Apple’s iPhone launches have become somewhat formulaic in recent years. The shiny new model is revealed, we hear about how powerful the new processor and camera are, and the phrase “best iPhone yet” is usually thrown in there for good measure. Picture and sound performance, on the contrary, is relegated to the footnotes or is sometimes absent altogether.

While we yearn for a segment in Apple’s yearly livestream to dig deeper into new features that enhance the movie and music capabilities of the latest iPhone handset, we’re also ready to accept that megapixels and app loading times are a bigger draw, even though each iPhone generation traditionally tends to feature a better AV experience than its predecessor. 

2024 marks the year of the iPhone 16 series which, despite the name, is the 18th generation of iPhones. We have the iPhone 16 Pro specifically on hand today and, as expected, it’s quicker and features a better camera than the iPhone 15 Pro; but how does it handle movies and music?

Price

iPhone prices have been somewhat unstable in recent years, and it usually heavily depends on which region you’re situated in as to whether you’ll be paying more, less or the same as the previous generation handset. Thankfully, this year it actually looks like good news all around, as the iPhone 16 Pro costs £999 / $999 / AU$1799 – the same as the 15 Pro in the UK and US, and AU$50 cheaper in Australia.

That will get you the base storage option with a frustratingly stingy 128GB capacity; though you can spec it up to 1TB for a less wallet-friendly £1499 / $1499 / AU$2699. Apple does offer a larger screen alternative with the iPhone 16 Pro Max (which starts at £1199 / $1199 / AU$2149), as well as two cheaper models in the form of the iPhone 16 (£799 / $799 / AU$1399) and iPhone 16 Plus (£899 / $899 / AU$1599).

The iPhone 16 Pro occupies an unusual position in the smartphone market, as other manufacturers tend to position their flagship devices to contend with the Pro Max variant. The Galaxy S24 Ultra launched at £1249 / $1299 / AU$2199, whereas the Sony Xperia 1 VI retails for £1299 / $1700 approx / AU$2500 – both are more expensive. 

The Xperia 5 V (which launched last year) is a closer comparison at £849, or the recently released Google Pixel 9 Pro (which we’re yet to review) might be the most like-for-like comparison at £999 / $999 / AU$1699. 

Build

Apple claims to have given the iPhone 16 Pro a “stunning new design”… are we missing something? The 16 Pro looks nearly identical to the 15 Pro, which in turn looked very similar to the previous generations of iPhones stretching back to 2020’s iPhone 12 series. Apple has clearly found a formula that works though, as this handset looks and feels exquisite, even if it’s not exactly revolutionary. 

The build once again combines glass and titanium, to create a rigid and premium feel in the hand. Apple has swapped brushed ‘aerospace-grade’ titanium for a polished effect, which makes the side rails slightly shinier; as a result, you’ll likely see more fingerprints on your phone depending on the finish you opt for. 

Speaking of finishes, there are four to choose from: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium and, new for this year, Desert Titanium. We have a white model on hand, and approve of its smart and clean styling, though you might want to opt for the new gold hue if you want people to know you’ve splashed out on the latest device.

Admittedly, there are a few new design cues to signal that this is indeed a new iPhone. The 16 Pro sports a slightly larger screen than last year’s device – 6.3 inches up from 6.1, the Pro Max reaches a colossal 6.9 inches up from 6.7 – and the bezels around the display have shrunk even further. 

It’s not totally borderless, and the dynamic island still floats across the top edge (which can be intrusive for watching video), but Apple has done an excellent job of shaving the bezels down to achieve a sleek and minimalist look, which makes the 16 Pro feel even more futuristic than its predecessor. The display is also coated with Apple’s Ceramic Shield material, which makes it reportedly twice as durable as the glass on other smartphones.

The second and more obvious design difference that gives this new model away is the Camera Control button. Last year’s iPhone 15 Pro got the remappable Action Button, and this year it’s joined by Camera Control, which is a combination camera shortcut and capture button. If you gently depress the button with a half click, you can access a selection of camera controls. To interact with these, you just swipe your finger across the sapphire crystal-coated surface, which feels fairly intuitive for the default zoom function and a bit clunky for anything else.

