Once we reviewed the iPhone 16 Professional final 12 months, Apple Intelligence was barely out there. Since then, the iPhone 16 series has benefitted from a number of new options, apps and enhancements. Some (or most) of them had been Apple Intelligence options that had been teased again at WWDC 2024, months earlier than the iPhone 16 Professional launched.
AI options weren’t the one adjustments this time round, with the iPhone 16 getting a completely new button. The so-called Digicam Management wasn’t only a easy app shortcut, however an elaborate multifunction button that supplied a haptic half-press and the power to swipe throughout to regulate digital camera settings and choices.
Managing Editor Cherlynn Low mentioned we had been nonetheless ”waiting on Apple Intelligence” in our preliminary evaluate. Now, as we hit iOS 18.4, was it well worth the wait?
iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence to this point
Apple Intelligence was late, arriving as a part of iOS 18.1 again in October 2024. Preliminary generative AI options included writing instruments like proofreading and rewriting, in addition to textual content summaries and stay transcription for telephone calls and voice notes within the Notes app. A number of months later, iOS 18.2 gave us the Apple Intelligence options that made a lot of the headlines when first introduced at WWDC. That included ChatGPT integration, AI picture era in Image Playgrounds and Genmoji.
Beginning with iOS 18.1, one of the vital controversial Apple Intelligence options is definitely my favourite: Notification Summaries. It’s try at taming the wild west of numerous group chats throughout a number of messaging apps, calendar reminders, Substack pings and all the things else.
You need not replace each particular person app for Notification Summaries to kick in. As quickly as iOS 18.1 landed, my messy WhatsApp chats had been streamlined. I assumed it cute when my iPhone informed me a good friend had laughed at my remark, and urged the place we might meet and a date. That was distilled from a ten-message barrage they’d despatched.
It’s not excellent, although. Apple needed to make clear that notification summaries are AI-generated, and make that clearer beyond a small Apple Intelligence icon. This was after the BBC complained about a number of summaries that twisted the content material of a few of its headlines. I’ve additionally had notification summaries that incorrectly guessed the topic of a sentence or complete subject of a thread, however on the entire, it’s a helpful utilization of AI smarts.
There are extra pure language hooks throughout most of iOS 18, too. Now you can seek for pictures within the Photographs app with descriptions, dates, location and extra. These natural-language smarts tackle a distinct operate with writing instruments, courtesy of Apple Intelligence. Regardless that I’m not a very clear author (hey, Cher), these writing instruments aren’t all that helpful. I haven’t used them a lot past fast e-mail responses to work requests and occasions, however the means to proofread, rewrite or verify tone might show helpful to some.
The writing instruments additionally work contained in the Voice Memos app, which may now transcribe conversations, conferences and extra. Right here, it helps make issues extra concise, with choices to show transcripts into summaries, key factors, lists and even tables. If the recording is evident sufficient and so they’re not too lengthy, iOS 18 does nicely on these transcriptions. A number of instances, the iPhone 16 Professional straight-up declined to summarize a transcript. Why? All I acquired was a notification that the instruments “aren’t designed to work with the sort of content material.”
Elsewhere, Apple struggles to meet up with AI improvements on rival gadgets. Like Google Pixel’s Magic Eraser (and all the opposite Android riffs), Clear Up now permits you to scrub out distracting parts and photograph bombers out of your pics. Nonetheless, the outcomes aren’t fairly as much as the usual of the competitors. Generally, nevertheless, it nails it.
Some Apple Intelligence options have pale into the background after an preliminary buzz. Picture Playground presents the power to AI-generate your personal pictures and had loads of customers itching to get off the beta waitlist to mess around with the app. After a little bit of testing, nevertheless, I haven’t used it within the months because it launched.
There may be a future for Playgrounds inside iOS, although. As an illustration, Apple’s Invites app helps you to embed Picture Playground outcomes inside your occasions, which is useful if you happen to don’t have a photograph as an instance the invitation. As a standalone app, nevertheless, it doesn’t fairly ship sufficient to stay on my dwelling display. It’s gone the way in which of GarageBand, Pages and Apple Maps on my iPhone.
