Hands-On With the New iPhone 16

[Saturn007]

Whoa! The touch screen button sounds overly engineered and tricky to operate.

Double-click to snap is counter-intuitive; yet, having to click once, and, then, click-and-hold for video is worse.

Far better would have been: Click once to snap photo — and simply click-and-hold for video. That would make more sense and come more naturally.

Are there any settings to change the behavior?

I agree 💯% with stocklen. This is another iteration of a needless feature and reminiscent of the flawed, underused Touch Bar. It will either be gone in a few years or replaced by yet more complicating controls Or a bigger “button”!

The whole beauty of taking photos with the phone or iPad is using the screen — tap to focus, slide to change exposure, and tap to take the photo.

 

[klasma]

Long-pressing to get an instant video is a great idea. I don't see anything bizarre about it.

”Long” and ”instant” kinda contradict each other.

 

[BigBlur]

The Camera Control button is confusing because it's a button? Every camera I've ever owned has a button for taking the picture (it is called a shutter button" for a reason)!

I think Dan is saying it's confusing because it's like a button on a button...or rather, a trackpad on a button. If you push hard, you trigger the physical button (no problem there); but if you don't push/tap hard enough, you won't trigger the capacitive button/taps. Dan thought it was purely capacitive like the way the Trackpads work.

This reminds me of the early Touch ID days when the Home button physically moved. Some people struggled with that until they learned how much pressure was needed for their fingerprint to register without triggering the Home button.

This video is so weird. The button is clearly meant to be used when holding the phone in landscape. It never even occurred to me to use in portrait before watching this video, which oddly seems to be obsessed with taking portrait photos. The only time I take portrait photos is a relatively close up picture of a human subject. Otherwise it is all landscape, as photography should be. I'll be using the Camera Control in landscape 98% of the time, and stick to the on screen control for portrait, which is more comfortable.

If you haven't seen the keynote, the whole section about Visual Intelligence used the Camera Control button in portrait mode.

 

[boak]

The whole beauty of taking photos with the phone or iPad is using the screen — tap to focus, slide to change exposure, and tap to take the photo.

Not just for taking photos. The iPhone’s original buttons were straightforward to use, without the need to look up what each single click, double click, hold, button combinations do. The simplicity was gorgeous compared to the competition.

The UX is piss-poor when you have to look up how to shut down your phone.

 

[cateye]

This video is so weird. The button is clearly meant to be used when holding the phone in landscape. It never even occurred to me to use in portrait before watching this video, which oddly seems to be obsessed with taking portrait photos.

Someone tell Apple, then.

If you go to Apple.com, then and click "Learn More" for both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, and scroll down to where it talks about Camera Control, the photos Apple features of it in-action (meaning, "here's a hand holding the phone using the button to take a picture") are evenly split between portrait and landscape.

Worth remembering that the fastest growing video format on social media is TikTok/Shorts-style portrait.

Yes, as an old school photographer myself, I agree the rise of portrait video is a travesty, but who are we to dictate? It's how people use their devices—this is not some weird abstract idea, it's reality. So the device's design should follow function.

 

[vnisarg1]

Is there a reason why Apple’s website still shows the pre-order page? Also, availability of the inventory in stores had not updated as of an hour ago.

 

[GermanSuplex]

Waiting beginning at 8am for a phone that’s only delivery window is by 7pm today. So I can probably expect it around 6:45pm. 😆

UPS sometimes has live tracking in their app, not for this delivery though, darn it.

 

[axantas]

Your $3500 viewmaster?

Yes - I cancelled the luxury, shiny 4000$ aluminum car rims and whitewall tires for my old Toyota and got something else...

 

[Mity]

The teal color looks beautiful.

 

[Randel.D]

1. The audio changes in that video to me are the most impressive part. When he applied the first audio filter it really did what Apple said it would do in their announcement video. I like it!

2. With these phones becoming so advanced, how many years off are we from just being able to sit down in front of a computer monitor/keyboard/mouse with our phone, plug in our phone, and have a full desktop computer experience? I feel like these things are possible with the technology today, only held back by companies not wanting to kill a huge chunk of their business model (making personal desktop computers practically obsolete). Maybe I don't know the limitations holding the tech back and surely this isn't the right thread for this, but every time a new phone comes out I have this thought. Like, just put the M4 chip in my phone, let it be my phone when it's in my hand and let it be a mini-mac-mini when it's docked.

