Opinion: The iPhone 16 Remains an Unfinished Idea At The Moment

Like every year, brand loyalists are out queuing to get their hands on the shiny new iPhones. But unlike previous years, there are loads of reasons that don’t make it easy to recommend an upgrade this year.

For even if you keep aside the constant Apple Intelligence delays and consider the device as it is at launch, there are only a handful of noteworthy features and changes, like the Camera Control button, iOS 18, and minor hardware upgrades. But do these alone justify the complete package that is the new iPhone 16 (all four models)? Here’s what we think.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

iPhone 16s definitely set themselves apart with their colors. Arguably, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models have the better shades (Black, Teal, Pink, Ultramarine, and White), compared to the Pro and Pro Max (Black, White, Natural, and Desert – all Titanium). But if you’re going to slap a cover on it, does it really matter?

The 16 Plus is a plus on the screen size, and at 6.9 inches the Pro Max is the biggest iPhone screen ever. But thanks to the smaller bezels, the devices themselves aren’t wildly gigantic. The 16 Pro Max also has the biggest battery now, dethroning the ‘Plus’ and taking away one of its main selling points.

Thankfully, the prices have remain unchanged from last year, with the standard iPhone 16 starting at $799, and going up by $100 increments for Plus, Pro, and Pro Max.

And… that’s pretty much it! There are some minor camera improvements (more on this later) but every other feature or feature upgrade is iterative at best and can leave you quite unsatisfied, especially if your current device isn’t that old. Here’s a look at the main talking points.

TL;DR: The iPhone 16 lineup has delightful colors, battery upgrades, and priced like last year. But the changes are few and far apart.

The Camera Control Button: The only good idea on the iPhone 16

Apple’s built up a lot of cachet with its customers over the years. The average Apple fan will get the latest iPhone no matter what’s on offer, as long as it’s got a lowercase ‘i’ in front of it. But those who want to get value for their money, the iPhone misses more than it hits. The display on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, for instance, is still stuck at 60Hz refresh rate, which is totally unacceptable for a smartphone launched in 2024. Like Always-On-Display (AOD), another miss, 120Hz refresh rate is also a Pro-only feature. The camera bump also makes them quite wobbly when resting on a table.

But every once in a while, Apple throws in a surprise feature that is so good (in theory at least) that it sucks up all the attention. And that is the Camera Control button.

The addition of a dedicated Camera Control button on all iPhone 16 models could well be the defining moment for smartphone photography enthusiasts. After all, who doesn’t like physical buttons! But it’s got its issues too.

It is a physical, clickable button to be sure that invokes the camera and take pictures. But there are other functions too. There’s also a capacitive sensor that registers touch as well a high-precision force sensor that registers light press gestures and allow for half presses or clicks.

All of these functions are dedicated solely for the camera and let you configure zoom, exposure, depth of field, etc., and even adjust picture tone. Though not currently available, Camera Control will soon be configurable to open camera-related apps such as Instagram and Snapchat, or a third-party camera app.

Placed toward the bottom right side, it’s clearly positioned with the landscape mode in mind. But it’s high enough to facilitate portrait mode as well. For the left handed amongst us (1 in 10), however, the placement can be a little problematic. When using the volume rockers, especially, accidental presses can be a common occurrence. But the majority should be well satisfied with the addition, and that alone could be good enough for some to upgrade.

But the Camera Control button could be the only thing that’s going well for the iPhone 16. Don’t get us wrong. Even if most headline features involving Apple Intelligence never arrive, all four models are great devices overall. It’s only when you pull them up side-by-side with their predecessors that you realize there’s really not too big a difference.

TL;DR: The dedicated ‘Camera Control’ button is a welcome addition. Its placement may be an issue, however.

But the camera woes continue!

It’s no secret that the photos taken on recent iPhones are overly processed. This post-capture ‘magic’ on the iPhone ends up raging such a war on shadows and the darkly lit areas that everything ends up becoming brighter, and thus, contrast-less and flat.

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Unfortunately, it appears that overly processed images are still an issue. On the up side, the iPhone 16s have a few ‘Photographic Styles’ that you can apply before (and preview the image) as well as after taking an image. There’s also a nifty tone, color, and intensity adjuster.

