iPhone 16 Pro 8 to 16 Pro: Honest review and heartbreaking reality

[SteveJawbs]

Battery life sucks. 21% left after

It sounds to me like you really don't like change. I hope you do get used to it eventually though.

Nope. There are around 5 glaring simple UI features missing from the transition to the 16 pro that are so easily fixed.

The inability to see Bluetooth battery level and the alarm at all times is my biggest gripe. Such simple things I no longer have.

Things you get used to and rely on that were important for Apple to provide 7 years ago now don’t matter. It’s just sad that we cannot customize the UI in deeper ways.

Im finding that typing in safari boxes as I’m doing now does not allow me to put the cursor in granular placement but selects words instead. This is beyond annoying. Must be a UI bug because I can’t use safari to type with ease any longer.

So many little things just add up.

Not the end of the world.

I’ll live. 🎻🥂🎻

 

[SteveJawbs]

I have tiny Oompa Loompa hands and I have no trouble using giant phones. You’ll get used to it. Either that or get a PopSocket.

So hard to believe but glad you can manage.

So many things I could do one handed I no longer can.

Definitely don’t have oomph loompa hands but do have an Augustus Gloop lust for chocolate.

 

[SteveJawbs]

I hate big phones too and am sticking with my 13 Mini. iOS 18 still runs very fast on it so I don’t see the need to. It’s a bit frustrating that Apple can sell 4 separate ones and they all have to be massive.

So bizarre and true to force gigantor phones on us.

I’m going to live with the 16pro. But perhaps a 17 6.1 is in my future.

The 8 will always live on like a Celine Dion song.

 

[DunedinD]

I cannot believe control center has no action button and is placed on the upper right.

Simply terrible design.

i totally forgot about Back Tap until yesterday. It’s only a partial solution to this because you still have to reach the right side of the screen but at least you can get into Control Centre, and you can at least move things you use most often closer to the left in iOS 18 if you want that. https://support.apple.com/111772

 

[brofkand]

Yeah, people do underestimate the amount of years of usefulness. If I lose access to some apps, like banking or social media, it'll be slightly inconvenient but not a huge issue, I'll just hotspot and use my laptop for those things.

It's like people think their Mac or iPhone will turn to dust when Apple stops supporting it with software updates. Totally false. If you like your phone, keep it as long as you want.

 

[iRizz]

So hard to believe but glad you can manage.

I have my mother's hands, and she's a tiny Hispanic woman.

So many things I could do one handed I no longer can.

That is an issue with the bigger phones, but I've gotten very good at handling the larger device. PopSockets do help, though. My PopSocket mount broke in my car, so I stopped using it, but it makes one-handed things more feasible. It won't ever be like a smaller device, though. I tried going back to a smaller iPhone, but I actually ended up hating it because I've gotten used to the massive screen real estate.

Definitely don’t have oomph loompa hands but do have an Augustus Gloop lust for chocolate.

I have that problem as well.

 

[splifingate]

pop socket

Inquiring minds want to know

 

[Tyler O'Bannon]

I find this hard to believe. I’m not hating. I’ve had every phone since the 8 generation (I had a X), except for the 14 Pro Max.

There have been noticeable and enjoyable improvements even there. So it’s just hard to even imagine an 8 being enjoyable at this point, much less preferred.

I do understand the size regarding hands but tech wise the difference is tremendous

 

[iRizz]

Inquiring minds want to know

You just stick them to the back of the phone and it makes them easier to use with one hand:

PopSockets | The Original Phone Grip | MagSafe Grips, Wallets, Cases

Phone grips, stands, cases, mounts, wallets, and wireless chargers. Take better photos, text with one hand, and prop your phone for videos and video chat.

www.popsockets.com

 

[teh_hunterer]

Nope.

Yep 😅

Seen and felt it many times before. But hopefully in time you'll see the good changes too.

 

[Night Spring]

I cannot believe control center has no action button and is placed on the upper right.

I use Assistive Touch to open control center. It's handy for putting many other functions within quick reach.

Use AssistiveTouch on iPhone

With AssistiveTouch on iPhone, you can adapt the touchscreen to fit your needs—if certain gestures don’t work for you, replace them with a tap or other gesture, or use a simple sound.

support.apple.com

Note: Apple's description of this feature makes it sound more involved and esoteric than it is. It it basically a customizable menu that is invoked by a floating button you can place anywhere along the edge of your screen.

