iPhones, for my part, aren’t actually designed to be upgraded yearly. Clearly, Apple is joyful for hardcore followers and the uber-wealthy (and my good friend Lewis) to splash the money each time a brand new mannequin is introduced, however the fee of spec bumps and new options lends itself to a noticeable enchancment within the person expertise provided that you wait two or three generations between upgrades.
And so, after I upgraded from the iPhone 15 Plus to the 16 Plus final month, I wasn’t anticipating any enormous adjustments. And for essentially the most half, I used to be proper.
As I defined in my improve ideas article, the design is barely nicer however mainly the identical; the Motion button hasn’t made a lot of a distinction to date; Digicam Management doesn’t really feel like a lot of an improve; and the additional processing energy isn’t noticeable in real-world use. As for Apple Intelligence, it’s lastly arrived, nevertheless it’s lacking options and nonetheless wants a ton of time earlier than it may be a critical competitor to Gemini and different rival AIs.
However there may be one actually important improve I’ve observed, and it has to do with the digicam. Not Digicam Management or Visible Intelligence— the precise digicam.
Issues which have stayed the identical
Now, more often than not, and in most contexts and capturing circumstances, your images will look the identical. That is sensible for the reason that fundamental lens stays 48MP and f/1.6. (The ultra-wide lens has been bumped from f/2.4 to f/2.2 so we’d anticipate barely higher efficiency there, nevertheless it’s nonetheless 12MP.)
As you’ll be able to see on this shot, colour replica, and vibrancy are mainly an identical throughout the 2 units.
Right here’s a shot of a much less colourful object so you’ll be able to concentrate on the readability and degree of element.
What about tougher capturing circumstances? Once more, we must always anticipate the 2 units to deal with advanced or troublesome lighting with roughly the identical aplomb since they each function Sensible HDR 5. The 16 Plus has a sooner processor which might in idea imply extra computational energy being utilized to this course of, however I couldn’t see any distinction when capturing bushes silhouetted towards the solar:
And what in regards to the front-facing digicam? Is that any completely different? Not likely. In each circumstances, we’re working with a 12MP, f/1.9 lens.
Macro perspective
Right here’s the place pictures has modified dramatically: macro efficiency is miles forward.
Stand up shut and the iPhone 16 Plus flips to a macro pictures mode (you’ll be able to inform this has been engaged as a result of a small flower icon seems within the backside nook), bringing the topic into sharp focus. It’s extremely spectacular.
It’s good for nature pictures. It’s additionally very useful in case you paint little fashions and take images of them for social media.
Truthfully, it’s uncommon to get such satisfyingly completely different take a look at images when evaluating two telephones. And to see this throughout a single technology is sort of exceptional.
So there you go. The improve from iPhone 15 (or in my case 15 Plus) to iPhone 16 (or 16 Plus) is in the principle an expertise outlined by numerous small tweaks and minor iterative enhancements. However the brand new macro mode has an infinite impression on close-up pictures, and if that’s a precedence for you it is a buy effectively price making.
And in case you’re concerned with iPhonography, you is likely to be concerned with our information to the finest iPhone cameras.
