Apple iPhone 16

The iPhone 16 performs great, looks good, and snaps nice photos while offering a big discount to the Pro models.

With a fast processor, long battery life, good cameras, and support for Apple Intelligence, the iPhone 16 is the best value in the company's lineup.

For once, you don’t have to wait a year to get the best new features from the iPhone 16 Pro. The iPhone 16 offers all the ones you will appreciate most, and for $200 less.

You’ll get a couple of new buttons to play with, and who knows, maybe you’ll get along better with the Camera Control than I did. And If Apple Intelligence arrives and proves to be the time-saving, stress-easing set of features Apple insists it will be, then this phone will be ready for it.

The line between standard iPhones and Pro models is getting increasingly blurred, as the base iPhone 16 is now a powerful pick that mixes affordability with a lot of newness. The range of available colors, including some strikingly vibrant options, make a great first impression, and the speed of Apple’s A18 platform, combined with two excellent cameras and an entirely new Camera Control button, make the iPhone 16 a great choice for folks who don’t need to go Pro.

Sharing more of the same features found on the Pro models than ever before, the iPhone 16 proves that, pound-for-pound, it's one of the best contenders for best phone, with its stylish looks, excellent cameras, and Pro-like features.

I wouldn't recommend buying the iPhone 16 just for the Camera Control button or the better ultrawide camera. But when you think about how the Camera Control key, the Action button and the Dynamic Island come together, along with the camera and battery improvements Apple has made over the last several years, you have a compelling upgrade for someone coming from an older phone.

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus come in visually delicious colors, deliver improved camera results, and feature a tougher display, but I recommend one over the other.