It’s now become an age-old debate: Apple vs Android. Which is better? More stylish? Offers better value for money? Has the better camera?
This confected battle between Apple and Android has been given many angles over the year. The fiercest two seems to be over the camera and the operating system. Plenty of people prefer the adaptability of Android and the level of customisation. Others prefer the ease of Apple’s iOS, which is undeniably the more user-friendly of the two.
Me, I own both. I couldn’t not own both (and yes, I know how privileged that sounds – but if it’s any consolation, journalists don’t earn much money).
For my Apple, I have an iPhone 15 Pro. For my Android, I have a Pixel 9 Pro. Both are fantastic pieces of technology, and while Google is really doubling down on impressive AI features, Apple’s enhancements lately are hard to ignore.
I’ve reviewed the iPhone for the past few years for another publication and have noticed that even the iterative changes have been significant. Maybe not for the average user. But for a wider range of users. Apple has been focusing more on value and accessibility to make the iPhone more appealing for everyone in the market.
I could be cynical and say it’s all about corporate greed. I’m not naive. But those who have paid close attention to iterative generations like 13 and 14 can see that Apple is making a genuine attempt at creating the smartphone for all.
While I don’t mind using an Android, an Apple phone is almost always going to be much more intelligible and work in a more seamless ecosystem. But the Pixel is going to have an infinitely better and most customisable software, especially when it comes to the camera.
But the thing with Apple is that the company finally seems like its closing the gap.
And that’s why I’m so intrigued by the iPhone 16 (specifically the Pro and Pro Max). The iPhone 15 Pro models are the best phones Apple has made to date, largely iterative over the 14 generation but with a few major differences. Namely, the super premium feel of a titanium build, and second the long-awaited switch over the USB-C (not only more universal but much faster than Lightning in terms of charging and data transfer).
There’s been much more meaningful changes between the 14 and 15 as opposed to between the 13 and 14. That makes it most likely that 16 will be mostly iterative, but with a few important tweaks to help refine new features. Of course, we won’t know for sure until the iPhone 16 is announced on September 10th, with a release date likely following two weeks later.
Pro is the way to go
In my long-term review of the iPhone 15 Pro, I noted that the Pro models have been significantly outperforming the 15 proper and the late-to-the-party Plus.
This isn’t really much of a surprise. With the cost of living crisis, people are spending less for sure, but they are also being very picky about where their money goes. If they are going to get a new phone, they want the best. They will save that extra bit of cash and fork out for the top, which is why the luxury market is so strong right now.
The only people interested in the non-Pro models are (and I’m making an assumption here) people who are merely upgrading and don’t need the latest camera updates for their content creation.
The thing is that everyone is a content creator now. So the Pro models make the most sense in the long-term. It’s an investment well worth making.
One thing Apple still has going for it is how shockingly easy it is to edit videos on apps like Instagram and TikTok as opposed to Android. Instagram especially is incredibly poor on Android and iPhone just makes it much easier and less time consuming to scroll through videos, shorten them without pressing all these extra buttons, and snapping away at your own project.
I realised this when I recently took a three-month trip in the US. I had both phones with me. I love using the Pixel for food photos because the Portrait mode is a head-and-tails above the iPhones. Pixel also takes more realistic videos, whereas the iPhone prefers those washed colours that I don’t like.
But editing these videos on the fly was infinitely far easier on the iPhone. To the point where, when it came time to make some Instagram reels, I wished I had shot it all on the iPhone.
Of course, video editing isn’t the only thing Apple excels at compared to Android but it’s the example that’s freshest in my head.
iPhone 16 Pro Rumours
Some of the rumoured features of the iPhone 16 Pro are very promising. And from past years, it seems most of the rumours turn out to be true. Apple leakers are a notoriously effective bunch.
Here’s a summary of the iPhone 16 Pro rumours.
– Larger 6.3″ and 6.9″ sizes for the Pro and Pro Max respectively
– A “capture” button for more controls over the camera
– Relocated mmWave antenna
– 48-megapixel Ultra-Wide lens
– 5x optical zoom
– Speedier A-series chip
– Wi-Fi 7 support
It seems like the new design will move the antenna to make room for the Capture button. This means the antenna will move to the left side of the device (below the volume buttons), while the mechanical Capture Button will be flush with the side and be slightly smaller than the Action Button.
The Capture button will respond to pressure and touch, giving it more functionality than just taking photos and triggering record. You should be able to lightly press to autofocus, press hard to take a photo/start recording, swipe left or right to zoom in and out, and switch between phone and video mode quickly.
This is a smart play into the ever-growing world of content creation and should set Apple up nicely for another successful generation.
It should also mean that Apple is more confident with its camera software this time around.
Conclusion
The iPhone 15 Pro was a proof-of-concept for Apple’s biggest design changes to date. Now it’s all about refinement. I probably won’t be as excited for next year’s iPhone 17 generation than I am for this year’s 16 generation. And that’s simply because it’s the first step post-15. It will make or break how people see Apple’s new phase, and I think Apple is going to come swinging hard this time around.
They need to. The Pixels are getting more popular (unsurprisingly, they are fantastic devices are far superior to Samsung. But Apple has a lot of catching up to do as well, and hopefully this will prove that the company isn’t getting complacent.
