Apple iPhone 16 review: specs, battery & used prices

Summary

The iPhone 16 is the default Apple purchase of its generation and priced accordingly: $799 new for 8/128, with the used market tracking around $469 for the same configuration. It carries the full A18 platform — the same everyday 92/100 as the Pro models — in an aluminum body, conceding the 120 Hz display and the telephoto camera to its pricier siblings. Seven years of updates and IP68 sealing round out a package whose weaknesses are famous precisely because it is famous.

Display and design

The 6.1-inch OLED runs at 60 Hz — the one spec Apple carries forward year after year, and our 56/100 screen score holds it accountable; scrolling next to any 120 Hz rival shows the difference immediately. Brightness is a non-issue at 2,000 nits peak. The 170 g aluminum body with IP68 sealing and Ceramic Shield remains the best-built phone at this price, full stop, and the compactness score of 97/100 makes it the natural one-handed iPhone.

Performance

The A18 delivers 92/100 everyday and 60/100 gaming — performance indistinguishable from the iPhone 16 Pro in daily use. Combined with seven years of OS updates, the 16 will outlast most buyers' ownership of it. This is the strongest argument for the base model: the money saved buys nothing the experience gives up in speed.

Camera

Dual 48 MP main and 12 MP ultrawide, stabilized, recording 4K60: the 30/100 score reflects the absence of a telephoto more than any quality problem — main-sensor output is excellent, low light is strong, and the new Camera Control button works as advertised. Buyers who zoom habitually should look at the Pro models; everyone else gets 90% of Apple's imaging here.

Battery and charging

The 3,561 mAh battery scores 11/100 on endurance — the base iPhone's perennial soft spot; a full day of moderate use arrives with little margin, and heavy days do not. Charging at roughly 30 W (12/100) with MagSafe as the practical nightly ritual. The 16 Plus exists precisely for this paragraph.

Verdict

The iPhone 16 is the rational Apple buy: all the speed, all the longevity, and most of the camera of the Pro tier, at $200 less — or around $469 used, which is the strongest value in the current Apple lineup. The 60 Hz display and modest endurance are the known taxes. Buyers wanting smoothness and zoom should verify the 16 Pro premium against their budget; buyers wanting battery should skip straight to the Plus.