We wish it was slightly lower on the side of the device, as we have to crane our finger awkwardly around the edge of the frame to reach the button – something that would be negated if the Camera Control button was shifted a few millimetres to the right, and physically pushing down on the side of the device can make lining up shots trickier, as we’ve snapped our fair share of wonky pictures with this iPhone. 

Features

We’ll get this out of the way first: Apple Intelligence is not available on the iPhone 16 Pro yet. It’s plastered across the marketing for this device, and all over Apple’s website too, but when we hold down the lock button expecting to interface with this new AI system, we’re instead met with the same Siri interface we’ve seen from the previous generation of iPhones. AI features are expected to go live in a forthcoming update, but they’re absent so far – note that availability will vary by region when it does launch, with EU regions especially being affected. 

Having Apple Intelligence missing at launch feels like an unusual misstep from Apple. We rarely see an iPhone launch without one of its tentpole features. Bear in mind that the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max will also gain access to this feature when it launches, so if you’re on the previous generation device, you shouldn’t feel the need to upgrade immediately. 

The triple camera arrangement on the rear of the device should also be familiar to anyone with previous generation iPhones, as the 48MP main sensor and 12MP telephoto lenses return, while the ultrawide camera gets a bump up to 48MP this year. In practice, the iPhone 16 Pro is an excellent smartphone for photography, as it produces crisp and detailed images with rich colours, and the versatility of the different lenses is appreciated. That being said, it can be overshadowed by the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which also produces high-quality pictures and features an additional telephoto lens for zoomed photography.

Internally, the 16 Pro is a step up over the already powerful 15 Pro, with the A18 Pro processor powering the device alongside 8GB of RAM. In practice, the phone flies through the iOS 18 operating system and isn’t challenged by having multiple heavy-duty apps running. Furthermore, we anticipate that it will be supported by Apple for at least five years of software upgrades. As was the case with last year’s model, the 16 Pro’s powerful GPU is capable of delivering console-quality titles elsewhere seen on the Xbox Series X and PS5, including Resident Evil 8: Village, Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, and Assassin’s Creed: Mirage. 

Moving onto the AV-oriented features of the 16 Pro, we get to the display. It’s a nearly identical affair to the 15 Pro it replaces, albeit slightly larger as we’ve previously mentioned. It’s a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, with a variable refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz – Apple calls this ProMotion and it can also be found on the iPad Pro M4. It supports HDR in the HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats too, and has a resolution of 1206 x 2622 pixels and a pixel density of 460ppi. 

ProMotion remains a key asset of the Pro-series iPhones, as it makes navigating the iOS 18 operating system a dream; animations flow and swiping between home screen pages feels incredibly smooth. It also features a broad brightness range from one nit to 2000 nits peak brightness. You may wonder why the display would need to reach such a low brightness, but Apple pairs it with the 1Hz refresh rate for the always-on display feature to minimise battery usage. We’re well aware that a large portion of the Android phone market has had 120Hz and always-on displays for quite some time, so Apple is slightly behind the curve, but they’re nice features to have nonetheless.

As for sound, the iPhone 16 Pro is slightly more limited than its Android counterparts. It features a stereo speaker set-up that combines the earpiece and bottom-firing loudspeaker, and there’s no headphone jack (as to be expected) though you can hook USB-C earbuds up or wired cans via an adapter. Wireless audio utilises Bluetooth 5.3 in the A2DP and LE codecs, and Dolby Atmos is supported on both the loudspeakers and over headphones. 

Finally, Apple quotes a higher battery capacity on this new iPhone, with a larger 3582mAh cell that can reportedly last for 27 hours of consistent video playback. We find that it comfortably lasts us through some intensive video and audio testing at high brightness with an impressively small drop in battery percentage. 

Apple also sells an upgraded MagSafe wireless charger that is compatible with this device. It supports 25W wireless charging, though wired charging still maxes out at 20W with a supported USB-C fast charger. Apple claims that you can reach 50 per cent battery in just 30 minutes over wired charging, which should be useful if you need to juice your phone up in a pinch – just remember that the 20W power adapter is not included in the box. 

