Apple’s new entry-level offering not only features a refreshed design, but also improved hardware capabilities. Key improvements include performance, camera, and charging technologies. The QUEK team has prepared a review of the iPhone 16.
Delivery set
The iPhone 16 retail package is quite up to date: in the box you’ll find a USB-C cable and a SIM card eject tool. Paper materials have all but disappeared, and the Apple branded sticker is no longer included.
Design
The base model of the iPhone 16 still stands out for its high-quality assembly, in this regard, Apple still remains the favorite.
Although the design of the iPhone 16 has not undergone radical changes, one important element has been improved – the camera module. Now it has become noticeably thinner, more symmetrical and better harmonizes with the overall appearance of the device.
The iPhone 16 is made using double glass: the front panel is protected by Ceramic Shield, the body is made of aluminum, and the back is made of Corning glass (the exact version is not specified). Like the Pro models, this iPhone has a matte finish on the frame and back panel. It is worth noting that the second generation of Ceramic Shield is used, similar to that in the iPhone 15 Pro, and not the new third generation, available only in the iPhone 16 Pro.
The IP68 protection level in the iPhone 16 exceeds standard requirements: the device can withstand immersion in water to a depth of 6 meters for 30 minutes. Combined with Ceramic Shield and a durable aluminum frame, this 170-gram smartphone remains one of the toughest in its class.
iPhone 16 is available in several colors, including both traditional and new shades: black, white, pink, turquoise, and ultramarine.
On the right side of the iPhone 16 is another new feature – the Capture Button, which is equipped with touch and force sensors. After playing with the new button in the camera app, it becomes clear that Apple has rethought this control. Once the user gets used to controlling the camera with this multi-function button, interaction with the display to take pictures will be reduced to a minimum. However, it is worth noting that due to the touch nature of the button, it can get in the way if not used. It is better to set it up so that it is activated by pressing rather than by touching.
The dimensions of the iPhone 16 are 147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm, and it weighs 170 g, which is the same as the iPhone 15. Its compact size makes it convenient to use with one hand.
As before, the iPhone 16 does not have a fingerprint scanner, but Face ID works quickly and reliably.
Thus, the iPhone 16 offers excellent build quality, despite the lack of titanium. Lightweight, durable, waterproof – this smartphone continues Apple’s tradition of creating excellent devices.
Display
The iPhone 16 has the same 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display as the iPhone 15. The resolution is 2556 x 1179 pixels (460 ppi, Apple’s new density standard for Retina quality), and the refresh rate is still 60 Hz. The screen supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision.
At the top of the display is a pill-shaped cutout known as the Dynamic Island, protected by second-generation ceramic glass. The screen has a maximum brightness of 1,000 nits, and peak brightness is up to 2,000 nits.
The tests confirm the stated figures: the maximum manual brightness is 857 nits, and with automatic adjustment – 1708 nits. This is quite a decent result. The minimum brightness of white turned out to be very low – only 1 nit.
Battery
The iPhone 16 comes with a 3,500 mAh battery (3,561 mAh to be exact), which is slightly larger than the iPhone 15.
As expected, the iPhone 16 performed very well in our battery life tests, especially considering its compact size. You won’t be disappointed with its battery life.
The iPhone 16 supports fast wired charging, but Apple hasn’t disclosed the exact maximum power. Officially, it says up to 50% charge can be achieved in 30 minutes using a 20-watt adapter. While there were rumors that the iPhone 16 would support 45W wired charging, they were not confirmed. In tests, the maximum charging power was around 30W.
The device also supports fast wireless charging up to 25W via the new MagSafe charger when paired with a 30W or higher power adapter. When using a compatible Qi2 charger, wireless charging speed is limited to 15W.
When testing charging with a 45-watt PD charger, the results were 33% in 15 minutes, 59% in 30 minutes, and 85% in an hour. A full charge takes 1 hour and 42 minutes, with the last 15% charging taking about 42 minutes, which is typical for Apple devices, even with Optimized Battery Charging disabled.
iOS 18 also has a Battery Health feature that allows you to extend battery life by limiting the charge to 80% or 100%. You can monitor the battery health and the number of charge cycles in the settings.
The iPhone 16 supports reverse wired charging, which typically charges at about 5 watts.
Performance and Software
The Apple iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max come with the latest version of iOS 18. Although Apple is touting iOS 18 as one of its most significant design updates, the changes don’t feel all that radical in day-to-day use. However, the expanded personalization options for the home screen and interface open the door to a more unique and personalized user experience, something iOS has long lacked.
