Apple iPhone 16 Review: Fun, Reliable, & A Work In Progress

You’ve seen the iPhone 16 ads everywhere, right? All about that Apple Intelligence. Well, here’s the kicker—there’s no Apple Intelligence on these phones straight out of the box. Yep, you read that right. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could install the iOS 18.1 developer beta, but I’d strongly suggest you skip that if you don’t fancy dealing with call drops and other glitches. So much for the first iPhones built from the ground up with Apple Intelligence, huh?

But let’s press pause on the Apple Intelligence hype for now. If we strip away the marketing, what we’re left with is the best non-Pro iPhone in the last three years. Fun, reliable, and offering excellent value for money, especially for the average consumer. Let’s be clear though, this phone isn’t aimed at people who already have an iPhone 14 or 15. Nope, this one’s for the iPhone 12 and 13 users (or anyone still holding on to older models).

Apple’s game plan with these iPhones is crystal clear. They’re not trying to break new ground; they’re focused on getting their existing user base of 1.5 billion people to upgrade. If a few new customers jump on board, that’s a bonus. And this strategy is paying off, especially in emerging markets like India. Analysts are already predicting that the iPhone 16 will be a smash hit in India, even if it’s received some lukewarm reviews in the US.

What do people really want from a phone? They want something reliable, with a solid camera, excellent build quality, great battery life, and top-notch performance. And that’s exactly what the iPhone 16 delivers, even if it doesn’t have Apple Intelligence just yet. If those are your priorities, this is the best mainstream phone you can buy—though it’s still a work in progress when it comes to that highly anticipated AI integration.

Colours That Pop and a Familiar Design

Let’s talk aesthetics. The new colours on the iPhone 16 are downright delicious. I’ve been strutting around with the ultramarine blue, and it’s been an absolute blast. It feels like a proper compact smartphone now. But if that’s not your jam, don’t worry—there’s a fun teal and a vibrant fluorescent candy pink to choose from. Apple’s always had a knack for nailing colours, so they haven’t felt the need to make any radical design changes. They did tweak the camera setup a bit, reverting to a vertically aligned array, which optimises the dual-camera system for shooting spatial video—perfect for viewing on the Apple Vision Pro.

While the iPhone Mini has been retired, the iPhone 16 now feels compact by modern standards, especially next to behemoths like the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It’s small enough for one-handed use, which is a joy in today’s oversized smartphone landscape. Built like a tank, this little guy is IP68 water and dust resistant, so no need to worry about durability.

The Display: Good, but Not Quite Great

The display? It’s vibrant, colour-accurate, and gets plenty bright at 2,000 nits, making it easy to use outdoors. It even dims down to just 1 nit for comfortable viewing in the dark. Plus, it supports Dolby Vision, so watching movies or scrolling through social media is a pleasure. But here’s the catch—there’s no 120Hz refresh rate. Apple’s still keeping that as a “Pro” feature, which feels a little stingy when even budget phones now have it. To be fair, iOS animations are smooth enough to compensate, but put it next to a Pro model, and you’ll notice the difference. For most users, especially those upgrading from an older iPhone, this probably won’t be a dealbreaker, but it’s still a feature you’d expect at this price. The speakers are also exceptionally good, so if you’re going to be Netflix and chilling, do warn people around you as this diminutive phone packs a wallop. 

Tougher Than Ever and Ready for the Future

Apple has also toughened up the Ceramic Shield cover glass. First introduced with the iPhone 12, it’s now twice as strong—a welcome upgrade. Now, I haven’t tried to drop-test this (and I don’t plan to), but knowing Apple’s track record, this is likely the strongest cover glass on any modern smartphone.

The internals have had a makeover too. The chassis has been redesigned to better manage heat, house a slightly bigger battery, and support a much more powerful chipset. The star of the show? The A18 processor, built on TSMC’s cutting-edge 3nm architecture. It’s not just faster than the A16 chip in the iPhone 15, it’s also more powerful than the A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The performance gap between the iPhone 16 and the Pro models is minimal.

And wow, this phone is fast. I mean, we all know the iPhone has been the speed demon of smartphones since the iPhone 5S days, but this is still an impressive leap. One of the coolest things about the A18 chip is the ray-traced GPU, which makes games like Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Death Stranding look stunning. The new neural engine, tuned for Apple Intelligence, is ready and waiting for future updates. And with 8GB of RAM—the most ever in a non-Pro iPhone—you’re not going to hit any performance walls anytime soon.