Picture

As has been the case for practically every generation of iPhone we’ve seen, the latest model performs better than its predecessor, even if Apple doesn’t make any grand claims of potent AV upgrades. We fire up content in Dolby Vision on Netflix, and content from our Apple TV library too – and the bottom line is that this iPhone delivers a balanced, sharp and bright image that looks stunning regardless of the content we throw at it.

Starting with Top Gun: Maverick in Dolby Vision on Netflix, we’re met with a warm, rich and engaging image. The edges of fighter jets are crisp and well-defined, leading to a pleasingly three-dimensional presentation, and details of the jets are retained even when submerged in shadows. The setting sun that bathes this sequence in golden light is reproduced to great effect, and the times that we do see the sun in all its glory, we’re treated to bright highlights and plenty of detail retained in the surrounding clouds.

While the picture as a whole is rich and punchy, it’s also expertly balanced, and there is a palpable subtlety to be found. As evidenced by 1917 in HDR10 (also on Netflix), clothing textures have a subtle gradation of colour throughout that isn’t visible on equivalent handsets, such as the Sony Xperia 1 VI. The dirt that forms the trenches is packed with detail, with defined rocks and rubble adding texture without looking either mushy or over-etched. 

Furthermore, the iPhone is excellent at identifying the focal point of the image, ensuring our focus is drawn to Lance Corporals Blake and Schofield. It still retains a crisp and three-dimensional to other elements of the picture, like a tree in the background, but it ensures that they are firmly in the background – which further enhances the depth of the image. 

Top that off with inky blacks courtesy of the OLED display and impressive motion handling of speeding jets and motorbikes in Top Gun, and the iPhone 16 Pro proves itself a formidable portable movie-watching machine. With dark content such as Drive’s opening sequence, we see plenty of detail retained in the darkest part of the image – the side of the titular Driver’s face and ear are still visible even when he’s mostly covered by shadows; notably, this has tripped up other smartphones which are heavier handed where dark details and contrast are concerned. 

Sound

Apple has settled on a signature sound with its iPhones, however, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t innovate with each iteration. Put simply, the iPhone 16 Pro is easily the best-sounding phone we’ve heard all year.

Starting with the headphone performance, we plug a pair of wired headphones into the 16 Pro using the same USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapter we use for all smartphone reviews and find that Apple has refined its sound to be even more inviting than before. We listen to a range of tracks on Tidal from the likes of Tool, Taylor Swift, James Blake and Bon Iver, and find the warm, smooth and dynamic sound that we’ve come to expect from iPhones to be present. However, this year it digs out even more detail.

Each strike of the piano in Taylor Swift’s The 1 sounds delicate yet crisp and impactful, while the rhythmic plucking in Tool’s Invincible is bursting with texture and detail. Stepping up to Fred Again’s Places To Be, the iPhone doesn’t even think about stumbling over the pacey electronic beat – ensuring that the dance track is buzzing with energy and timed perfectly. 

Apple does lock some of its premier audio features behind its AirPods line of wireless earphones, such as Spatial Audio, so you may find extra value if you’re already deep into the famed Apple ecosystem; however, you’ll still find an abundance of audio excellence if you have a pair of wired cans or non-Apple earbuds. 

Unplugging our headphones and reverting to the stereo loudspeaker system, we find it to be a more than acceptable experience for a spot of movie watching. Returning to Top Gun: Maverick, we’re met with a clean and punchy sound from these speakers, that manage to inject energy into Kenny Loggins’ iconic Danger Zone track while also making an admirable attempt at tracking the sound of the jets as they roar down the aircraft carrier and into the sky. These speakers carry some genuine weight behind them and are surprisingly dynamic too, though we wouldn’t count on them to replace a quality Bluetooth speaker if you do want to play your music out loud.

Verdict

The iPhone 16 Pro is an easy handset to recommend if you want a flagship Apple smartphone, and that’s not just because it has completely replaced the excellent iPhone 15 Pro. It’s a formidable smartphone for watching movies, and it’s equally impressive when it comes to music too. Ultimately, it comes down to subtlety – something other manufacturers seem to overlook in favour of chasing the brightest screens or longest list of audio features. Apple’s attention to detail is practically unrivalled, and that enhances every aspect of the 16 Pro’s AV experience in a meaningful way.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 5
• Features 5

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