It’s okay. I was forced to upgrade due to security compromise on my last phone, which I only had about 14 months. There’s nothing really more special about this phone than that one in my opinion (iPhone 14 pro max). I actually think the display size is too small for typing and things, it’s not very accessible. I downsized to this screen size because the pro max seemed overtly big (my last phone). I wish there was an in between, or they just resized both models. The new iOS is very confusing to me. Even within the settings, it seems problematic and unnecessarily confusing. I’m a millennial, so I’m on a spectrum of what knowledge I “should” have with general tech use. Next, I am a photographer and the extra photo button on the side doesn’t really do anything for me. It’s still a great camera, but it’s not better than the 14, and the extra button doesn’t make using said camera, any greater. I don’t think this phone is worth the hype overall, I only needed a new phone and it made most sense for my personal usage and financially, to get this 16 (promotions and things considered, etc). However, if you could function in today’s world without a smart phone (it’s more of a hassle to not have one now), I wouldn’t have gotten it. I tend to agree with the sentiment of what a professor once told me - in twenty years, we’ll look back on all these devices and tech upgrades like we do now with smoking. Meaning not in a good light. They just aren’t good for our well-being and how the human brain works at the core. Thus, I am a reluctant participant. And when it’s almost a requirement to have a smart phone today, Apple needs to make their products more cost effective and accessible. The average person cannot afford these phones, yet we not expected to live and function in the current world without one. Example, needing a stupid app to pay for parking. Instead of trying to constantly make the latest phone, Apple should be focused on making their current technology and products affordable for the majority of the population. I went broke getting this phone for a reason that wasn’t even my fault (faulty system or phone, somehow on the 14 one - I had never been hacked like that in my life). I shouldn’t feel I have to sell a limb to afford something everyone is now expected to have and use. I sincerely hope that twenty years thing comes sooner. One direct positive I will say, the battery life is top notch.

This is my first ever JL review I have ever written. I'm not one for writing reviews, but I think this deserves a review. I upgraded my iPhone 14 pro to the iPhone 6 pro and oh my god the iPhone 6 pro is that life changing for someone like myself with severe sight loss. I have yet to discover all the AI features and Apple intelligent and all its capabilities, but tonight I have discovered with my Magnifier which I use quite frequently. You can now scan a product and it will Read it for you. This is amazing and has really helped me massively as my sight has unfortunately deteriorated nearing three years ago. I'm a heavy user on my phone as it helps me navigate life and battery on this phone is amazing - normally I wouldn't believe it when it's the longest battery life ever in an iPhone but seriously Apple have outdone themselves as my battery has been incredible. And that's just a standard pro this is the best purchase I've have made this year. Battery has lasted me all day and has only needed to be put on charge once and then would it ask me right away through to the next day until some point in the next day when it will need charging again. I really hope my comment helps other people with any type of vision officer whether that's partially cited severely excited or totally blind and whatever eye condition you may have because you really can't fault Apple cause they are at their best. A
Pole is the best for those with sight loss :-D

Terrible connectivity. It barely connects and often has to be reset. iPhone 12 mini was substantially better, as is an iPhone 6S I still have. I've had numerous incidents with the phone not being able to connect to my alarm company. Also, the updated passwords protocol/situation has locked me out of basically everything. I've wasted an enormous amount of time resetting passwords and contacting companies due to lockouts.

The camera takes better photos, but it is also prone to being opened unintentionally due to the dedicated camera button on the side. Overall, it's terrible at basic connectivity. I did port over all of my data when I set it up. However, despite purchasing the 1TB version, I've had to manually re-download music. Anything I didn't specifically download as a purchase via iTunes was deleted and appears to be not allowed on the phone. As a professional musician, that eliminated a few thousand demos and many albums imported from purchased compact disks in the past.

If I hadn't traded in the iPhone 12 mini, I would gladly return to it rather than this iPhone 16 pro. A couple of things that do seem to be improved are display resolution and brightness. Like I said, the camera takes slightly better photos. The camera zoom is also better. Connectivity, for WiFi, 5G, LTE, and GPS is all noticeably inferior to the iPhone 12 mini that this has replaced.

Solid S year upgrade.

I generally prefer upgrading during an S year where there is a consolidation of features rather than having new untested features. And this is the year I upgrade from my 13.

Apple intelligence is not a factor in my purchasing decision, it's not available on release, might add half a star due to it and unless it makes Siri worse than it currently is I can't imagine subtracting a star for it.

Pros
Thin bezel is visually striking
Performance and battery both seems good, similar to the upgrade from 12 to 13
Camera is solid, new photographic style actually let me customize a default style where there are shadows and contrast
Usb C, bye Lightning
Camera button is nice to launch the camera app reliably so I can map the Action Button for something else.

Cons
The bezel being so thin causes issues with using this phone without a case which was the original intent
A case is also needed due to how large the camera bump is this year. It does not feel comfortable sitting on a table without a case
Zoom camera really underwhelming compared to Android counter parts
Camera button not particular useful IMO for adjustments, quicker with touchscreen
Camera button not good for taking pictures, requires probably 3-4 times as much force as my mirrorless to press. Results in change of framing.
iOS 18 has been fairly buggy early on, no deal breakers but some annoyances
8GB RAM instead of say 12, feel like the Pro should get more.

I feel like this is a good year to upgrade if you are starting to have performance/battery issue with your old phone. But if you like to jump in for new features this seems like a year to pass. I'm firmly in the former camp and would much prefer year 2-3 of a package after refinement and consolidation which this seems like.