Genmoji, alternatively, is simpler to make use of, and I take advantage of it typically. With it, you’ll be able to create your personal emoji reactions with particular folks, objects and backgrounds. I have already got a number of established favorites, like me consuming cereal and a chronically late good friend with clocks within the background, and I’ll in all probability proceed to make emoji as life calls for it. For instance, a passenger behind me on a flight to Barcelona final month had three cats together with her. So, I made a cats-on-a-plane Genmoji. Precisely what Tim Cook dinner meant.
Some software program options are additionally particular to the iPhone 16 Professional collection (and the 15 Professional). Digicam Management apart, the brand new button additionally presents entry to Visible Intelligence with an extended press. Visible Intelligence is Apple’s tackle Google Lens, tapping visible AI smarts to research what your iPhone is pointing at. It might probably acknowledge textual content, like phrases on menus, and even translate for you. In the event you get fortunate, it’ll even establish the skin of a restaurant and (with some ChatGPT energy) let you know the opening hours and what sort of delicacies it presents. It’s significantly efficient in figuring out landmarks, however busy scenes can rapidly derail it. Sadly, you’ll be able to’t faucet on a selected object within the body to make clear specifics. Nonetheless, the power to create calendar occasions from a poster is fairly cool — even when I often overlook to make use of it.
That’s Apple Intelligence, for now. There are a number of sensible touches, however to this point, it isn’t outstanding. I credit score Apple’s makes an attempt to make most of its AI options both processed on system, or related to the corporate’s Personal Cloud Compute, which makes use of bigger server-based fashions. Apple has reiterated that your information isn’t saved throughout these requests. Even with ChatGPT integration, if you happen to don’t use an account with OpenAI, solely your request and attachments are despatched to ChatGPT. Your Apple Account and IP handle aren’t shared with OpenAI. Apple’s cope with OpenAI means the latter can’t use your request to enhance or prepare its fashions, both.
The patchy arrival of iOS options, particularly Apple Intelligence, isn’t search for the corporate.
Nonetheless, the remainder of iOS 18 continues to ship beneficial new options and upgrades to the iPhone expertise, just like the aforementioned Invitations app, further content material (and video games) for Information+ subscribers and my favourite function for the reason that AirPods launched noise-cancellation, the power to nod or shake your head to halt Siri bulletins, Health prompts and even decline calls. I’m a busy man!
Cameras and Digicam Management
With Digicam Management, Apple has launched its most intriguing interface change for the reason that short-lived 3D Touch.” That tech, if you happen to forgot, supplied haptic suggestions in your display tapping throughout the iPhone 6 period. Digicam Management acts like a correct guide digital camera button, even after I understand it combines a bodily button with elaborate contact sensors. This allows deeper controls by swiping throughout it or semi-pressing.
Immediately, it really works as a primary digital camera app launcher, similar to the iPhone’s Motion button has executed in recent times. Already, it’s higher positioned, although, decrease on the suitable fringe of the telephone, prepared to your thumb if held vertically, or index finger when held horizontally. It goes past being a launcher, although. Swiping throughout it helps you to alter zoom, publicity and even toggle the brand new Photographic Type choices. Then, a half-press works as a strategy to affirm your settings.
Relying on how you employ the iPhone’s digital camera, a number of the settings won’t deserve their place inside the Digicam Management’s menus. Whereas I typically tinkered with Publicity and Zoom, Photographic kinds are simpler to regulate from the iPhone within the regular touchscreen approach. I’m additionally not going to meddle with simulated f-stops when taking candid photographs of my family and friends.
Like Apple Intelligence, Digicam Management launched incomplete. When the iPhone 16 Professional first went on sale, it lacked a half-press focus like ye olde conventional cameras, and it took until January 2025 for an AF-AE lock to arrive through iOS 18.3. The function, nevertheless, stays buried in settings and needs to be toggled on.
It really works nicely although. You faucet on an object you’d just like the iPhone to give attention to, maintain the button midway, and it’ll lock publicity and focus for so long as you retain your finger down – like a digital camera. It’s irritating that we needed to wait this lengthy for what looks as if a core operate of Digicam Management.
