The MacRumors Show: iPhone 16 Pro First Impressions

After some hands-on time with the iPhone 16 Pro, Apple Watch Series 10, and AirPods 4, on this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through our first impressions of the new devices.


We consider some of the ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌'s most noticeable features and improvements, such as longer battery life, the 48-megapixel ultra wide camera, enhanced microphones, overhauled Photographic Styles, and the 5x telephoto camera. We also explore our mixed feelings about the all-new Camera Control button. We also discuss the revamped design of the Apple Watch Series 10, as well as the fit improvements and active noise cancellation capabilities of the ‌AirPods 4‌. The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips:

You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player.


If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our discussion about our favorite iOS 18 features.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Luke Miani, Matthew Cassinelli, Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Kevin Nether, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Jon Prosser, Sam Kohl, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie.

‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread to engage with us directly. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Changes Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday January 16, 2025 6:45 am PST by
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website. Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50. We have outlined some examples below: Device New Value Old Value iPhone 15 Pro Max Up to $630 U ...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
iPhone SE Dynamic Island Majin Bu

iPhone SE 4 Leak Shows Dynamic Island, Casts Doubt on Rumored 'iPhone 16E' Name

Monday January 20, 2025 9:01 am PST by
A new iPhone SE is widely rumored to launch this year, and the device has potentially been confirmed today by known leaker Evan Blass. In a private social media post, Blass shared an image of what appears to be source code mentioning an iPhone SE (4th Gen), which casts doubt on the alternative "iPhone 16E" name rumored for the device. However, the name in the source code could be a...
iPad Pro vs iPhone 17 Air Feature

Here's How Thin the iPhone 17 Air Might Be

Friday January 17, 2025 3:38 pm PST by
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...

Top Rated Comments

juju90 Avatar
17 weeks ago
What improvements??
It’s the same phone
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
carrrrrlos Avatar
17 weeks ago
Possibly the most 'gimmicky' iPhone release. Passing once again.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Logamaniac Avatar
17 weeks ago

They literally paid China half a trillion dollars to have a market there (well, around 300 billion). They weren't selling in China and the CCP agreed to help market the iPhone there in exchange for the money. This actually happened, regardless if it makes sense to you or not.

https://www.theinformation.com/articles/facing-hostile-chinese-authorities-apple-ceo-signed-275-billion-deal-with-them

Couple that with all the chip manufacturing they invested in China, and the numbers are very high. It's because of China that their market valuation is what it is today.

It wasn't paid all at once. It was paid over 5 years, but it more than paid off for them.
so roughly half the amount you said. got it.

also a deal “worth” including business deals, investments and worker training. This could all be included in its foxconn deals as well.

this isn't paying 275 billion dollars outright in any form
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
17 weeks ago

I totally disagree with Hartley. Maybe he got a bad unit. The camera control is not as bad as he makes out. After all he has had the phone 48 hours. I double click twice and the camera immediately opens, it’s not slow and certainly is faster than going to the screen clicking the camera icon and turning the phone to take a picture.
And I agree with you. I'm really digging the camera control button. Which for landscape orientation puts the button where it belongs.

As far as shake goes... when *making* (as opposed to taking) photos, especially ones I care about, I always use two hands, and the camera button is right where it needs to be, and there is no shake. It's far better than tapping the red "button" on the screen from a stability aspect.

All in all, it's an excellent upgrade for making photos.

And I especially like the photo browser app. Where I can fluidly zoom the grid in and out while scrolling to find a past photo I'm looking for. At the moment I have more than 28,000 photos on my phone and the new Photos app is killer for going through them.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Darren.h Avatar
17 weeks ago
Max has issues with the 16.

Glad I did not buy this year. I'll keep using my Trusty 8 Plus until 2nm and better upgrades

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iRizz Avatar
17 weeks ago

That one guy online posed an interesting question: How is it possible iPhones incl. the latest iPhone 16 are being sold in China while Google Phones are not?
Because Apple gave China over half a trillion dollars to have a market there.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)