I spent almost a decade with iPhones until I went to Google Pixel 6A in 2022 and I did not look back. Android sucked me. But I was curious to know how Apple experience has changed since my departure, so I decided to come back to iOS with the iPhone 16th.
The last of Apple is the exact iPhone that I wanted three years ago, jumps and limits in front of the iPhone he replaces. It is not a “budgetary” phone, but it is also far from being a flagship product.
Among its competitors, it is exceptionally well in references, but has significant compromises compared to certain phones which are half its price.
Having left Apple camp for so long, I saw what it is on the other side – and coming back, I am both impressed and perplexed by practical experience.
There is a certainty and comfort guaranteed when the manufacturer has a complete control over an ecosystem-that is to say that the hardware, software, software and cloud management and content (via applications such as home and music) are talked about transparently. And when it comes from Cupertino, it is more experience rather than the performance of the device.
This is also why the Google Pixel range remains my most recommended Android family, and it is despite Samsung offering better technology on all fronts and at all prices – the Google range looks more like Apple. Pixels feel more mastered and uniform: again, because it is experience rather than performance.
The iPhone 16th makes the experience more accessible than the standard range, offering shaved specifications at a lower (but always considerable) price.
So, by turning to the iPhone 16th, knowing how comfortable I am with the Android ecosystem, I wonder if it is enough. Many choices of specifications are confusing, but others are always those which I want more Android manufacturers will learn.
An androider to take on the iPhone 16th
I am impressed by the way Apple continues to ensure that all of these things work simply together – from the faceid biometrics to the authorization of purchases and application downloads, to house, locking and control and control screens, they are all an instant operational experience.
Performance complies with the base iPhone 16 (which I have considered the best Apple handset for years) and ahead of similar Android phones. It’s great for mixed use of games, social media, messaging and writing notes.
Coming from Android, I am also attracted to simplicity. The kindness of FaceTime, the possibility of sharing contacts with an NFC sensor tap between iPhones, and the more user -friendly approach to the personalization of the home screen (focused on colors instead of pallets) give off a great feeling of comfort. It’s cute, it works, and it’s fun!
But what’s going on with this screen? 60 Hz on such an expensive unit, and the same goes for the standard iPhone 16. It is a network because I do not like the experience of scrolling and opening applications.
This means that the 16 and 16th seem to be worse than they do and seem less smooth than the much cheaper androids.
Nothing prevents these phones from using a 120 Hz screen like professional counterparts, apart from Apple’s reluctance to provide such screens. This breaks the fault to which I referred earlier.
Pass: Something I was quite jealous when using an Android phone was the Apple Action button. I love the idea an additional button with customizable features, but I am not sold on its conviviality. I would like it to have more than a simple trigger `Hold to open ”, but rather more like the auto-by button that works with a simple or a double support.
I always appreciate the action button. An additional physical check on Android handsets would allow so much flexibility, say to quickly open a messaging application, use Google Lens or quickly remove your favorite contact list.
Finally, and it is a specific reproach to the iPhone 16th, but the offer of a single camera at this price looks like a huge step back for Apple. There are competing phones available at half the price of this handset that has two objectives, allowing you to do or more impressive zoom capacities.
Don’t get me wrong; The iPhone 16th can produce superb photos, but a native zoom which is maximum at 2x is lean compared to what the 8a pixels and the Galaxy A56 are capable – at a lower price.
‘E’ is for …
When I saw the name of this phone for the first time, I supposed that the “e” meant “essential”. There is no official Apple word about what it means, but I think I may have reached the brand.
First, it is the price – although it is still expensive, it withdraws some non -ends from the premium beach, but includes the Apple A18 chip, an IP68 resistance rating, an extremely impressive battery life of 30 hours and even specific features for Apple as its sensor and its Biometric Faceid action button. In other words, the “essential elements”.
It is suitable for the sweetspot between the SE in grandfather now and the basic model 16 – more expensive than the first, but offering the essentials of the second, probably fulfilling a crucial objective of market sharing. I can absolutely see that it is a success in markets like India, where Apple just has managed to become One of the best five smartphones brands in the country.
Paradoxically restrictive and liberating, the iPhone 16th is a comfortable phone. This is the right choice if you stood for an entry -level device to upgrade in the Apple family, but it is not a great value if you have broken out from the Apple ecosystem.
To the end of the telephone market, Apple has the competitive advantage on raw reference performance – but its rivals are much cheaper, the cameras easily exceeding the single objective on the iPhone 16th.
The performance references are damned, the Samsung Galaxy A56 and Google Pixel 8a feel much more general and suitable for daily use, with more impressive cameras to start. Not to mention the larger screens on both.
It is an embarrassing place for Apple to place such a big phone – it’s more powerful, but it’s not as practical as cheaper rivals. That said, it will be a brilliant combined to recover on sale, otherwise its standard price may be a little too high.