As before, all iPhones will receive iOS updates at least once every five years, which has long been an Apple tradition.
This year, the key upgrade for the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus is the Apple A18 chipset, which is two generations ahead of the A16 found in the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. It’s a second-generation 3nm chip that delivers both increased power and improved energy efficiency.
The A18 chip features a six-core processor with two performance cores running at 4.04 GHz and four efficiency cores running at 2.2 GHz. The GPU has five cores and supports improved hardware ray tracing. Additionally, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus now come with 8 GB of RAM.
In terms of performance, the A18 processor is 30% faster than the A16 in the iPhone 15 and 60% faster than the iPhone 12. The GPU is 40% faster than the iPhone 15 and twice as fast as the iPhone 12. The
thermal performance of the device has also been improved, resulting in a 30% increase in sustained performance. This was made possible by redesigning the logic board and adding a thermal pad made from recycled aluminum.
With all these hardware upgrades, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus now support games that were incompatible with the iPhone 15.
Now let’s take a look at the benchmark results.
We’ve added a few Android flagships to the comparison here, although cross-platform tests should be treated with caution. The new A18 processor in the iPhone 16 shows a performance boost of about 20% over the A16 in the iPhone 15, and the GPU shows a 30-60% improvement in 3D tests.
Overall, the iPhone 16 delivers flagship performance and great stability. It doesn’t overheat even during long stress tests, and we think it’s a great choice for gamers.
Camera
The iPhone 16 essentially inherited the main camera from the iPhone 15. It’s a 48-megapixel sensor with a 1/1.56″ size, 1.0 µm pixels, and sensor-shift optical stabilization. The front has a bright lens with an f/1.6 aperture. The selfie camera has also been carried over from the iPhone 15: it’s a tried-and-true 12-megapixel module with phase detection autofocus.
The main update concerns the ultra-wide-angle camera. Although it’s still 12-megapixel, it’s now equipped with a faster lens with an f/2.2 aperture and phase detection autofocus, allowing it to be used as a macro camera for close-up photography.
The new Capture Button deserves special attention. It’s a physical button with integrated force and capacitive touch sensors, allowing you to perform various actions.
Launching the camera via this button activates Clean Preview mode, which clears the camera interface of unnecessary controls – this can be turned off in the camera settings. When the iPhone is unlocked, one press of the button launches the camera, and another press takes a photo. Holding the button will start recording a video, which continues until you release it. To prevent accidental launches, you can set the camera to open with a double press.
When the camera app is open, a double light press activates the control menu, where you can switch between settings such as exposure, depth, zoom, camera selection, styles, and tone. One light press selects any of these options, and they are controlled using the touch surface of the button by swiping left or right. It is also possible to set the button to open third-party camera apps if they support this feature.
One of the new additions to the iPhone 16 camera is the Tone setting, which is an evolution of the previously introduced Photographic Styles. This setting gives users more control over the intensity of HDR processing, which has generated considerable interest online.
There are two sets of styles available – Mood and Undertones. In each of them, you can adjust three parameters: Tone (contrast or tone curve), Color (saturation) and Palette (color filter). In the Mood styles, all three parameters are set automatically (Palette is always at 100), and in Undertones, only Palette is adjustable.
The iPhone 16 takes great shots both in daylight and at night – there is no doubt about it. All the details are clear and clean.
The iPhone 16 supports video recording in 2160p resolution on all its cameras, including the front one. Stabilization is available in all modes and is always active, without the ability to turn it off. To record video in 4K at 60 frames per second, you need to use the “highly efficient” HEVC / h.265 format. In other cases, the video is recorded in the standard AVC / h.264 format with a bitrate of about 45 Mbps. Audio is recorded in two formats – stereo AAC and four-channel APAC.
Conclusion
It’s hard to call the iPhone 16 a “revolutionary” device this year. While Apple isn’t looking to make any major changes, last year’s iPhone 15 introduced more notable upgrades, such as an OLED display with Dynamic Island, a switch to USB Type-C, and a new 48-megapixel main camera. Of course, all of these features have migrated to the iPhone 16.
Among the new features on the iPhone 16 are an ultra-wide camera with autofocus, a camera control button, and a stronger emphasis on Apple Intelligence. These are mostly promises and future features for now, but the updated hardware is designed to ensure that they work fully.
As with every year, the question remains whether the iPhone 16 is worth recommending. It’s a solid device that combines familiar features with small but interesting innovations. While Android devices often offer better value for money, that’s not always important to Apple users. If you have an older iPhone, the iPhone 16 is a worthy and satisfying upgrade.
