Apple made its cheapest iPhone 16 so good there aren't many reasons you'll need the Pro version
- Early testers seem to favor Apple's iPhone 16 over the Pro models.
- The iPhone 16 includes notable upgrades like the customizable Action button.
It looks like the iPhone 16 is making a good first impression on tech industry insiders, but maybe too good a first impression.
Early reviews of Apple's new iPhone — which is released to the public on Friday — are in, and it seems like the cheaper models are earning more praise than the top-of-the-line Pro and Pro Max. Unlike previous years, when the Pro was clearly more updated than lesser models, the basic iPhone 16 has more notable upgrades. That might bode badly for Apple's top line if shoppers overwhelmingly choose the less-costly models.
Engadget's Cherlynn Low noted that there are fewer significant trade-offs between the Pro and non-Pro models in this iPhone lineup, and Nilay Patel, editor in chief at The Verge, went as far as to call the iPhone 16 Pro "one of the most unfinished products Apple has ever shipped."
The iPhone 16 comes with the customizable Action button that was previously exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro models. It also has the new Camera Control button that brings DSLR-style controls to the smartphone.
The iPhone 16 starts at $799, and the iPhone 16 Plus costs about $899. Although there was a lot of hype about Apple Intelligence coming to iPhones, the artificial intelligence software won't begin rolling out until October across all the new models.
Sales for the first weekend the iPhone 16s were available to preorder were down an estimated 12.7% year-over-year from the iPhone 15's release weekend, according to Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst in Taiwan known for his Apple predictions.
"The key factor is the lower-than-expected demand for the iPhone 16 Pro series," he wrote.
That's because "the major selling point, Apple Intelligence, is not available at launch alongside the iPhone 16 release," Kuo said.
And the standout AI features (like the more personal Siri assistant) may not be available until next year, so it's understandable why early reviewers might be reluctant to recommend lining up for the $1199 iPhone 16 Pro Max when it launches in-store on Friday.
The big differences that make the Pro more premium than regular iPhone 16 models are the higher resolution screen, ProMotion camera quality, and better microphones.
"It's a good year for the basic iPhone, and it's a good year to upgrade," The Verge reviewer Allison Johnson wrote.
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus come in five colors: ultramarine, teal, pink, white, and black. The Pro models come in four titanium finishes: desert, natural, white, and black.
So if you want a colorful iPhone, you won't have to sacrifice much more than camera quality, according to reviews.
With Apple Intelligence on the horizon, it makes sense to want a phone capable of running it — only iPhone 15 and 16 models can do so.
But for now, at least, it sounds like reviewers are leaning toward saving a couple of hundred bucks by upgrading to a basic iPhone 16 over the Pro model.