I’ve only been using iPhones since 2012, so when Apple India sent us the iPhone 16 Pro to review, it was a no-brainer as to who would review it. I’ve been using the 14 Pro for two years now, and while the 16 Pro looks almost identical, I am impressed by how much nicer it feels to hold, thanks to the curved edges. The 16 Pro is also proof that you don’t need a big phone necessarily if you want an absolute powerhouse of a smartphone. The A18 Pro chipset powering it makes it significantly faster than my 14 Pro, which for the record still feels very quick and responsive.
I’m also very impressed with the battery performance. The battery is bigger now, yes, but more importantly the 16 Pro is a lot more energy efficient. A full charge has the battery last me an entire day despite my heavy usage, as I get tens of phone calls every day, many of which end up being long ones, besides which I’m constantly checking WhatsApp messages or Instagram and YouTube for content. The battery is also very quick to charge – half an hour is all it takes to get from say, 30-odd percent to above 80 percent, which suits my hectic schedules perfectly. But battery performance isn’t what’s most impressive about the 16 Pro.
As a journalist needing to shoot photos and videos constantly, I need the best camera phone. And the 16 Pro is the absolute best for the kind of visuals I need to capture – be it at launch events where indoor lighting can be tricky, or when I need to shoot dynamic videos. I’ve also gotten used to the Camera Control button, and it makes opening the camera a lightning quick affair. Low light photography or pictures clicked in tricky lighting are excellent and can be uploaded to Instagram directly. Same is the case with Instagram reels – I’m almost always uploading videos as reels directly.
The 16 Pro also impresses with its ability to clean audio recorded directly, which helps when shooting or recording interviews, as ambient noise is cut out directly to a large extent. It’s just been over a month since I’ve been using the iPhone 16 Pro, but I’m convinced already, this is a brilliant device for the new-age photo-journalism that we’re all moving towards. More about the camera in our next update!
