Apple has made their basic smartphone, the iPhone 16, even more Pro compared to the iPhone 15. In fact, the Pro level given in my opinion is better than the iPhone 16 Pro Max. This makes it even more worthwhile for anyone upgrading an older iPhone to the iPhone 16. The question is, do you need spatial video recording capabilities, the use of Action Buttons, Camera Control and new color options?
SPECIFICATION AND DESIGN
Apple iPhone 16
6.1″ OLED screen, 2556 x 1179 (460 PPI)
60Hz, 2000 nits, Dolby Vision,
CPU/GPU A18 (3nm)
CPU
6‑Core, 2+4
GPU
5‑Core
NPU
16-Core
Memory 8GB RAM
Storage
128/256/512GB
48MP Fusion Rear Camera, ƒ/1.6, sensor‑shift, 2x Telephoto
12MP Ultra Wide Angle, ƒ/2.2, 4x Optical Zoom
Front Camera 12MP ƒ/1.9
TrueDepth
Audio Stereo speakers
Face ID biometrics
IP68 protection
3,561mAh battery
Wired 27W
MagSafe 25W
Qi2 15W
Price of 128GB – RM3999
256GB – RM4499
512GB – RM5499
Only with this iPhone 16 you can show that you are using a new iPhone because of the vertical camera design compared to the slanted iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 Pro Max which still looks more or less the same as the old generation.
Overall, the iPhone 16 still looks like the same iPhone. It's just because of the camera arrangement and the presence of two new buttons, the Action Button and Camera Control, that this iPhone 16 looks a little different. The Ultramarine Blue color that I used also still looks beautiful and pleasing to the eye even though at the beginning I was reminded that this color would make me feel bored quickly.
With no more Mini models, the iPhone 16 is indirectly the new iPhone with the smallest size. It no longer has the same screen as the iPhone 16 Pro which is now slightly larger.
USAGE – Screen, iOS 18/iOS 18.1, Apple Intelligence
For the screen, this 6.1-inch OLED panel with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision is almost on par with the screen of a more premium flagship device. The screen is beautiful and bright enough for any use. Watching movies on Netflix, looking at photos on Instagram, editing videos – everything fits. The only thing I don't like is the display of HDR images with dynamic brightness, where parts exposed to light become brighter than other parts of the same image.
Yes, the iPhone 16 still does not use LTPO technology and is limited to 60Hz maximum refresh rate. Apple then made iOS 18 animations faster and smoother which gives the illusion of 60Hz on this iPhone faster than the previous generation
During the use of this iPhone 16 for several weeks, I found that iOS 18 is very empty and there is not much new. What I can conclude is that iOS 18 is now more Android with deeper customization capabilities. For example, more colorful icons, changing the size and location of icons that can be placed anywhere. Other changes are not so significant and many do not exist in Malaysia.
Because of that, I installed the iOS 18.1 Public Beta to test the capabilities of Apple Intelligence as well as new features that can take advantage of the A18 chip on the iPhone 16. I chose the Public Beta because after testing it on the iPhone 15 Plus, I am confident that it is safe for daily use. Although it is still in the testing stage, I can say that Apple's artificial intelligence technology integration into iOS is more perfect than what Samsung or Google did in their Galaxy and Pixel devices.
First, text generation through Writing Tools is as simple as typing - select text - press the AI tool and select through easy-to-understand icons such as Proofread, Rewrite, Friendly or can also be rewritten in paragraph, list, and many more formats. Most applications with a typing space can take advantage of this feature. The next feature that I appreciate the most is the notification summary which is simpler than the Scheduled Summary. Many notifications from the same application will be collected and summarized with one-line sentences to easily know the level of importance.
I also often use the Memories feature in the Photos application which has a unique animation like a science fiction movie. In addition to often trying to use Clean up to remove foreign objects in the picture with AI. Series with new animations is also more fun to use because it's more interactive, again with faster performance – but it's still clumsy and can't process complex questions.
What I can say with iOS 18 is, if you haven't used an iPhone in a while and the iPhone is a second device – iOS 18 and above will definitely give you a fresher experience. You just look in the system settings even more organized. I can say that if I don't often manage files, iOS 18 is an almost perfect smartphone operating system.
iPhone 16 also comes with more stable Internet connection capabilities. Regardless of WiFi, 4G or 5G, in areas of my home where connectivity is often problematic – the iPhone 16 still receives enough network for video streaming. The use of GPS is also better, with accurate turn-by-turn directions and can lock the location quickly. Phone calls with a studio-quality microphone are already answered with the microphone on the earphones.
GAMING – A18 Benchmark, Console Gaming
The A18 is a new chip and the iPhone 16 does not use the A17 Pro chip on the iPhone 15 Pro as the iPhone 15 uses the iPhone 14 Pro chip. This is probably because Apple doesn't want to use the term Pro on a regular class iPhone. Even so, the capabilities of this chip are truly Pro. With 8GB of RAM memory, this smart and efficient iOS memory management makes the iPhone even better.
