone, prepared on your thumb if held vertically, or index finger when held horizontally. It goes past being a launcher, although. Swiping throughout it helps you to alter zoom, publicity and even toggle the brand new Photographic Type choices. Then, a half-press works as a method to verify your settings.
Relying on how you utilize the iPhone’s digicam, a variety of the settings won’t deserve their place throughout the Digital camera Management’s menus. Whereas I usually tinkered with Publicity and Zoom, Photographic types are simpler to regulate from the iPhone within the regular touchscreen manner. I’m additionally not going to meddle with simulated f-stops when taking candid photographs of my family and friends.
Like Apple Intelligence, Digital camera Management launched incomplete. When the iPhone 16 Professional first went on sale, it lacked a half-press focus like ye olde conventional cameras, and it took until January 2025 for an AF-AE lock to reach by iOS 18.3. The characteristic, nonetheless, stays buried in settings and must be toggled on.
It really works properly although. You faucet on an object you’d just like the iPhone to deal with, maintain the button midway, and it’ll lock publicity and focus for so long as you retain your finger down – like a digicam. It’s irritating that we needed to wait this lengthy for what looks as if a core perform of Digital camera Management.
To be satan’s advocate – and it’s an argument recurrently leveled at AI options, each Apple Intelligence and elsewhere – did you want Digital camera Management? Given how a lot I take advantage of my telephone’s cameras, I'd argue {that a} digicam launcher is value factoring into the {hardware}. However the Motion Button coated that.
Digital camera Management additionally appeared like a ‘professional’ iPhone characteristic, so it’s shocking to see it throughout the whole system lineup, barring the newer iPhone 16e.
One other change value noting is that the iPhone 16 Professional acquired digicam parity with the bigger Professional Max this 12 months, with a 5x optical zoom I take advantage of more often than not. In fact, this isn't a outstanding characteristic if you happen to had been already utilizing an iPhone 15 Professional Max. However if you happen to favor the smaller of the 2 Professional choices, apart from battery life, there’s no motive to cease you getting the cheaper iPhone 16 Professional.
Repairability and longevity
I haven’t needed to restore my iPhone 16 Professional to date, and there are not any pronounced scratches on the 6.3-inch display or physique. Whereas I’m additionally a case dweeb, I don’t use display protectors — I haven’t wanted to. The newest iPhones do include much more repair-friendly {hardware} and insurance policies if the worst had been to occur. Anecdotally, in response to my expertise the titanium physique and Apple's Ceramic Defend therapy on the show do appear to make this technology of 'professional' iPhones more durable than its predecessors
Apple’s new Restore Assistant, designed to handle components pairing points, lets each you and restore professionals configure new and used Apple components immediately on the system, without having to contact Apple personnel on the telephone to make sure iOS performs with new components.
One other enchancment, whereas not a part of the 16 Professional, is battery elimination. On each the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, the battery may be launched from its enclosure by operating a low-voltage present by the iPhone’s battery adhesive. Nonetheless, the iPhone 16 Professional’s battery is now encased in aluminum, making repairs much less fraught, and defending the battery extra when uncovered to restore instruments. I haven’t needed to put it to make use of but, however the firm’s elevated willingness to embrace right-to-repair is headed in the precise path, particularly after its sluggish response up to now.
Six months on, the 16 Professional’s barely larger battery is holding up, with the one I’ve nonetheless displaying it’s at full well being. I’m a heavy telephone person, and 256 cost cycles later, iOS says it’s nonetheless at one hundred pc capability, which I discovered spectacular. If I would like to interchange the battery, I’m heartened that it’s simpler than ever on an iPhone.
Wrap-up
The iPhone 16 Professional is likely one of the finest smartphones accessible. But when there’s a selected space the place Apple’s telephones are missing in comparison with the flagship competitors, it is likely to be the messaging and the advertising and marketing. It took too lengthy for Apple Intelligence to land on units. If Apple Intelligence hadn’t been so key to Apple’s presentation each at WWDC and the iPhone 16 launch occasion, the delay wouldn’t look so dangerous.
Intriguingly, we’re at a time when the likes of the Galaxy and Pixel collection have by no means felt extra like iPhones. Or do iPhones really feel like Android telephones? I’m undecided anymore. Both manner, we haven’t seen rival units mimic the Digital camera Management button.
I recognize that a variety of the brand new options and additions don’t appear to clog up the iPhone expertise. Don’t take care of digicam filters? You’ll hardly ever see them. Need to swap the Digital camera Management button for an additional perform? Go forward. Need to prioritize Messages notifications, however not WhatsApp messages? Go wild.
With a lightweight, sturdy titanium construct, there’s nonetheless a tangible premium really feel to the iPhone 16 Professional, in comparison with the aluminum iPhone 16. The identical may be mentioned in regards to the cameras, with a 48-megapixel ultrawide sensor and 5x optical zoom, which the bottom iPhone can’t match. Performance-twise, the bottom iPhone 16 now delivers the Dynamic Island and Digital camera Management, which makes a ‘professional’ iPhone a bit tougher to outline. For the iPhone 16 collection, it boils all the way down to extra premium supplies and a strong zoom digicam.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cellular/smartphones/iphone-16-pro-longterm-review-apple-intelligence-134517480.html?src=rss