My Disappointing iPhone 16 Pro Experience, and Why I’m Waiting for the 17
Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, available in four titanium finishes, aimed to push boundaries but left me underwhelmed.
I’ve been an Apple fan for years, happily using everything from my Apple Watch to nearly every iPhone since the 4. Naturally, I was excited about the iPhone 16 Pro models, Apple’s newest top-tier phones. However, after living with both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, I have to be honest: they missed the mark for me this year. From an awkward new design to half-baked features, the 16 Pro series has been more frustrating than fun. Here’s my personal take on why the iPhone 16 Pros felt lackluster, and why I’m already looking forward to what the iPhone 17 might bring instead.
Bigger and Heavier, But Not Better
When Apple announced the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s 6.9-inch display, the largest iPhone display ever (Apple), I was intrigued. In theory, more screen real estate sounds great. In practice, though, the larger size and added weight turned out to be a drawback. Both new Pro models are noticeably heavier than their predecessors, despite retaining the supposedly lightweight titanium frame.
“The 15 Pro was nearly the perfect weight with the emphasis on Titanium” – Tristan Pope
According to Apple’s own tech specs, the iPhone 16 Pro weighs 199 g (up from 187 g on the 15 Pro) and the 16 Pro Max is 227 g (vs 221 g on the 15 Pro). That’s roughly a 6% weight increase on the smaller Pro and 2.5% on the Max, effectively undoing much of the weight savings we got last year with the 15 Pro’s titanium design. Apple had boasted about a nearly 20 g drop moving from the 14 Pro Max to the 15 Pro Max (Tom’s Guide), but now they’ve crept back up.
What happened to “TITANIUM?!”
Ergonomics have really suffered on the 16 Pro Max. The device is taller and a bit wider to accommodate that 6.9-inch screen, and I immediately felt the difference. It throws off the balance of the phone, making it very top-heavy and unwieldy to hold comfortably.
“Apple’s sudden obsession with bigger phones with the requisite weight increase begs the question of comfort.” – Tom’s Guide
For me, the answer is clear: it’s not comfortable. The 15 Pro Max was about the upper limit of what I could use one-handed; the 16 Pro Max crosses that line. Even the standard 16 Pro, which grew from 6.1″ to 6.3″, feels less handy than before.
Wired’s review echoed this, noting the size bump “makes the iPhone 16 Pro Max too unwieldy.” – Wired
I found myself constantly adjusting my grip, and after a week my wrist and fingers were feeling the strain. An extra 2 mm of display (diagonal) simply isn’t worth the trade-off if it turns a phone into a hand cramp machine.
The screen didn’t give enough “new real estate” and iOS doesn’t utilize it enough for this to be a mature move.
Stellar Battery Life, The One Saving Grace
If there’s one aspect where the iPhone 16 Pro models truly shine, it’s battery life. Apple clearly stuffed larger batteries inside (partly explaining the weight gain), and the results are outstanding. In daily use, both the 16 Pro and Pro Max easily get through a full day, and then some. In fact, the battery performance is arguably the best ever on an iPhone.
Apple even touted the 16 Pro Max’s endurance as “the best battery life on iPhone ever” (Apple), and independent tests back that up.
“The iPhone 16 Pro lasted 18 hours 17 minutes on a single charge, outlasting last year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max (which managed ~14 h 53 m).” – Reddit
Yes, you read that right: the smaller 16 Pro beat the 15 Pro Max from last year in longevity. As for the big 16 Pro Max, it’s a battery beast, it kept going “and going, and going.”
“The 16 Pro Max lasted a whopping 25 hours 17 minutes. It just kept going and going.” – Reddit
That is an unprecedented result for an iPhone, blowing past the 15 Pro Max’s already solid battery life by around 10 extra hours! In practical terms, I could forget to charge the 16 Pro Max overnight and still comfortably get through the next day. This insane endurance was honestly the highlight of my experience, the one area where I had zero complaints.
Apple Intelligence, All Hype, No Show
This year was supposed to be Apple’s big AI debut with Apple Intelligence. Instead, it felt delayed, gated, and largely irrelevant for iPhone 16 owners. Many flagship features aren’t shipping until later, and the ones that exist don’t feel compelling in daily use.
“At launch, it’s looking like the iPhone 16 lineup… won’t have any Apple Intelligence features at all. We have to wait for them to arrive in iOS 18.1… and then wait until early 2025 for the full Siri 2.0 experience.” – TechRadar
Even now (months later), the so-called intelligent features have been slow to roll out and not very game-changing. Siri’s supposed upgrade (the rumored “Siri 2.0”) is still largely MIA, and the bits that have arrived (like on-device transcription and email drafting) feel minor.
One review noted the “unfortunately shaky rollout of Apple Intelligence has taken away some of [the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s] shine.” – TechRadar
As someone who follows tech closely, I expected Apple to maybe introduce some next-gen AI tricks, but there’s been little to speak of. In daily use, the 16 Pro doesn’t feel any “smarter” than the 15 Pro did. Apple’s AI push this year was a flop in my book.
Camera Control Button, A Missed Shot
Apple touted the new Camera Control button as a breakthrough, allowing functions like zooming, focus, or shutter control. In reality, it’s an awkwardly placed, capacitive “button” that feels more like a software experiment than a true hardware upgrade. Positioned where no experienced photographer would want it, it caused more frustration than creativity.
