For several generations of iPhones, I’ve owned a Pro model. First, it’s the size (I bought an iPhone 13 Pro Max before the Plus phone came out), but also other features: the ProMotion display, the 5X telephoto camera, the A17 Pro chip, Dynamic Island, etc. I never really considered not buying a Pro model… until this year.
For the first time since the iPhone 12, I’m getting a “standard” iPhone this year, the iPhone 16 Plus. There are a few reasons, which I’ll explain below, but the main factor in my decision is that the Pro features are more premium than I need. The biggest new features exclusive to this year are Dolby Vision up to 4K at 120fps and slightly larger screens, neither of which make premium iPhones a must-have, at least for me.
Sure, it’ll be a drop in quality in some areas, primarily the display. While the iPhone 16 Plus is the same size as the iPhone 15 Pro Max it’ll replace, I’m giving up ProMotion and the Always-On Display. To prepare, I turned off the Always-On Display and limited the display to 60Hz (Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Limit Frame Rate) and it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. After a day or two, I barely noticed it.
Otherwise, most of the new features are available on the standard models, including camera control and new Photographic Styles. And compared to previous years, the Pro and standard models aren’t that different:
Processor: After a generation gap on the iPhone 15 and 14 models, the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro models each feature an A18 chip. The main difference is an additional GPU core on the A18 Pro, but it’s very unlikely that most users will notice this.
Camera: The standard models still don’t get a telephoto lens, but the hardware gets an upgrade to a 48MP Fusion camera, along with a host of new features including space photos and videos, and the latest Photo Styles. But the biggest improvement over the standard phones is Apple’s excellent macro mode, which has been a Pro exclusive for years.
Display: The Pro models get slightly larger screens and still feature 120Hz ProMotion displays, a feature reserved for premium phones. As I said above, adaptive refresh is nice, but Apple’s 60Hz displays are still pretty good. And all phones get the only new feature this year: brightness that drops down to 1 nit.
Design: Once again, the iPhone 16 Pro models are made of titanium, as opposed to the aluminum of the standard models. (Though the Plus models are still slightly heavier than their standard counterparts.) The designs are also very similar to last year’s model, but the standard models benefit from a much smaller and thinner camera array.
Colors: The Pro colours are again very dull and drab while the standard models have much more vibrant hues. I ordered the teal, and after using Natural Titanium for the last 12 months I am looking forward to seeing some colour.
Otherwise, the phones are essentially the same: 5G, faster MagSafe charging, and of course, Apple Intelligence. Apple has significantly narrowed the gap between the standard and Pro phones this year, and while I’ll miss some Pro features, the iPhone 16 Plus has almost everything I need. So I’m going to give the standard iPhone a year to try. And save a few hundred dollars in the process.
To help you choose your next iPhone, read our iPhone comparison chart where we compare all the iPhones. We also look at the iPhone 16 vs. iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 15 vs. iPhone 16.
