At this point, you’ve probably read a lot about the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. You don’t need me to summarize new features like camera controls, a larger screen, an upgraded ultra-wide camera, and improved battery life. Anyway, I’ll offer some of those thoughts, but I’ve primarily looked at the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro through the lens of their broader place in the smartphone ecosystem.
Please listen. I think the combination of iOS 18 and the current iPhone lineup could be the most attractive package yet for people looking to switch from Android.
During an earnings call a few years ago, Apple CEO Tim Cook said one of the company’s main focuses was convincing Android users to switch to the iPhone. I found a thread on Reddit that explains some of the things Apple should do before Android users consider switching to an iPhone. The most common requests at the time included USB-C, new customization and widget options, bigger screens, better messaging, and more options at more price points.
After all, Apple has been slowly ticking off these boxes over the past few years. With this year’s iPhone 16 and iOS 18, Apple has ticked off a few more features, and they might be enough to push a new wave of Android switchers over the edge.
Impact of iOS 18
As I wrote in last month’s review, I think iOS 18 is Apple’s most personal update yet for iPhone users.
- New home screen personalization options: colorize icons, hide app and widget names, and place app icons and widgets anywhere
- A new fully customizable photo app, so you can move through different sections, memories, and more.
- Fully customizable control center design, including integration with third-party apps and controls.
All of these changes combine to make iOS 18 more customizable and personal than ever before. Create a truly unique iPhone experience that’s different from anyone else’s iPhone. The changes in iOS 18 also build on years of changes Apple has made to improve personalization on the iPhone. This includes widgets in iOS 14 and the customizable lock screen introduced in iOS 16.
However, Apple hasn’t just mirrored the options previously available on Android. These changes were implemented to ensure that the default iPhone experience is enjoyable for those who don’t want to bother with customization. Similarly, you can always choose to follow the same iOS guardrails.
In addition to customization, iOS 18 also adds RCS support. I believe that the lack of RCS support on the iPhone is one of the biggest reasons why some Android users refuse to even consider switching to an iPhone. Whatever the motivation behind Apple’s eventual adoption of RCS, I’m glad it’s finally happening. Should Apple have done that years ago? probably. But at least the wait is finally over.
But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention some areas where the iPhone lags behind Android in terms of openness, at least in the eyes of some users. Android is much more open to things like sideloading and installing apps from alternative sources, even though Google has been cracking down on it for years. Android has more robust system-wide theming and better support for default settings.
It’s clear, and rightly so, that Apple sees this as a risk to iPhone privacy and security in most cases. For some people, that’s a tradeoff they’re willing to make, and for those people, an iPhone probably isn’t the right choice.
Another key factor to this is that Apple has significantly improved the experience of switching from Android to iPhone over the past few years. Apple’s Move to iOS app lets you move a surprising amount of data to your Android, including contacts, message history, camera photos and videos, photo albums, files and folders, accessibility settings, display settings, web bookmarks, email, and more. You can easily transfer from to iPhone. Accounts, WhatsApp messages and media, and calendars.
With this year’s iOS 18, Apple says the transfer process is now faster than before, and voice memos are also migrated. There are also improvements to Wi-Fi migration, dual SIM labels, and more.
All of this is on top of what already makes the Apple ecosystem strong: iMessage, Apple Watch, Emergency SOS, Messages via Satellite, the App Store’s robust third-party app library, AirPods and their health features, and more. It’s a thing. And so on. Some of these features may end up saving your life.
The important point I’m trying to make is that all of these changes are good not only for iPhone users, but also for the broader smartphone ecosystem. It’s hard to look at this change and not see it, at least in part, as representing a concerted effort to expand the iPhone’s potential market.
iPhone 16 hardware
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro feel like the culmination of five years of flawless design.
- iPhone12: Introducing a flat-sided form factor across four different models with MagSafe.
- iPhone13 pro: The first iPhone with ProMotion. I think this is one of the most dramatic iPhone upgrades ever in my daily life.
- iPhone14 pro: Evolution from notch to dynamic island. iPhone 13 mini will be replaced by iPhone 14 Plus.