So, instead of toning down the image processing, Apple’s giving you the option to improve the images yourself, and shoving it to the end of the processing chain. It feels a little like putting the cart before the horse.

TL;DR: Overprocessed, flat images are still a concern. Photographic Styles and tone adjusters could solve the issue, but it’s a bad substitute to reducing the intensity of image processing.

iOS 18 is all over the place

iOS 18 is one area where Apple has really tried to break out of its own box. Be it changing the lock screen toggles, adding third-party apps to the lock screen, altering icon size, positions and tint, or the free-flowing Control Center management, there’s much more flexibility now than ever before. Although it may take some time getting used to or setting up your own personalized controls, Apple’s tilt towards greater customization initially received positive feedback.

But in more ways than one, iOS 18 is essentially an incomplete update. The design elements, for instance, are completely out of whack. The blacks are inconsistent, the Control Center isn’t fully customizable, and some icons are just ugly monstrosities crying out to be replaced. It’s the most unApple thing that we’ve seen from the company that is known for its sophisticated design and consistency.

TL;DR: iOS 18 is very un-Apple like with badly executed design elements and customization options that aren’t complete.

No Apple Intelligence out of the box

Apple Intelligence, and all its several features that were highlighted with great furor at the ‘Glowtime’ event, including the improved Siri, will not be available out of the box. Sure, they could eventually make buying iPhone 16 worth it. But launching the devices without the headline features smacks of laziness.

The delays can be frustrating if you’re trying to decide if you even need on-device AI or not. Apple has refused to provide a launch date, stating simply that Apple Intelligence will arrive ‘later this year’, and even then it’ll be labelled as ‘beta’.

Moreover, some of these such as image creation, Genmoji, and ChatGPT integration may not even arrive this year. And if you’re waiting for Apple Intelligence to arrive in your regional language, you’ll have to wait a long time still. So that’s something you should definitely keep in mind.

If there was no prospect of Apple Intelligence arriving down the line, the decision to skip this year’s iPhones would be simple enough. For now, users are basically being asked to trust Apple on it. Not cool.

TL;DR: iPhone 16s launch without most of the Apple Intelligence features. Their full implementation could run well into next year.

What early iPhone 16 reviews say

Early reviews are not in the iPhone 16’s favor. Folks over at The Verge have called the iPhone 16 “one of the most an unfinished products Apple has ever shipped.” And it’s not hard to see why, for the changes are incremental at best.

The Siri-inspired ‘Glowtime’ event showcased a significant leap in AI-integration but that inspirational feature itself is missing, along with most of the headlining features.

The cameras, the Camera Control button (including the adjustment pad for changing image tones) are perhaps the only good things on it.

The Android-ification of iOS can be divisive. I, for one, am in favor of it. But only if Apple can get its act together and preserve the good things we’ve come to expect from the company – consistency, style, and reliability, and allow customization of features where it matters, not where its expedient.

The idea of this year’s lineup is fascinating – make the system a little more flexible, infuse on-device AI features, bring back dedicated buttons, and run with the traditional bigger, better, faster approach. But Apple didn’t take into account the delays they could face in implementing AI well enough to justify the wait. Because playing catch-up in a field whose frontiers are shifting by the day is not wise.

TL;DR: Early reviews are not impressed and the lineup is very much a work in progress.

Verdict

The iPhone 16 is not just an incomplete product or a work-in-progress. It’s an unfinished idea.

All things considered, the incipient device is led to titillate only our imagination. No doubt, the dedicated camera button, camera improvements on the Pro models, and surface-level customization may be enough for prospective buyers who’ve already made up their minds. But it would be significantly more difficult for those sitting on the fence and unable to decide whether or not to make the upgrade this year.

One can only wait and see how things pan out. Because unless the AI features arrive in full force, they’re going to be the elephant in the room that Apple. And the longer Apple delays Apple Intelligence, the bigger that elephant in the room will become. Right now, you would be better off waiting to see how things unfold and make a decision only when the devices receive the features they were advertised to have.