The pitch for the vanilla iPhone hasn’t changed in years, offering most of what is good about Apple’s phones but with fewer bells and whistles than its top Pro models. At a glance, the 16 looks identical to the many handsets that have come before it: an aluminium and glass sandwich weighing a relatively light 170g. The 16 even has the same sized 6.1in screen as before, where the Pro models have grown. The display has similar brightness and crispness as the outgoing iPhone 15 and is still stuck at a 60Hz refresh rate, which can make scrolling and motion more jarring compared with models with faster screens. It also lacks the Pro iPhone’s always-on display option. The cameras on the back have been rearranged to bring the dual lenses in line, reminiscent of the iPhone 12. That leaves the two new buttons as the main physical upgrades, including the useful action button from the 15 Pro last year that replaces the mute switch and can be used for a variety of functions such as turning on the torch, changing focus modes, recording voice memos and other actions using the Shortcuts app.

The iPhone 16 Plus aims to be the fill-in-the-blank answer for those who want a big-screen capable iPhone at a more affordable price, and this year's model certainly fits the bill. The 16 Plus packs a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display into a lightweight, durable body that comes in fun colors with a 4674 mAH battery and features two buttons that up the experience. For those who love taking photos, I'd highly suggest the 16 Plus for the large screen to review shots and for the Camera Control button that greatly improves how you can shoot.

The iPhone 16 Pro gets a bigger display and the 5x tetraprism zoom from the Max without a price hike. Add in promising Apple Intelligence features, a smarter Siri, longer battery life, and the powerful A18 Pro chip, upgraded 48MP ultra-wide camera, and impressive video features like 4K 120 fps slow mo videos and Audio Mix for zapping background noise, this is a compelling flagship phone value.

The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max is bigger and more powerful than ever. It has a beautiful screen, an excellent camera array, and new camera controls that could change how you approach iPhone photography. Power and battery life both get a boost to make this the big-screen smartphone of your dreams. Apple Intelligence offers some useful and intriguing features, but it's not yet the thing that will or should drive upgrades. Still, if you've been holding onto an iPhone 12 or 13 Pro Max, this is probably the moment for a big-screen upgrade.