 

[Dylan33x]

I respect your feelings and preferences. I myself have a lot of odd preferences for older Apple devices, and all my iPads have the older design language. It’s so much more enjoyable to use.

I have an SE3 as an alt phone, and it is quite literally an iPhone 8 with upgraded specs. It’s honestly what you should have gotten in the first place, but I definitely see why you didn’t.

as others have said, in time could most likely adapt to the 16 pro, and end up loving it overall. But honestly imo, you should get the SE3 and enjoy it while you can. If I’m not mistaken it has the same chip as the 13 Mini, and chances are this is your last few years to enjoy a modern iPhone 8. I used it today, and the design truly is elegant. But once it’s no longer supported, you’ll most likely be forced to adapt to the larger screen world we live in, at least if you want to stick to iPhone. You would probably enjoy the 13 mini as well, but as another person said, the notch is definitely more intrusive than the island, at least in most respects.

You seem like someone resistant to change, at least somewhat. Others will tell you to shut up and adapt. There is a lot to love about modern iPhones. The 13 Pro & 14 pro are truly incredible devices. But my vote is definitely for you to get an SE3 and ride it till the wheels fall off.

 

[SteveJawbs]

I use Assistive Touch to open control center. It's handy for putting many other functions within quick reach.

Use AssistiveTouch on iPhone

With AssistiveTouch on iPhone, you can adapt the touchscreen to fit your needs—if certain gestures don’t work for you, replace them with a tap or other gesture, or use a simple sound.

support.apple.com

Note: Apple's description of this feature makes it sound more involved and esoteric than it is. It it basically a customizable menu that is invoked by a floating button you can place anywhere along the edge of your screen.

Found the back tap option. Works well but my oh my, how udderly goofy.

I’ll try your option as well.

But why not a customizable UI ribbon like Windows 95 had 30 years ago.

 

[subjonas]

As an alternative to Pop Socket has anyone used Snap Grip? Haven’t tried myself but looks interesting. It’s much thinner and has MagSafe pass through. More expensive though.

Snap Grip

Grip. Stand. Charge. Stick. Works on all phones. MagSafe® compatible with wireless charge-through. Designed to match the look and feel of your expensive a$$ phone and thinner than your camera bumps so you won’t snag it on your pockets. Plus, it's magnetic so you can mount it anywhere.

ohsnap.com

 

[eoblaed]

I am envious of people that can use these one handed.

(talking about the max sized phones)

I don't think anyone does ... not as a default mode anyhow. Sure, there might be some people with abnormally large hands that can do it comfortably, and some of us do a few things on the phone one handed, but for broad usage on the phone, it's usually a two handed deal (or set down in front of you). I was concerned about losing easy one-handed use when the 6 Plus came out, but, well, see below

So I have had the 16 Pro for less than 24 hours and I’m already Googling how to return and go back to an old iPhone with big red.

For what it's worth, when the 6 Plus came out, the first 'large' iPhone, it took me about three days to get used to the larger size and come up with ways of using it that I was comfortable with. I was concerned that I wouldn't adapt to it and would 'have' to return it for a 6 despite the fact that the 6 Plus had a better camera system. My fears were unfounded, I adapted in less than a week, and now you couldn't pry my large phones away from me.

FID is fine. Even though I believe our photos will be compromised by it at some point.

The phone doesn't take your photo to store for FaceID recognition. It's a mathematical pattern that's stored in a Secure Enclave that nothing has direct access to and that never leaves the phone. Even when FaceID is being checked, e.g.to log you into your phone, the FaceID system generates a new pattern of dots from your face at that moment, hands that to the Secure Enclave and asks "is this the person it's supposed to be?". Nothing is able to pull that data out of the Secure Enclave.

My 8 took amazing pics the other day. How much better can it be?

Older phones can take decent pics under perfect conditions (well lit, etc). Newer phones will not only take better pics under those conditions, they will take significantly better pics under less than ideal conditions.

It's all moot if you find the phone unusable due to its size or the way you're used to using the phone, but the upgrades to camera quality, CPU/GPU/NE, screen, etc, are real ... especially when comparing across 7 years worth of new hardware.

