My neighbor Jake shows up at my door Saturday morning while I’m still in my pajamas, coffee in one hand, holding up this phone like it’s the Holy Grail. He’s practically bouncing on his toes. “Check this out, man; I scored it yesterday!”, He begins swiping through pictures of his dog Max that he took recently, and they actually looked amazing. Way better than the blurry mess I usually get on my Galaxy S24.
I’ve been Team Android since forever. Started with a Motorola Droid way back in the day and tried a few different Samsung phones. But standing there in my doorway, watching Jake’s iPhone 16 Pro work its magic? Yeah, I was definitely feeling a bit envious.” Then Tuesday happened. Apple decides to kill off the iPhone 16 Pro completely. Poor Jake.
When Apple Plays Musical Chairs with Your Wallet
Want to talk about bad timing? Jake literally purchased his phone last Friday. It was discontinued by Apple the following Tuesday, September 9th, to be precise. Not even a full week! I texted him the news story, and he replied with three crying-laughing emojis and the word “figures.” That’s Jake for you; he just shrugs and goes with the flow. The timing was brutal.
Apple unveiled the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, which the company claims represent “a dramatic leap forward in performance,” effectively making the iPhone 16 Pro obsolete. It’s as if you bought a shiny new car and found out not a week later they’d stopped making your model. My buddy Jake is now feeling like he bought the last Blockbuster membership. “Should I have waited?” he keeps asking. Honestly? I’m not sure anyone saw this coming.
What Made the iPhone 16 Pro Special
Before Apple gave it the axe, the iPhone 16 Pro was actually a pretty solid phone. Jake loaned me his for a couple of hours, and I’ve gotta say: I was impressed against my will. I actually like the Camera Control button. It’s this physical button that allows you to change camera settings without diving into menus. Sounds gimmicky, but when you’re attempting to snap a quick photo of your kid’s soccer game, it’s actually handy as heck.
Battery life was also massively improved; Apple claimed as much as 20 per cent more sustained performance out of the thing. Jake showed me his battery stats, and even after a full day of heavy use (and trust me, this guy’s always on his phone), he still had juice left over. The A18 Pro chip wasn’t a joke, either. Everything felt snappy and responsive. I tossed some demanding games at it, and it handled everything without breaking a sweat. Well, my Galaxy is looking a little sluggish in comparison, to be fair.
The Camera That Almost Converted Me
OK, this is where I started to see what Jake loved so much. The camera system on the iPhone 16 Pro was genuinely impressive. We snapped a few side-by-side photos with my Galaxy, and Apple’s computational photography game was on point. The portrait mode didn’t look like some weird artificial blur effect that you sometimes get. Night mode was also strong; we tried it at a dim restaurant, and the iPhone captured details my phone didn’t pick up at all.
But what was mind-blowing to me was the video quality. Butter smooth, great stabilization and the colors looked real. I shoot a lot of videos of my kids, and the iPhone 16 Pro just made everything look like it was shot by someone who actually knows what they’re doing.
The Battery Life That Actually Delivered
You know how phone manufacturers always claim their latest models have incredible battery life, then you use one and the truth sets in? And the iPhone 16 Pro, well, it actually delivered on the hype. Apple promised video playback of up to 27 hours, and based on my experience with Jake’s phone, this wasn’t an exaggeration. He’s one of those power users who is always streaming music, shooting photos, and checking social media, and somehow his phone was still going at the end of the day.
In the meantime, I’m hunting for a charger around 4 p.m. most days. The fast charging was decent too, though not quite as speedy as some Android phones I’ve used. But for most people, it’s totally fine.
Why Apple Pulled the Plug So Fast
So why did Apple bump the iPhone 16 Pro off after only a year? Simple: the iPhone 17 Pro is a bigger jump forward than usual. We’re discussing a jump in battery life from 27 hours to 33 hours, which is enormous when you are speaking about phones. And Apple is also apparently making some major design changes.
This new iPhone Air is a mere 5.6 millimeters thick with a “space grade” titanium frame. With something as revolutionary as that, keeping the old model around just doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s brutal for people who bought the iPhone 16 Pro recently, but that’s Apple for you. They move fast and don’t look back.
The Lesson Here
Jake’s still happy with his iPhone 16 Pro, and honestly, he should be. It’s a great phone that was just unlucky with timing. Apple discontinued four different iPhone models this year: the iPhone 15, 15 Plus, and both 16 Pro models. For the rest of us? It’s a reminder that in the smartphone world, today’s flagship is tomorrow’s discontinued model. If you’re thinking about upgrading, waiting for the next generation might be worth it.
But here’s the thing: even though the iPhone 16 Pro is already yesterday’s news, it showed me that Apple’s still got game. The camera, battery life, and overall experience were genuinely impressive. Would I switch from Android? The jury’s still out. But for the first time in years, Apple made me seriously consider it. Too bad the iPhone 16 Pro won’t be around long enough for me to make up my mind. Jake’s phone might be a collector’s item sooner than he thinks.