Apple’s new iPhone 16 Pro brings joy and disappointment

The Apple community is preparing to experience the latest, highest-spec iPhone hardware, a new physical user interface around the camera, and the transformative power of AI. While these things will delight, they all come with a hint of disappointment.

The specs may be higher than the iPhone 15 models they replace, but they’re not significantly higher. The display can be slightly dimmer and slightly brighter depending on your needs. The A18 Pro chipset is faster than the A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro, which was already more than enough to handle most of the phone’s needs. Apple has increased the memory to support the new AI tools, and battery life has improved when watching videos.

All are bigger and friendlier than they were twelve months ago, but none of them feel like progress. Instead, Apple has kept up with broader industry trends, and as the only iPhone maker, those looking for something a little better have no choice but to buy an iterative update.

But there is one area in which Apple has shown great innovation.

After introducing a programmable action button on the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max last year, Apple went all-in on buttons. The action button is now available on all four iPhone 16 models, with a second capacitive button added. The camera button works like the shutter button, but its capacitive nature allows it to offer multiple functions, all at the touch of a finger.

This includes exposure and depth of field controls, as well as photo filters, zoom, and switching between photo and video modes. There’s no doubt that the camera control button is a welcome addition to the interface. Forbes contributor David Phelan picks this one change as a game-changer for photographers:

“There’s a learning curve here, but it’s shallow and easy to master. And the results are amazing — it’s hands-down the best way to shoot video and photos on iPhone, with perfect button placement and fast, responsive mechanics in Control itself.”

The camera button is one of the highlights of the new iPhone design, but it’s probably the only significant addition to the package. Does one button make a feast?

Of course, there is one elephant in the smartphone room that is revolutionizing the space. The use of generative AI.

The iPhone 16 family was announced as the first to be built for Apple Intelligence. The use of generative AI in smartphones entered the public consciousness with the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro in October 2023, with the second generation of the software being launched in August 2024.

Since then, Apple’s generative AI system — clumsily retroactively called Apple Intelligence — has been shown off to the press twice by Apple, first at its June Worldwide Developer Conference and then during the launch of the iPhone 16 family itself. It’s still not available for public release, though.

The first elements of generative AI will appear on iOS in the v18.1 update scheduled for October, while the iconic ChatGPT will not be added until December, and basic functionality, like on the Android platform, may be available in March 2025.

The most significant innovation in the smartphone space won’t be available to iPhone users until next spring. At the same time, most Android users will not only see the full first-generation generative AI suite, but will also receive updated second-generation software.

Even with the most generous interpretation of the “Apple isn’t first, but Apple is best” myth, Apple has fallen behind in AI and is still struggling to catch up.

AI has changed the game on smartphones, and Apple promises that Apple Intelligence will do just that when it finally arrives. There’s no way to tell yet whether Tim Cook and his team have got that right.

The Camera Control button has improved the camera game. However, it would be remiss not to mention that the software on it is not ready yet, and key features (like half-press to maintain focus) are expected in a later update, but Apple has not given a timeline.

Finally, Top Trumps, by bumping up every spec by a few percentage points every year, gives us longer battery life, brighter screens, faster processors, and more memory.

There are moments of wonder, the promise of something more, and the allure of the Apple brand. Ultimately, the iPhone 16 Pro — and the entire iPhone 16 family — is little more than an iterative update of last year’s iPhone 15 Pro.

Read more about Apple’s decision to reduce the quality of iPhone 16 models in Europe…