 

[cateye]

With these phones becoming so advanced, how many years off are we from just being able to sit down in front of a computer monitor/keyboard/mouse with our phone, plug in our phone, and have a full desktop computer experience?

It's been available for some time via Samsung's Dex system, where when plugged into an external monitor with a keyboard and mouse, it changes to a more desktop-inspired interface. Another example would be how you can take an iPad and plug it into a TV and it will adapt to the larger screen with different aspect ratio. Add a mouse and keyboard and it's very desktop-like.

The limitations are two fold: As you said, Apple would much prefer you buy an iPhone, iPad, and Mac. They're not going to let the iPhone act as all three, even if technologically possible. Profit above all. Secondly, differing use-cases often require a different operating system. Look at the debate over whether an iPad can truly replace deep computer workflows with a mobile-inspired OS (and mobile-inspired Apps).

 

[CheffyDude]

For me, the camera button is going to be problematic. I keep clicking it- it's really in a bad spot. It should have been on top of the phone.

 

[P-DogNC]

"You're holding it wrong!"

The camera control button is designed for people to hold their cameras and take videos properly, which is landscape format. Vertical videos are a total anathema, and devices should be designed so that such videos cannot even be filmed. Our eyeballs are aligned horizontally, not vertically and cinemas are low spreading buildings, not towers. That's why one finds it "awkward" to use the camera control button when one holds the phone vertically. It is not really designed for amateurs to more conveniently film fluff pap TikTok videos, although it can excel at that task.

 

[Zest28]

iPhone 16 Pro = Camera with a phone basically.

 

[P-DogNC]

For me, the camera button is going to be problematic. I keep clicking it- it's really in a bad spot. It should have been on top of the phone.

The camera control button is located on top of the phone, when you hold the phone correctly to make a video properly, which is landscape format.

 

[citysnaps]

So much negativity here. Everyday. I wonder if it disappoints MR writers who put a ton of time into every story they create/write?

Hat-tip and thanks to all of them!

 

[jblank]

Nice hands-on article and video. Appreciate all you do.

 

[axantas]

So much negativity here. Everyday. I wonder if it disappoints MR writers who put a ton of time into every story they create/write?

Hat-tip and thanks to all of them!

This is a problem I see in the VisionPro forums even more. I do not understand it. Too many peoply just frustrated about everything, not able to contribute something positive.

I relly DO appreciate the stories here. I do not agree with everything, but others do.

If you do not like broccoli, do not criticize its existence - do not buy or eat it.

EDIT typo...

 

[HornOfAbraxas]

The camera control button is located on top of the phone, when you hold the phone correctly to make a video properly, which is landscape format.

I hope you're being facetious because landscape is not the only "proper" way to take a video; some subjects call for portrait orientation just as they do in photos. Hopefully you don't take all your photos in landscape orientation?

 

[swester]

The teal color looks beautiful.

Was going to post the same - everyone's talking about ultramarine, but Teal is absolutely fantastic.

 

[Johnny907]

This year's iPhone 16 is the biggest upgrade for a standard model that we've seen in some time.

How? I'm looking at this video, looking at my 14, and other than a couple buttons, a gimmicky "zoom" feature and some AI features that were artificially locked to the newest phones I'm not really seeing 900 dollars worth of differences. Photographic styles? Yeah there's other apps for that. Active island? Gimmick, and it was on the 15 last year.
So yeah that's a bold statement without much substance to back it up, like you're channeling Tim Apple himself.

 

[Entilzha]

How? I'm looking at this video, looking at my 14, and other than a couple buttons, a gimmicky "zoom" feature and some AI features that were artificially locked to the newest phones I'm not really seeing 900 dollars worth of differences. Photographic styles? Yeah there's other apps for that. Active island? Gimmick, and it was on the 15 last year.
So yeah that's a bold statement without much substance to back it up, like you're channeling Tim Apple himself.

Faster processor. 8 gb ram. Upgraded camera modules. Better battery. Macro photo taking. Dynamic Island. USB-c. Action button. WiFi 7.

Seems like some decent upgrades to me.

 

[JoeShades]

Definitely an upgrade from iPhone 7 Plus. I don’t understand the complaints about size. This is smaller than the 7 plus

 

[svish]

The base models are good. Like the brighter colours.

 

[JoeShades]

Where can I get the most money for my iPhone 7 Plus in good condition?