The iPhone 16 Pro: A Tale of Minor Upgrades and Unmet Expectations

As the dust settles on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max reviews, one thing is clear: while Apple has made some incremental improvements, the overall design remains largely unchanged. The question on everyone's mind is whether these minor tweaks are enough to warrant an upgrade. Florence Ion from Gizmodo takes a pragmatic approach, recommending the iPhone 16 Pro only for those who are due for an upgrade and are looking for the latest and greatest features. For those still using an iPhone several years old, the upgrade is a no-brainer. However, for those with the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, there's little reason to make the leap. Wired's Julian Chokkattu, on the other hand, found the differences between the 'Pro' models and the non-Pro models to be minimal. He notes that the lack of a 120-Hz screen refresh rate on the iPhone 16 is a notable omission, but aside from that, the experience is largely similar. The iPhone 16, he argues, simply looks better.Nilay Patel from The Verge is not convinced that the new device is worth upgrading from last year's 'Pro' models. He praises the new Camera Control and Action button, but notes that they are not game-changing. Even without Apple Intelligence, the company's latest devices are not 'bad' at all. However, he suggests that there's little reason to upgrade unless you're excited about the new Photographic Styles and tone control. CNET's Patrick Holland has a more positive outlook, highlighting the improved battery life and new camera as major upgrades. However, he notes that getting 128GB of internal storage for $999 is a bit of a stretch, and the color options are not particularly impressive.