iPhone 16 Pro For those who are disappointed

[Sami13496]

Let’s be real. Apple has already made the iPhone an insanely good device. So, the upgrades we see now are more about polishing than anything else. Better cameras, faster chips, slightly longer battery life—it’s all nice, but nothing that’ll make your current iPhone feel ancient. Unless you’re still rocking a much older model, you’re probably not missing out on much.

And speaking of cameras, isn’t it a bit ridiculous how Apple markets them? Sure, they’re always a little better each year, but most of us aren’t out there shooting Hollywood-quality films on our phones. The ads show these incredible shots and videos that the average person just isn’t taking. For everyday use, the camera improvements from year to year are barely noticeable.

So, if your iPhone is working just fine, don’t feel like you have to upgrade just because a new model is out. Apple’s software support is solid, so your phone will keep getting updates and stay relevant for a while. Unless you’re a hardcore tech enthusiast or your phone is really showing its age, skipping an upgrade is perfectly okay imho.

In the end, iPhones are evolving at a steady pace, and that’s a sign they’ve reached a high level of maturity.

So my advice would be: Upgrade when it makes sense for you, not just because of the hype.

 

[leoliang9892]

Counterpoints:

1. "insanely good device": iPhone is good, but the competition is catching up, and has already caught up and surpassed in some areas. AI being one of them (at least right now), which is why Apple spends so much time redoing demos of Apple Intelligence.
2. I can choose not to upgrade and still be disappointed. Those two things don't go against each other. I wish Apple could make me want to give them money for a new device that I am excited about. For many, that is not the case here.
3. I don't agree there is little room for improvements. There are still many quality-of-life things that could have worked on: Faster charging speed, better thermal, better cellular reception, etc. Those are a few things that (some phones on) the Android side does better, and Apple could improve on that. Also, Apple was known for shocking the world with innovation, and that feeling has been lost on the iPhone lineup over the past few years.
4. Honestly, my biggest issue with this one is that they spend so much time on Apple Intelligence, but the features won't be available for like a quarter (some of them half) of the time between now and the next iPhone. If you are gonna market the phone with AI features as a key selling point, the majority of it gotta be ready day one. Google Pixel has made their selling point about AI improvements with each gen, and they rarely do that "available later" thing that Apple has been doing.

 

[RandomTox]

Also, Apple was known for shocking the world with innovation, and that feeling has been lost on the iPhone lineup over the past few years.

Apple stopped innovating as soon as Tim Crook took over the company.

 

[sunapple]

Buying an iPhone 5 when the 6S launched could have been considered a bad deal, but those days are over for sure. And that is a great thing. I get the feeling people just need to burn that cash every year.

I will say though that those niche camera features on the Pro models do make sense for models carrying a Pro name for once.

 

[Surfsalot]

Thanks Dad

 

[Zwhaler]

Let’s be real. Apple has already made the iPhone an insanely good device. So, the upgrades we see now are more about polishing than anything else. Better cameras, faster chips, slightly longer battery life—it’s all nice, but nothing that’ll make your current iPhone feel ancient. Unless you’re still rocking a much older model, you’re probably not missing out on much.

And speaking of cameras, isn’t it a bit ridiculous how Apple markets them? Sure, they’re always a little better each year, but most of us aren’t out there shooting Hollywood-quality films on our phones. The ads show these incredible shots and videos that the average person just isn’t taking. For everyday use, the camera improvements from year to year are barely noticeable.

So, if your iPhone is working just fine, don’t feel like you have to upgrade just because a new model is out. Apple’s software support is solid, so your phone will keep getting updates and stay relevant for a while. Unless you’re a hardcore tech enthusiast or your phone is really showing its age, skipping an upgrade is perfectly okay imho.

In the end, iPhones are evolving at a steady pace, and that’s a sign they’ve reached a high level of maturity.

So my advice would be: Upgrade when it makes sense for you, not just because of the hype.

You're totally right and Apple doesn't owe us yearly updates.

My theory is Apple is afraid to innovate too fast. Under Steve, Apple was seemingly iterating the iPhone as quickly as possible. After Steve, Apple is afraid to update everything in one year. They update selectively and save some other things for next year when they could have improved them this year if they really wanted to.

I think Apple is afraid that if they updated everything that they know they could so quickly that they would run out of things to innovate for next year and disappoint investors.

I think it's actually the opposite. By innovating faster and not worrying about what features to "save" for next year's iPhone all the dang time, Apple would pull ahead even faster and be more financially successful. Remember, this is the mentality that put Apple and the iPhone on the map in the first place.

 

[NotApplicable]

I don't know where these "let me offer you unsolicited life advice" posts are coming from

Are you really writing this to yourself? Because I (as I suspect the case for a vast majority of people) have no issue making the purchasing decision myself. There is no internal psychological pain caused by my decision to upgrade from a 15PM to a 16PM this year.

