6 reasons why iOS 18 makes the iPhone 16 a must-upgrade for me
I’ll be retiring my trusty TOS (that original smartphone) iPhone 12 Pro Max soon. David Gewirtz/ZDNET (with a little help from Noble Collection Kirk and Spock)I don’t enjoy upgrading my iPhone. I know some of you like using the latest and greatest, but I usually wait until the new device meets some specific and tangible need before I upgrade. It’s not just the money, although that’s not nothing. I don’t enjoy the hassle of the overall process, from buying to configuring to transferring my data.Also: Apple confirms iPhone 16 event date, and ‘It’s Glowtime’I also tend to wait at least until Apple’s fall iPhone announcements to make that decision because that’s when Apple shares the list of new features in the phone, and I can make an informed decision based on that information.Not this year. This year, I know I’m getting an iPhone 16 Pro Max. Last year, I chose to keep using my three-generation-old iPhone 12 Pro Max with 256GB storage. By contrast, my wife upgraded her even older iPhone 11 Pro to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.The three fundamental reasons why we upgrade They are:The current device has a failing that reaches the annoyance level, triggering a replacement urge, orThe newer device has one or more incredibly compelling “must buy” new features, orYou want to be seen carrying — or know you’re carrying — the latest hotness in a sort of keeping-up-with-or-ahead-of-the-Joneses kind of way.A variant of #3: the folks who upgrade annually simply because that’s what they do. My wife Denise’s iPhone 11 had only 64GB storage, so she constantly ran into storage management problems. Reason #1 above had been triggered for months, but we were waiting out the calendar until the new models came out. For me, last year, none of the three reasons triggered. My phone was fine. There was no new feature I craved and I didn’t care whether people knew I was rocking an older phone.Also: Why you shouldn’t buy the iPhone 16 for Apple IntelligenceBut this year, things have changed. There is one primary must-have Reason #2 issue, a few nice-to-have Reason #2 issues, and an emerging, but could probably last out the year Reason #1 issue. The items I’ll mention could be handled with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but why buy one now when the new models will be out in a few weeks? Let’s dive into six reasons I’ll put down $1,599+ for a new iPhone. Keep in mind that these reasons fit my life and workload. We’re all unique. You may or may not have an upgrade reason. If you do, your reasons will likely be different from mine. Six reasons why I’m buying an iPhone 16 1. Apple’s AI Upgrade reason: Must-buy new featureMotivation: Need for work AI coverage, plus consistency across all my devicesThat’s it. Apple AI is my primary must-have reason. Apple’s AI (which Apple cleverly rebranded as Apple Intelligence) is only supported on the iPhone 15 Pro Max and up. But if I’m going to buy a new phone, I’ll wait to get the new one in the fall. Also: Everything to know about Apple’s AI features coming to iPhones, Macs, and iPadsApple Intelligence triggers my Reason To Buy #2: the newer device has one or more incredibly compelling “must buy” features. After all, I do a tremendous amount of writing about AI and have done many projects mixing AI into production work to see how it plays out. Unfortunately. a lot of Apple AI won’t be available at launch, but I’ll still need to see it in action to write about it.My work style relies heavily on the Continuity and Handoff features. I constantly switch between my iPhone and Mac, often a dozen times a day or more. If Apple’s AI is going to be baked into MacOS for my M-series machines, I’m going to use it.If I have that capability on all my Macs, I want it on my iPhone as well. That way, there’s no added friction in my full use of the entire Apple ecosystem. Also: Here’s every iPhone model that will receive Apple’s iOS 18 updateAnd yes, for the record, I also use iPads. But I use them more as cameras and device control for my fleet of video robots, so Apple Intelligence isn’t as mission-critical on them.Now, let’s look at a few nice-to-have Reason To Buy #2 features. 2. Spatial videos Upgrade reason: Nice-to-have new featureMotivation: Need for work coverage of Vision ProI’ll be honest. Spatial videos don’t do it for me. However, they’ll now be editable with Final Cut, which means … something. Also: How to capture spatial video with the iPhone 15 Pro (there’s a trick)My wife was kind enough to let me borrow her iPhone 15 Pro Max to record some test spatial videos, but her iPhone is mission-critical for her, and she can’t be parted from it very often or for very long. Because I write about the Vision Pro, I need to be super-familiar with spatial videos. The way I become familiar with technology is to do projects with it, to tinker and see what I can produce. Also: I recorded spatial videos to view on Vision Pro and Quest 3, and you can download themTherefore, I need a spatial video camera, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max (and the new 16 Pro Max) can do that. So, while it’s not a must-have for Reason #2, it’s a nice-to-have. 3. Macro lens Upgrade reason: Nice-to-have new featureMotivation: Adds a lot of convenience to a regular processI do a lot of macro photography. I don’t shoot plants or insects, which seem to be the classic subjects for macro photography. Instead, I shoot my build projects, often small aspects of something I’m working on. Normally, I shoot my project build progress with my iPhone, which is always in my pocket. Even if I go into the workshop and make a five-minute improvement, I can pull out my phone and snap a picture or small video. Also: The camera I recommend to most new photographers is not a Nikon or SonyBut for macro shots, I have to get my Sony Alpha ZV-E10 mirrorless camera More