To be satan’s advocate – and it’s an argument usually leveled at AI options, each Apple Intelligence and elsewhere – did you want Digicam Management? Given how a lot I take advantage of my telephone’s cameras, I would argue {that a} digital camera launcher is price factoring into the {hardware}. However the Motion Button coated that.
Digicam Management additionally appeared like a ‘professional’ iPhone function, so it’s stunning to see it throughout all the system lineup, barring the newer iPhone 16e.
One other change price noting is that the iPhone 16 Professional acquired digital camera parity with the bigger Professional Max this 12 months, with a 5x optical zoom I take advantage of more often than not. After all, this is not a outstanding function if you happen to had been already utilizing an iPhone 15 Professional Max. However if you happen to favor the smaller of the 2 Professional choices, other than battery life, there’s no purpose to cease you getting the cheaper iPhone 16 Professional.
Repairability and longevity
I haven’t needed to restore my iPhone 16 Professional to this point, and there aren’t any pronounced scratches on the 6.3-inch display or physique. Whereas I’m additionally a case dweeb, I don’t use display protectors — I haven’t wanted to. The most recent iPhones do include much more repair-friendly {hardware} and insurance policies if the worst had been to occur. Anecdotally, based on my expertise the titanium physique and Apple’s Ceramic Defend remedy on the show do appear to make this era of ‘professional’ iPhones harder than its predecessors
Apple’s new Restore Assistant, designed to handle components pairing points, lets each you and restore professionals configure new and used Apple components straight on the system, without having to contact Apple personnel on the telephone to make sure iOS performs with new components.
One other enchancment, whereas not a part of the 16 Professional, is battery removal. On each the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, the battery might be launched from its enclosure by operating a low-voltage present by the iPhone’s battery adhesive. Nonetheless, the iPhone 16 Professional’s battery is now encased in aluminum, making repairs much less fraught, and defending the battery extra when uncovered to restore instruments. I haven’t needed to put it to make use of but, however the firm’s elevated willingness to embrace right-to-repair is headed in the suitable route, particularly after its sluggish response prior to now.
Six months on, the 16 Professional’s barely larger battery is holding up, with the one I’ve nonetheless displaying it’s at full well being. I’m a heavy telephone person, and 256 cost cycles later, iOS says it’s nonetheless at one hundred pc capability, which I discovered spectacular. If I would like to switch the battery, I’m heartened that it’s simpler than ever on an iPhone.
Wrap-up
The iPhone 16 Professional is without doubt one of the finest smartphones out there. But when there’s a selected space the place Apple’s telephones are missing in comparison with the flagship competitors, it may be the messaging and the advertising. It took too lengthy for Apple Intelligence to land on gadgets. If Apple Intelligence hadn’t been so key to Apple’s presentation each at WWDC and the iPhone 16 launch occasion, the delay wouldn’t look so dangerous.
Intriguingly, we’re at a time when the likes of the Galaxy and Pixel collection have by no means felt extra like iPhones. Or do iPhones really feel like Android telephones? I’m unsure anymore. Both approach, we haven’t seen rival gadgets mimic the Digicam Management button.
I respect that a number of the brand new options and additions don’t appear to clog up the iPhone expertise. Don’t look after digital camera filters? You’ll hardly ever see them. Need to swap the Digicam Management button for one more operate? Go forward. Need to prioritize Messages notifications, however not WhatsApp messages? Go wild.
With a lightweight, robust titanium construct, there’s nonetheless a tangible premium really feel to the iPhone 16 Professional, in comparison with the aluminum iPhone 16. The identical might be mentioned concerning the cameras, with a 48-megapixel ultrawide sensor and 5x optical zoom, which the bottom iPhone can’t match. Performance-twise, the bottom iPhone 16 now delivers the Dynamic Island and Digicam Management, which makes a ‘professional’ iPhone slightly tougher to outline. For the iPhone 16 collection, it boils right down to extra premium supplies and a strong zoom digital camera.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cell/smartphones/iphone-16-pro-longterm-review-apple-intelligence-134517480.html?src=rss
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