Here are the Apple A18 benchmark scores when compared to some other flagship chips such as the A18 Pro, Dimensity 9400 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
Geekbench 6
Apple A18 – 3143/7659
Apple A18 Pro – 3359/8129
MediaTek Dimensity 9400 – 2663 / 8959
Apple A17 Pro – 2793/6925
Tensor G4 – 1916/4644
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 – 2329/7526
Apple A16 Bionic – 2634/6761
MediaTek Dimensity 9300 – 2071/5032
Geekbench AI
Apple A18 – 3987 / 7059 / 5507
Apple A18 Pro – 4516/7744/6204
MediaTek Dimensity 9400 – N/A
Apple A17 Pro – 3705 / 6515 / 5696
Tensor G4 – 2058 / 2017 / 3129
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 – 1704 / 1829/ 2773
Apple A16 Bionic – 3514 / 6128 / 5344
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – 1642 / 1674 / 2474
MediaTek Dimensity 9300 – N/A
AnTuTu 3D
Apple A18 – 1,537,278
Apple A18 Pro – 1,720,751
MediaTek Dimensity 9400 – 2,629,017
Apple A17 Pro – 1,542,050
Tensor G4 – 1,016,712
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 – 2,200,000
Apple A16 Bionic – 1,457,779
MediaTek Dimensity 9300 – 1,852,552
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
Apple A18 – 3698
Apple A18 Pro – 4560
MediaTek Dimensity 9400 – 6251
Apple A17 Pro – 3746
Tensor G4 – 2567
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 – 4717
Apple A16 Bionic – 3355
MediaTek Dimensity 9300 – 4067
Just look at this benchmark score, it's like a flagship device chip whose device is sold at a price above RM5000 while the iPhone 16 starts at below RM4000. This powerful chip is also capable of processing various AI tasks and most AI features by Apple will be processed from within the device. I just hope that in the future there will be many third-party applications that can take advantage of the A18 chip and the iPhone 16 for AI features that are all processed offline.
This is the iPhone 16 with the A18 chip which is quite Pro. Although this iPhone is not a Pro price and the chip does not have a Pro name, AAA class games are still supported. You want Resident Evil 4 or Stray? If you're into Hideo Kojima, the Death Strading game is also supported on the iPhone 16. It's just that this console-level game will have first-class graphics with controls that feel a little weird and awkward.
CAMERA – Camera Control
Apple representatives do not want to admit that Camera Control is a button. In this review, I'll just call it a button. Yes, it is indeed a button with a clickable component. In addition to being pressed, it also detects touch for drop-down gesture controls as well as slow-press and hold controls. The first week of use felt very awkward, the second week I got used to it. I really take advantage of this Camera Control. The result of the picture is as follows.
Despite only having two main sensors, the iPhone 16 camera looks very pleasing to the eye. The quality and color profile are still consistent with details managed to be well preserved. The uniqueness is that, starting from iPhone 16 – the introduction of Tones and Styles makes each user now have a more distinctive image quality and result. Each shot will have a more personal personality and story.
12MP selfie example
Auto mode during the day.
2x zoom during the day.
Auto mode with Standard Styles.
Examples of inconsistent macros.
4x zoom example with random Styles.
Example of auto mode with Dramatic Styles.
An auto night mode with multiple LED lights that looks beautiful on an iPhone but full of noise on a computer.
Night mode pitch black atmosphere with limited light source is still difficult to process.
A portrait mode that remains consistent with details well preserved.
Auto mode with professional looking Stark B&W Styles.
Ultra wide angle mode that is quite attractive and of good quality.
Auto mode with cinematic style.
Auto mode with good focus and color.
For video, of course the iPhone is still the king of video recording. There is no doubt that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, Pixel 9 Pro XL and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra are already capable of recording quality videos. But for consistent quality, easy-to-edit format, hard-to-artifact recording results – the iPhone 16 still deserves to be crowned champion.
BATTERY – Qi2 25W, Wired 20W
The battery life and charging process of the iPhone 16 which is sold at a starting price of RM3,999 makes me angry with the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL which I bought for more than RM6000. How does the iPhone 16 with a battery of around 3500mAh have a longer durability, that is reaching 1 day and a half? This is for light use with heavier use giving durability of around 7 hours.
Not only that, when I used the 100W GaN charger – my iPhone 16 charged at a very fast rate of around 1 hour exactly compared to the Pixel 9 Pro XL which sometimes took over 1 hour 30 minutes. Don't forget that iPhone 16 wireless charging supports Qi2 15W and MagSafe up to 25W. The Apple I know now is no longer stingy like the Apple I knew before.
IN THE BOX
Here's what comes with every iPhone 16 purchase in Malaysia. This year is unique because the Apple sticker is no longer given out this year.
Apple iPhone 16
1m USB-C to USB-C charging cable
Manual
CONCLUSION
If you are still using iPhone 13 and below, yes this iPhone 16 is worth it. While if you're using an iPhone 14 it's only worth it if you want USB-C. If you're still with the iPhone 15, please don't go into debt just because of these two new buttons. iPhone 16 is undeniably an attractive iPhone, fresh design, terrible performance, Pro-level camera with audio editing support, as well as great AI features.
Because the selling price of iPhone 16 is cheaper than last year, I strongly recommend you to choose this model if you want to try new features. But if you still want to save, the old stock new iPhone 15 Pro may still be on sale – but trust me – you're better off just giving the iPhone 16 Pro a go. As for the comparable Android device, it has to be the Google Pixel 9. But if you want to save money and want a powerful device and a great camera system – the Xiaomi 14T is sold at a price starting at RM1899 which is definitely enough for the majority of users.
PROS & Advantages
Fresh new design.
Powerful new chip, fast and smooth.
Quality camera system for video and photos.
Useful Action Button and Camera Control.
The battery is very long lasting.
Quality screen.
CONS & Drawbacks
The screen is still limited to 60Hz.
Still many interesting features are limited to the Pro model.
Many new features are in Beta testing.
Charging is still slow 27W.