Hopefully you can resuscitate your 8, or find another form factor that's to your liking!

 

[QCassidy352]

Thank you all for the mature and non flammable replies.

I’m not alone. It’s good to know people do like having a solid one handed iPhone.

I’m shocked that as I type this I’m down to 76% battery. I left my house an hour ago with 95% and have listened to CNN stream and took a few test videos.

I’ve decided to keep the 16pro. I will take all the tips given here to heart. Will try the Reachability tip first.

It seems many of you are not from the USA and it shows with the thoughtful replies. Not that my fellow US citizens are nasty - but I was expecting alot of pushback from reactionary personalities that use usually US based. Instead, I have many thoughtful replies and understanding.

My 8 booted up bit the charging port is dead. I tried all the cleaning tips but it’s dead. So a wireless charge works and that’s it.

I’ll let it retire. But man, 7 years of flawless use.

It sounds so silly - but it just really is sad that I cannot customize the top ribbon with Bluetooth or alarm. Or can’t move the safsri tabs icon to the left instead of out of reach on the right. Apple could do so much more. Just simple customization opportunities.

It just seems like iOS could be so much better and still seems years behind. Even Windows 95 allowed you to customize the hell out of it with ease. iOS seems so antiquated.

I will live with the 16pro and the feeling of downgrading will always remain.

Its weird how it’s just the same phone as the 8. Safari is the same. Mail is the same. Photos are the same.

I wish the excitement of migrating 7 years later was positive. But I will always keep the 8 close and dear to my heart. What an amazing device Apple produced. Flawless. Reliable. Perfection.

Our phones are a such a huge part of our lives unfortunately - I believe they have done more damage than good - but it’s our shared reality now. We live through our phones. Real life is no longer our reality. It’s why people can’t enjoy a concert without an iPhone in their hand.

When I see the high school track team running and training all the female runners are holding an iPhone max in their hands. It’s amaze that they cannot live without their phones while training for competition. Our phones control us. but again, that is our shared reality. Are we better for it - not sure yet.

If Apple turns evil and uses our data for nefarious means, that will be the darkest day ever. Or, if the hack of the century occurs and iCloud becomes totally compromised. When Zuckerberg was at Harvard he bragged that he had everyone’s private conversations. Elon now has every important political, government and social figures’ of our time data - location, phone number, email address, DMs. Imagine if he was Timmy. Data holds extraordinary power.

3rd world problems indeed.

Enjoy your $1300 toy and shut up guy.

It’s just a GD phone.

☺️🎻☺️

(Apologies to MOD for the tapatalk denacle. Sorry about that.)

The SE3 is the exact same body as the 8 you so adore but with a processor 4 gen newer, 5G support, better battery life, and a host of other minor improvements to the camera, WiFi, and such. Just get one and be happy. It’ll be like your 8 just got reborn in a faster body.

 

[PsykX]

My 8 took amazing pics the other day. How much better can it be?

As beautiful as this picture may be, I'm officially into iPhone Photography since last year and when I was on vacation and forgot my 14 Pro in my room, I took my wife's 13 and I couldn't take the pictures I envisioned in my head because it was lacking features (lens in this case).

It is absolutely night and day between an iPhone 8 and a 16 Pro in the camera department, I wouldn't even know where to begin. Just the ultrawide lens has allowed me for pictures I couldn't have taken otherwise.

 

[frost_horizon]

Battery life sucks. 21% left after

Nope. There are around 5 glaring simple UI features missing from the transition to the 16 pro that are so easily fixed.

The inability to see Bluetooth battery level and the alarm at all times is my biggest gripe. Such simple things I no longer have.

Things you get used to and rely on that were important for Apple to provide 7 years ago now don’t matter. It’s just sad that we cannot customize the UI in deeper ways.

Im finding that typing in safari boxes as I’m doing now does not allow me to put the cursor in granular placement but selects words instead. This is beyond annoying. Must be a UI bug because I can’t use safari to type with ease any longer.

So many little things just add up.

Not the end of the world.

I’ll live. 🎻🥂🎻

I think you can use widgets to see battery levels and alarms. It is not 1 to 1 replacement, but it can be useful.

