Mark Gurman has shared his initial impressions of the new iPhone 16, revealing a mix of subtle improvements and marketing challenges for Apple’s latest flagship device. According to Gurman, the design changes in the iPhone 16 are barely noticeable, especially when the phone is in a case. The slimmer bezels and increased screen size, called big upgrades, are hardly discernible unless directly compared to older models. This iPhone 16 review highlights these points clearly.
On the performance front, the iPhone 16 does show some promise. Gurman reports a 15% faster main chip, resulting in snappier app launches and smoother multitasking. Perhaps more impressively, the battery life has seen a decent boost, with Apple claiming a four-hour increase over the iPhone 15 Pro Max for video playback.
The camera system has received some attention, with Gurman praising the new Camera Control interface as “terrific,” but users think differently. This feature lets users control camera settings without relying on the touchscreen, though it does require a brief learning curve.
Gurman suggests that Apple’s focus on AI in its marketing is a sign that the hardware changes alone aren’t compelling enough to drive sales. He draws a parallel to the launch of Siri with the iPhone 4S, but notes that the current AI features feel less revolutionary and behind the competition.
In conclusion, while the iPhone 16 does offer some improvements in performance and battery life, Gurman’s review suggests that these changes might not be sufficient to justify an upgrade for many users.
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Funny thing, yesterday we stopped by Best Buy to check out the Apple Watch 10s, they supposedly had them in stock, but as it turned out they didn’t. Anyway as we were leaving my partner suddenly stopped and pointed to the iPhones on the table saying, “the new ones”. I checked the sign and sure enough it was a table of iPhone 16s. Honestly without checking the tag I would not have known it. there’s just nothing that stands out and screams “NEW IPHONE”. On one of your other articles you have a picture showing all of the iPhone Pros from the 11 on. They are essentially identical. This was a good example of that. I couldn’t tell the players without a scorecard.
I have talked to a good number of people, both online and irl that are passing on the 16. Some are hoping the 17 is a big redesign, or the phone they have is fine and they don’t feel a need to upgrade, or are waiting until Apple Intelligence is fully out and debugged. The next couple of quarterly financial calls will be interesting.