Battery Life: All-Day Champ

Battery life is killer. Despite its compact size, the iPhone 16 easily lasts all day. After five days of testing, it’s clear this phone can go for a solid 24 hours on a single charge. The battery is bigger, the efficiency is better, and the charging speeds have been improved for both wired and wireless charging. No more battery anxiety here.

iOS 18: Customisation Heaven

Even without Apple Intelligence, iOS 18 is a massive update. There are tons of new customisation options that make the OS feel fresh. The revamped Control Centre even has a power button now, and privacy features like Safari’s ad removal give users more control. And this is just the beginning. We’ve got call recording, a revamped Siri, and the much-hyped “Glow Time” branding all on the way. iOS is only going to get better from here.

The Camera: More Than Just a Pretty Lens

The iPhone is the world’s most popular camera, and Apple hasn’t rested on its laurels. Alongside hardware changes, they’ve introduced a new feature that could change the way we take photos—Camera Control. It’s a hybrid system that combines a mechanical button with a haptic switch, much like a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. Essentially, it’s a pressure-sensitive trackpad that recognises swipes for scrolling and different pressure levels for clicking.

At the heart of this system is a brand-new 48-megapixel camera with an f/1.6 aperture and sensor-shift optical image stabilisation. There’s also a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 aperture that now supports macro photography. The results? Sharp, detailed photos in any lighting. And for those who aren’t fans of the warm, muted colours iPhones are known for, Apple has revamped its Photography Styles feature. You can now control it with a D-pad-like system to fine-tune moods and undertones, making your photos look exactly how you want them. Oh, and they’ve also addressed the lens flare issue that’s haunted past iPhones—though it’s not entirely fixed, it’s a big improvement. The ultra-wide lens is also great in low-light situations, and the added macro feature gives it more versatility.

Zoom? It can do 2x sensor-cropped zoom with no quality loss, but the images can look a little soft in portrait mode. Beyond that, there’s a 10x digital zoom, which is decent, but not groundbreaking.

When it comes to video, the iPhone 16 is a beast. It shoots in 4K at 60 frames per second and introduces spatial video recording—an absolute treat on the Apple Vision Pro, complete with spatial audio. Cinematic video at 4K 30fps is included, and the wind noise reduction and audio mix features make it a standout for capturing high-quality sound. It’s probably the best video camera you can get on a phone right now.

Camera Control: A Mixed Bag

The new Camera Control system works well on the smaller iPhone 16. It takes some getting used to, but once you’ve mastered it, it’s a breeze to toggle through all the camera settings without touching the screen. What’s brilliant is that after composing your shot, you can toggle between moods and undertones to sculpt the final look, and even tweak the exposure. This encourages users to get more creative with their photography.

However, Camera Control is designed primarily for landscape shots. Its placement below the power button makes it a bit awkward for portrait or vertical shots, especially on the larger iPhones. I worry this could end up being another 3D Touch situation. The fix? Apple could expand its functionality beyond just the camera app, maybe even integrate Touch ID back into the side button. It’s already compatible with third-party camera apps like Halide, so the potential is there.

Connectivity and Network Quality

I tested the phone in Delhi NCR on a Jio SIM, and call quality was excellent. None of the connectivity issues that plagued older iPhones popped up, so you can expect smooth performance in this area.

The Verdict: A Mainstream Masterpiece

So, what’s the bottom line? If you’re after a no-nonsense phone that’ll last at least two to three years, the iPhone 16 is the one to get. It marries bulletproof reliability with blazing performance, wrapped up in a package that’ll easily last all day. The cameras capture your memories beautifully, offering a level of creative control that’s truly impressive, all in a familiar yet more playful design, thanks to the new colours.

What’s not to love? Sure, Apple Intelligence isn’t quite there yet, but when it arrives, it’ll only make this phone smarter. This is the ultimate mainstream phone—reliable, fast, fun, and built to evolve over time. However, if you’re already holding an iPhone 15, this may not be the upgrade for you. For everyone else? The iPhone 16 is an absolute winner.

Price: Rs 79,900

Product tested: iPhone 16 512GB in Ultramarine Blue costing Rs 1,09,900.