 

[frost_horizon]

Im finding that typing in safari boxes as I’m doing now does not allow me to put the cursor in granular placement but selects words instead. This is beyond annoying.

I think they changed how it works. But long tap and drag or just using your spacebar as trackpad (long tap on spacebar and then move your finger) should allow you to control caret precisely.

 

[frogleader12]

Battery life sucks. 21% left after

Nope. There are around 5 glaring simple UI features missing from the transition to the 16 pro that are so easily fixed.

The inability to see Bluetooth battery level and the alarm at all times is my biggest gripe. Such simple things I no longer have.

Things you get used to and rely on that were important for Apple to provide 7 years ago now don’t matter. It’s just sad that we cannot customize the UI in deeper ways.

Im finding that typing in safari boxes as I’m doing now does not allow me to put the cursor in granular placement but selects words instead. This is beyond annoying. Must be a UI bug because I can’t use safari to type with ease any longer.

So many little things just add up.

Not the end of the world.

I’ll live. 🎻🥂🎻

performance and battery usually is bad because of background tasks that run when you first get the phone

 

[TechnoMonk]

I suppose that possible but the battery was about 80% capacity when I put it in the draw. I used coconut battery to check.

Apple recommends storing the phone at 50% battery, especially if it is sitting idler for months.

 

[a_drive]

@SteveJawbs, your post REALLY resonates with me.
My GOAT phone is the iPhone SE 1st Gen (the last 4 inch iPhone).
I've tried upgrading to newer phones with larger screen sizes many times, but I keep going back...
iPhone X, iPhone 11, iPhone 15... eventually I give up and go back to the iPhone SE.
It's getting very old now, yes, but it still does what I want it to. It's very small, pocket-sized, and has a headphone jack. For me, that's perfection.

The question is, what to do next? I'm stuck on iOS 15, which still gets security updates... after that?

I am so pleased we share the exact same feelings about the original SE. It’s truly my GOAT phone as well. I also own a 13 mini that I upgraded to on launch day in 2021. Although the tech is by far better than the SE in all respects, I’ve realized nothing comes close to the size of that 1st gen SE and that’s exactly why I keep going back to using it also. When I know I’m with my kids for an extended period and taking lots of pictures (vacation) that’s when I prefer the 13 mini over SE. But for everyday routines (work), it’s the SE hands down. It’s just perfection in your hand and pocket. I do hate iOS 15 on it because I find battery life to be terrible. As a result, I’ve been lately rocking iOS 13.5 and performance is much better (slightly worse than iOS 12). I own so many SE’s as backups and they’re cheap to find used. Call me crazy but I like to restore them by doing housing/battery swaps. I’m glad to know there are a few people like you and I that still love these old gems. OLD BUT GOLD!

 

[Lukomaldini]

I went from a 12 mini to a 15PM. Initially, my little finger was really suffering due to the larger size and weight from one-handedness now it’s completely fine, still not what I would call comfortable but way more manageable. Plus with all that battery life in comparison to the 12 I think it’s a good trade off. Using my wife’s 13 pro feels like a mini to me as the max’s have ruined me for smaller phones. It’s just breaking that muscle memory

 

[ubinko]

I went from a 12 mini to a 16 Pro. The 16 pro is amazing, in almost every way, but damn this thing feels like a brick. How long does it take to get used to the size/weight? I'm wondering if having a case will make it feel better in the hand (more grippy).

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

Well, considering sales figures and the absence of any new <6.1” iPhones, apart from SE3, I wouldn’t expect to ever see smaller than 6.1” iPhones ever again.

Apple increasing display sizes on the Pros and sticking with putting out new Plus models for 3 years (mini only got 2 iterations) should tell you what Apple sells more of and what direction iPhones sizes are going in (all other brands are ditching <6” smartphones too, btw).

You’ll have to settle for SE3 or 13 mini. Although both are bad value/$ on several many parameters compared to the 6.1” iPhones 12 and 13.

Personally, I’ve rarely felt an upgrade made a huge difference to how I use my iPhone. So it’s something I’m doing less and less.

And with that in mind, I’d go for an SE3 or a 6.1” 13, if you can get used to the size, and then just ride it out.

Especially the 6.1” 13 is a great value, miles and miles better than SE3, and heavily discounted almost everywhere.