- iPhone15 pro: The change from stainless steel to titanium has made mobile phones significantly lighter. It also introduces an action button instead of a mute switch, thinner display bezels, and USB-C.
- iPhone16: Larger display, slimmer bezels, significantly improved heat dissipation and battery life, and camera controls. Action buttons have also been expanded to the entire lineup.
There are rumors of a dramatic redesign of the iPhone 17 Slim next year, and the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro could be the final form of the design era that started with the iPhone 12. Some may see that as a reason to skip this year. Let’s wait for the new features of the so-called “iPhone 17 Slim”. For most people, the more logical argument is that the iPhone 16 is the culmination of five years of perfection and response to user feedback.
Remember how we said earlier that one of the things Android users wanted was more options at more price points?The current iPhone lineup has more options at multiple price points. It’s stronger than ever. iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are the most powerful non-Pro models of iPhone ever, with action buttons, camera controls, and an A18 chip.
The camera controls are interesting. A common sentiment among many iPhone 16 users is what the camera controls are supposed to do. Too many. I think I generally agree with this, but the more you make camera controls, the more complex they become. You can disable swipe and tap gestures in the Settings app, turning them into just buttons.
One change I’d like to see is an option to lock the camera control interface into one menu. I like using this to switch between different lenses, but I often find myself accidentally entering other menus. My preference is to “lock” the camera controls to the “Camera” menu and use it to swipe through options and take photos.
Still, I’m very happy that Apple has added not one, but two new buttons to the iPhone over the past two years. Adding a camera control frees up the action button so that the user can assign it to a different setting. With iOS 18, action buttons can be linked to a ton of new options, returning to the personalization we emphasized earlier.
However, if there’s one thing holding back the iPhone 16 models, it’s the display. It’s been three years since we introduced ProMotion to the iPhone 13 Pro, and seven years since we introduced it to the iPad, but the feature is still exclusive to Pro model iPhones. I think you can compromise with 90Hz. In today’s highly competitive smartphone world, it’s hard to imagine a smartphone starting at $799 going below that.
In addition to the four iPhone 16 models, Apple continues to sell the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15. It’s hard to recommend the iPhone 14 at this point because it still uses Lightning, but the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus do. incredible A solid phone at a great price point.
9to5Mac’s opinion
iPhone reviews focus too much on year-over-year changes. Most people don’t update their iPhones every year. And when most people update their iPhone, they enter into a two- or three-year financing and installment agreement with their carrier.
That’s not to say the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro don’t offer multiple year-over-year improvements. It features all-new camera controls, a larger screen, expanded action buttons, new A18 and A18 Pro chips, a dramatically improved ultra-wide camera, and more.
But viewing the iPhone 16 solely as an evolution of the iPhone 15 is short-sighted. It would be short-sighted to view the iPhone 16 solely as an evolution of the average iPhone. The smartphone industry is more expansive and competitive than ever before, especially outside of the United States. iPhone 16 and iOS 18 are Appel’s continued response to the changing smartphone industry.
I’ve generally come to despise the word “repetitive” when used in the context of iPhone reviews. Of course, some years are bigger than others, but every year some people look to buy a new iPhone that doesn’t require repeated upgrades. This includes people upgrading from iPhones from several years ago. and People switching to iPhone for the first time.
If the iPhone 16 is your first iPhone, you’ve clearly decided to switch from Android. That’s because we knew that changes were never repetitive.
Many factors come into play when people decide which smartphone to buy, and even more come into play when someone is considering switching from Android to iPhone (or vice versa) . These include social and social influences, economic reasons, app ecosystem, corporate considerations, and atmosphere.
These platform changes don’t happen on a whim, and getting someone to consider switching is a difficult task. But this year, I think Apple may have done it.
Now more than ever, iPhone 16 and iOS 18 feel like the culmination of years of work to grow and expand the ecosystem to attract new iPhone users. This year, more than any previous year, I think Apple has put together a compelling package for Android users looking to make the transition to iPhone.
My favorite iPhone 16 accessories:
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