 

[Zwhaler]

I don't know where these "let me offer you unsolicited life advice" posts are coming from

Are you really writing this to yourself? Because I (as I suspect the case for a vast majority of people) have no issue making the purchasing decision myself. There is no internal psychological pain caused by my decision to upgrade from a 15PM to a 16PM this year.

Relevant username.

 

[Predtek]

Seriously? Insanely good?

Slow as F charging speed.
Hot as F charging temperatures.
Gets hot as F while using the phone more intensively.

I literally put it in the freezer for five minutes from time to time when I need to charge it.

iOS 18. All those garbage features like leaving icon spaces blank for what the F? How about letting me add an extra column of icon?

Written by an iPhone user since iPhone 3GS, upgraded to every model except for iPhone 5. Now seriously thinking about switching to my alternative phone Honor Magic V3. (It folds up with the same thickness of a non foldable iPhone)

 

[NotApplicable]

Seriously? Insanely good?

Slow as F charging speed.
Hot as F charging temperatures.
Gets hot as F while using the phone more intensively.

I literally put it in the freezer for five minutes from time to time when I need to charge it.

iOS 18. All those garbage features like leaving icon spaces blank for what the F? How about letting me add an extra column of icon?

Written by an iPhone user since iPhone 3GS, upgraded to every model except for iPhone 5. Now seriously thinking about switching to my alternative phone Honor Magic V3. (It folds up with the same thickness of a non foldable iPhone)

Farewell!

 

[Flowstates]

Seriously? Insanely good?

Slow as F charging speed.
Hot as F charging temperatures.
Gets hot as F while using the phone more intensively.

I literally put it in the freezer for five minutes from time to time when I need to charge it.

iOS 18. All those garbage features like leaving icon spaces blank for what the F? How about letting me add an extra column of icon?

Written by an iPhone user since iPhone 3GS, upgraded to every model except for iPhone 5. Now seriously thinking about switching to my alternative phone Honor Magic V3. (It folds up with the same thickness of a non foldable iPhone)

The diatribes of the terminally online.

 

[Harmonious Zen]

Farewell!

Yup, see ya! Go hang out on the Android forums. Why bitch and moan on here.

 

[YoungTheKing]

18 ios turns your iphone into a brand new one. It is free.

 

[azhava]

I'll make it even more simple: For those of you who are disappointed, nobody is forcing you to buy it. 🤣

 

[Predtek]

OK I apologize for moaning here. It is never about Apple VS Android and it never should be. Not for me. It is the quest for a better personal computer.

iPhone 15 Pro Max:

1). So heating up is not an issue for you guys? Not even talking about running games. Just switching between a few apps and while charging. Instead, they make a faster wireless charging Magsafe? May be I am wrong. The original Magsafe charging makes the phone even hotter. May be they have fixed this on iPhone 16 Pro? Sorry about that.

2). iOS 18 let you do a bunch of homescreen customization but it doesn't allow more icons on a page. Why? And they also took away the Landscape homescreen mode since years ago.

3). A "real" fast charging. How can Apple not have this after a few generations? No one gets disappointed?

I do like iPhones, Macs. They are the best all rounded. But I want it to be better. May be I am wrong about that?

That's all. Keeping the 15 pro for now since winter is coming. I can use a hand warmer.

 

[Torty]

„Apple has already made the iPhone an insanely good device“

Nope. No AI with only 6GB. Most „insanely good devices“ don’t have enough Ram.

 

[maerz001]

OK I apologize for moaning here. It is never about Apple VS Android and it never should be. Not for me. It is the quest for a better personal computer.

iPhone 15 Pro Max:

1). So heating up is not an issue for you guys? Not even talking about running games. Just switching between a few apps and while charging. Instead, they make a faster wireless charging Magsafe? May be I am wrong. The original Magsafe charging makes the phone even hotter. May be they have fixed this on iPhone 16 Pro? Sorry about that.

2). iOS 18 let you do a bunch of homescreen customization but it doesn't allow more icons on a page. Why? And they also took away the Landscape homescreen mode since years ago.

3). A "real" fast charging. How can Apple not have this after a few generations? No one gets disappointed?

I do like iPhones, Macs. They are the best all rounded. But I want it to be better. May be I am wrong about that?

That's all. Keeping the 15 pro for now since winter is coming. I can use a hand warmer.

1) yes they applied a new graphene cooling system in the 16

2) you pick up one feature, but apple added dozens of other customizable features in ios18

3) the rumor is that 45W is possible. We will see next Friday

 

[zakarhino]

The counterpoint is the rate of progress of Chinese smartphones. For a while everyone smirked with the excuse that China is just catching up by copying existing tech but now they're right at the intersection of taking over, in many departments they already have. I'm not just talking about foldables (like Huawei's tri fold or Honor's Magic V3 that nearly matches the thinness of an iPhone when folded), but I mean their regular slab phones.

