iPhone 16 Pro Long-Term Review: Still Undisputed King of Video Recording

It took me a trip to Ahmedabad (my first time) for a Coldplay concert (which was utterly amazing) to realise that the iPhone 16 Pro is still far ahead of the competition in one crucial area of our (read: people who frequently use their smartphones) daily lives.

Yes, the iPhone 16 Pro isn’t a revolutionary upgrade over the iPhone 15 Pro, though it does come with the brand-new Camera Control ‘button’. The Camera Control is a physical button that doubles as one with haptic feedback. Press it once or twice to open the camera, and then lightly tap it or swipe to scroll through and change the camera settings.

In the months since the launch of the iPhone 16 series, Apple has pushed many iterative updates to the four smartphones: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. However, iOS 18.3 has been a game changer for the iPhone 16 series. I know I’ve left you hanging at the top by not telling you about that one feature where Apple is miles ahead. Once I finish telling you about the new updates to the Camera Control, you’ll realise why I took this segue.

I’m not going to praise the placement of the Camera Control button, as it is slightly awkward to use, and at times, you can’t use it without shaking your hand, but the use case for it has certainly improved over time.

Before I delve into the Camera Control, let me just say that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my few months with the iPhone 16 Pro and come to love it more and more as the days pass. It’s a brilliant smartphone and will not disappoint you one bit if you decide to buy it.

The Camera Control Button

Yes, the famous Camera Control button. It’s time to talk about it. It’s a dual - physical button that depresses and one with a haptic feedback - button. It responds to the motion of your fingertip and feels fast and fluid.

Since there is the Camera Control button, Apple now allows you to remove the default Camera icon from the lock screen. And let me tell you something: it may be an insignificant update to some, but it is a game-changer. Having the Camera icon on the lock screen was just a massive waste of space. This is because the Camera Control button can quickly launch the built-in Camera app. You can set it to launch the app with a single or a double click.

Press the Camera Control button to take a shot, or press and hold the button down to record a video.

But, like I said, iOS 18.3 adds a lot more value. You can now lock auto exposure and auto focus (AE/AF) with a light press and hold of the button.

What I liked most was zooming in and out without pinching on the screen. A light press brings up the slider; all you need to do is drag it left and right to zoom in or out. Furthermore, you can even change the Exposure Compensation and Depth (or aperture).

The revamped photographic styles for the iPhone 16 Series are fun to play around with. They are now editable and adjustable to your liking. You can also select your preferred Photographic Style via the Camera Control button.

Visual Intelligence

While the iPhone is locked, just press and hold the Camera Control button to activate Visual Intelligence (via the camera). Just snap a photo, and Apple Intelligence will tell you what you are looking at. It can even search Google for similar images. Furthermore, you can tap the ‘Ask’ button to send a query to ChatGPT. It’s fairly fast and easy to use.

iOS 18.3 has added two new capabilities to Visual Intelligence. My favourite is the ability to point the camera at a plant or animal and have the AI identify the subject at hand. The answer is displayed in a bar near the top of the screen. Tap on that bar, and you’ll get more information about the subject.

What’s more, you can point the camera at any event, and it’ll create a calendar event with all the details. Simple things like these make our lives easier daily.

The Coldplay Concert

Now that I’ve explained Camera Control and Visual Intelligence, let’s return to the utterly mesmerizing Coldplay concert that took place a few weeks ago. Chris Martin & Co. came to India and performed five concerts, enthralling audiences in Mumbai and Ahmedabad. I was lucky to have snagged tickets to the Republic Day concert (26th January) in Ahmedabad. Armed with me were three smartphones: iPhone 16 Pro, Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, and OnePlus 13.

We got to the Narendra Modi Stadium around 1:30, and we found our place to sit once the doors opened. With the first act at 5 PM, we braced ourselves for five hours of standing (we were in the fourth or fifth row from the stage). The smartphones went up as Chris Martin & Co. started singing iconic songs such as Paradise and The Scientist. People began recording photos and videos like no other. However, the OnePlus and Pixel largely stayed in my pocket. That’s because, and here’s the kicker (finally for all of you), the iPhone 16 Pro is just way ahead of the competition regarding recording videos. The crispness of the video, the clarity of the

sound, and the downright amazing feeling you have when you replay it days later. It’s like you’re reliving the concert all over again. And mind you, I’ve done that dozens of times since that eventful day.

During the concert, it was natural that I pulled out my smartphone more than the other two that I had with me. I used the 2x and 5x zoom for stills, and even those came out pretty well, with good dynamic range and retaining a lot of details.

That, my friends, is why the iPhone 16 Pro can’t be ignored. Despite the design language not being changed and the updates/upgrades being thin, the iPhone 16 Pro is the best in class for recording videos. Samsung has launched the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Oppo has come out with the Find X8 Pro, and Vivo has the X200 Pro. None of them come close when it comes to video recording. The iPhone 16 Pro is truly in a league of its own. There’s even a ‘Cinematic’ mode, which works like a dream. It locks in on the subject and subtly blurs the background. You can even bump up the volume of people’s voices, suppress background noise, and much more. Playing around with the controls in the camera app is a lot of fun and can greatly enhance your videos.

The iPhone 16 Pro’s camera has also received another boost. It now has the 5x zoom camera from the bigger Pro Max line.

iPhone 16 Pro Is A Great Phone

Beyond the video recording capabilities, the iPhone 16 Pro is a smooth, fluid, and reliable smartphone. I took it on a hiking trip in Himachal Pradesh, and it lasted longer than the Pixel 9 Pro XL in my other pocket.

I’ve been using the iPhone 16 Pro to watch many sports on the go, and I must say that the display is one of the best in the business. Some Android smartphones have brighter and crisper displays, but the iPhone’s display looks brilliant for photos and videos, and the smooth 120Hz makes watching and scrolling a delight.

As always, the chip inside the iPhone shines bright. The A18 Pro chip inside the Apple 16 Pro is faster and more efficient. It’s 15% quicker (with 20% faster graphics). As I said above, it’s fast and fluid, and these iPhone models are built to last many years. In fact, this year’s smartphone is much cooler, even when playing high-end games.

Thanks to a more efficient chip, the smartphone's battery life has gotten a solid boost. With a mixed-usage pattern, the smartphone can now last for about 35 to 40 hours on average, with a minimum of 6 hours of screen-on-time (SoT). That’s right up there with the best. This means that you’d only have to charge the smartphone about once every two days.

Verdict: The Best iPhone in Years

The iPhone 16 Pro is Apple's best iPhone model in years. It may not be a drastic change from the iPhone 15 Pro, but it is a brilliant smartphone. It’s a good size to hold, and the 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display is comfortable to hold for long periods. The bezels are slim, and the smartphone looks great.

This year, the gap between the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max has shrunk. The only differentiators are the size of the display, battery capacity, and price. That boosts the iPhone 16 Pro, as many are beginning to prefer smaller smartphones once again.

With Apple Intelligence finally getting a boost (and some welcome additions) and a smartphone built to last many years, the iPhone 16, a few months out from launch, is still a top-notch buy. The Android vs iOS debate aside, you won’t be one bit disappointed with the iPhone 16 Pro. Buy it for video recording; keep it for being a good all-rounder.