“Normal cameras usually have the button towards the edge of the device, whereas it’s closer to the middle on the new iPhone. Hence the weird way [one has to hold] the device.” – Reddit
The gestures, tap, hold, swipe, double-tap, sound clever, but in practice, they’re unintuitive. As someone who’s held countless cameras, I can’t imagine this design being signed off by anyone with professional shooting experience. I turned it off on day one, and I don’t miss it.
“I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve accidentally touched that button. It’s infuriating, and I’m here because I’m looking for a way to disable it.” – Reddit
Touchscreen Edge Issues, Thin Bezels, Thick Problems
The iPhone 16 Pro models feature record-thin display bezels, which look fantastic, the screen practically stretches edge-to-edge. But this design has an annoying side effect: it introduced touch sensitivity issues along the edges of the screen.
Users widely reported “taps and swipes seemingly being ignored” on the 16 Pro, attributed to iOS 18 rejecting touches because your hand is grazing the edges., 9to5Mac
I noticed it almost immediately when I tried to place the cursor at the very start of a line of text or drag-select text that extends to the screen’s edge. Often, the touch wouldn’t register, or the phone would act like I wasn’t touching it at all. Apple has since rolled out updates that improved it somewhat, but even today I occasionally curse at the phone for not recognizing an input that I know I pressed correctly.
Bright Spots
Despite frustrations, a few things did impress me. Battery life on both Pro models is excellent. The iPhone 16 Pro matches last year’s 15 Pro Max endurance, while the 16 Pro Max lasts far beyond expectations.
“Battery life on the 16 Pro Max is insane, easily the best I’ve ever had on an iPhone.” – Reddit
Microphone quality is also stellar. Voice recordings for notes, vlogs, or even professional use sound crisp, natural, and balanced.
And Photographic Styles, Apple’s Lightroom-like, non-destructive editing baked into the camera, remain a personal favorite. I love being able to tweak styles after the shot, like applying my own presets, without permanently altering the file.
“It truly felt like having my Lightroom presets built right into the Photos app, I could get the aesthetics I wanted in-camera, yet still have the freedom to adjust later.” – Personal experience
These three features, battery, microphones, and flexible photographic styles, are the real highlights of the iPhone 16 Pro lineup.
Photographer’s Frustration, and Hope
As a photographer and filmmaker, I rely heavily on iPhones in my professional workflow. I shoot reviews, tech videos, and even pet / human portraits with them. That’s why these missteps sting. The iPhone 16 Pro cameras are good, but the form factor changes feel like Apple worked against creators this year.
Cinematic Mode, for example, still isn’t practical. It doesn’t suffer from subject separation, has some of the best after filming abilities to re-edit capture points, but has become slow processing and clunky handling compared to simply shooting with a longer focal length lens. It’s been sidelined and underdeveloped, a tool with potential, but not worth the workflow hassle.
“Cinematic Mode is a gimmick at this point, slow to process and not worth it over regular shooting.” – Reddit
Even with frustrations, I still use the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Pro every single day, for my reviews, my tech channel, YouTube content, and plenty of my pet photography and professional shoots. Apple gear is deeply woven into my workflow, so I can’t just walk away from it. The cameras are still excellent, the mics are fantastic, and the editing flexibility with Photographic Styles is something I lean on constantly.
But the truth is, the overall form factor and adjustments this year felt like steps backward. The ergonomics, the weight, the awkward new “button”, even the unfinished AI push, they all add up to an iPhone that feels less refined than its predecessor. And when you’re holding it all day to shoot, edit, and publish, those missteps become impossible to ignore.
Photographic Styles – The Unsung Hero
If there’s one feature that made me stop mid-eye-roll at the iPhone 16 Pro and actually smile, it was Photographic Styles. I don’t think Apple gets enough credit here. For years, iPhones have had that “Apple look”, photos baked in with Apple’s signature color science, contrast, and warmth. Beautiful? Sure. Flexible? Not so much.
Photographic Styles changed that. Suddenly, I had the ability to treat my iPhone camera like Lightroom on-the-go. The fact that these styles are non-destructive, adjustable after the shot, and can be dialed in with intent instead of slapped on like a filter, that’s massive. It’s the difference between an Instagram filter and an actual editing preset.
“Being able to tweak Photographic Styles like you would with custom presets in Lightroom is a game-changer. It’s not a gimmick, it’s a workflow.”
I used this constantly, not just for professional shoots but even for casual photos of my pets. One moment I’d want something cinematic and moody, the next I’d switch back to crisp and natural for product shots on my channel. The fact that I could change my mind later without destroying the photo’s integrity felt liberating. It finally gave me some of the control I’ve always wanted without having to export everything into third-party apps.
If Apple leans into this, makes styles even more customizable, integrates them better with video, or gives us community sharable style packs, we’re looking at the next major step for mobile photography. For now, though, Photographic Styles are one of the few features of the iPhone 16 Pro I’d call a genuine win.
Looking Forward to iPhone 17
This year wasn’t Apple’s finest. Between awkward ergonomics, a gimmicky new button, poor edge handling, and a disappointing AI rollout, the iPhone 16 Pro lineup feels more like a stopgap than a leap forward.
But there’s hope. If Apple can refine the size and weight, fix touch accuracy, reimagine the Camera Control button, and finally deliver robust AI features, the iPhone 17 could redeem this misstep. For creators like me, what matters most is Apple pushing photography and videography forward, and making the phone a joy to use, not a strain.
“The iPhone 17 needs to be about refinement, not gimmicks.” – MacRumors
Until then, my 16 Pro will soldier on, slightly too heavy, occasionally infuriating, but still an iPhone at heart. And as every Apple fan knows, there’s always “next year” to look forward to.