I've seen photography comparisons between leading Android phones (Pixel, Samsung), the iPhone, and some of the flagship Chinese phones and the Chinese phones blow everything out of water in many shooting scenarios. Some Chinese flagships are officially at point and shoot levels of quality with none of the tell-tale signs of "computational photography" processing which I'm starting to get really sick of on iPhone. Before someone chimes in and says iPhone/Samsung/Pixel are already point and shoot levels of quality, no they're not, just go take a look at the latest point and shoots from Sony for example. I was looking at point and shoot photos I took in 2010 that have better color rendering and realism than what iPhone shoots today.

That's what I was hoping for with the 16 Pro Max and the rumored new Sony sensor (which didn't end up happening). I was hoping for a generational leap in iPhone photo processing, a stark upgrade from what most phones in the US market currently deliver. Something that gives the latest Chinese flagships a run for their money. Sadly that didn't happen.

Give it another 3-5 years and the Chinese phones will be ahead in many categories to the point that it's undeniable.

Make no mistake that the trickling of features in iPhone has nothing to do with "smartphone stagnation" or any other excuse people like to make. It's simply because Apple don't feel the need to spend more on R&D for iPhone because everyone in the US is locked in to the ecosystem. Apple know unless there's some breakthrough technological paradigm from a startup that hits them out of left field, people using iPhone today will still be buying iPhone in 10 years. Combine that with the stats on how many teens around the world use iPhone why would you be head of heels panicking about falling behind technologically. You wouldn't care.

I don't want to live in a world where people keeping their iPhone for 5 years is something we justify because of 1) lack of genuine innovation and 2) people can't afford upgrades. Point 1 is entirely on Apple, they are consciously deciding NOT to push the iPhone to the cutting edge. I want the rate of technological improvement to be full steam ahead.

There's less of an ecosystem lock in effect in China (thank God) so there's fewer reasons for people not to switch to a domestic brand there. China will save the iPhone by force. Thank you Chinese market, you're the only thing keeping Apple up at night (other than falling behind in GenAI)

 

[Jackbequickly]

Until the next big leap in technology, it will be incremental updates for now on. The 16 is depending on software we don’t even have yet.

 

[JoeG4]

And speaking of cameras, isn’t it a bit ridiculous how Apple markets them? Sure, they’re always a little better each year, but most of us aren’t out there shooting Hollywood-quality films on our phones. The ads show these incredible shots and videos that the average person just isn’t taking. For everyday use, the camera improvements from year to year are barely noticeable.

I love it lol. You can shoot high quality pictures and movies**!!

(**with a WHOLE LOT of aux lighting)

 

[Pakaku]

It's a mature product, and they're so over-tuned that I don't feel like I'll be missing out on anything new at this point.

 

[iPhone2019]

Nobody is stopping Apple from adding bigger camera sensors like a 1-inch main camera sensor or 16GB of RAM. The extra RAM is needed when running large language models or would come in handy in a DeX-mode where the iPhone could run macOS. 16GB is nice to have when video editing in macOS. Tandem oled and USB4 are other things they could add. They are now behind in the GPU department as well as having fewer CPU cores than the competition. I still prefer the iPhone, but it would have been fun to have the latest and greatest tech in an iPhone. iPhone 17 Ultra perhaps?

 

[ediks]

Nobody is stopping Apple from adding bigger camera sensors like a 1-inch main camera sensor or 16GB of RAM. The extra RAM is needed when running large language models or would come in handy in a DeX-mode where the iPhone could run macOS. 16GB is nice to have when video editing in macOS. Tandem oled and USB4 are other things they could add. They are now behind in the GPU department as well as having fewer CPU cores than the competition. I still prefer the iPhone, but it would have been fun to have the latest and greatest tech in an iPhone. iPhone 17 Ultra perhaps?

it would be great, but if they did all this now, what could they add later? its annoying l, but i kind of get it, but they definetely could’ve raised the RAM to 12 GB now, if the 8gb is the bare minimum, that’s a bummer (12gb ram exclusive feature coming next year i guess )

 

[iPhone2019]

it would be great, but if they did all this now, what could they add later? its annoying l, but i kind of get it, but they definetely could’ve raised the RAM to 12 GB now, if the 8gb is the bare minimum, that’s a bummer (12gb ram exclusive feature coming next year i guess )

There will always be newer and better versions of everything.

 

[Dave245]

They are allowing the competition to catch up, with the Pixel 9 range Google has made some great devices. Samsung, Google and other companies are making foldable's, Apple is still using the same design. This is coming from someone who is heavy in the ecosystem, I was disappointed with the iPhone event.

Tim Cook stood there in the video and said the "all new design" for the Apple Watch, it's the same design only thinner. AirPods Max "update" was an absolute joke and an insult to all of us who were waiting for a proper update. The whole event was just like Apple couldn't even be bothered. Hell even Apple Intelligence isn't coming out with the new iPhones.