4 reasons you shouldn't buy the iPhone 16

Key Takeaways

The iPhone 16’s screen has a 60Hz refresh rate and lacks Apple’s ProMotion technology.
If AI doesn’t interest you, pass on the iPhone 16 for now.
The camera isn’t groundbreaking and has similar specs to the iPhone 15, which has dropped in price.

Apple’s “Glowtime” event recently took place at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, where Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 series to the world, as well as the Apple Watch Series 10 and the AirPods 4. The iPhone 16 is available for pre-order September 13, starting at $799 for the 128 GB model, and releases on September 20. But is the new iPhone 16 worth picking up?

The base model iPhone 16 does have some new cool features over its predecessor, the iPhone 15, such as Apple Intelligence and spatial photo and video. Depending on the features you want, and the budget you have, it may be worth passing on the iPhone 16, especially for these four reasons.

Apple iPhone 16

This year’s iPhone 16 line blurs the line between the “Pro” and the base-level iPhone by offering a new camera button and the Action Button, alongside the A18 chip.

1 No 120Hz refresh rate screen

The iPhone 16 doesn’t have ProMotion support

The iPhone 16 only has a 60Hz screen, and Apple’s ProMotion 120Hz screen technology is, once again, only reserved for the iPhone 16 Pro series. ProMotion first made its debut on the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max in 2021. Three years later, it’s still unavailable on the base model iPhone 16.

The difference between 60Hz and 120Hz is night and day, and it’s unfortunate that Apple chose to keep a higher refresh rate screen exclusive to the Pro lineup, especially when higher refresh screen rate technology is available on a mid-range phone like the Google Pixel 8a, which is a blatant $300 cheaper than the iPhone 16.

2 Apple Intelligence might not be for everyone

AI is everywhere, but not everyone is sold on it yet

Apple

The iPhone 16 will be the very first base model iPhone to support Apple Intelligence, Apple’s new suite of AI features. Apple Intelligence looks really cool, and I’m personally excited to test it out. But, understandably so, AI isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. If you don’t care too much about AI, that may be the only reason you need to pass on the iPhone 16 entirely.

While the new AI features shown off at Apple’s Glowtime event, such as writing assistance and image generation look neat, they may not make a huge difference to the day-to-day use of your iPhone. Many of Apple Intelligence’s features will launch later this year, after the release of the iPhone 16 on September 20. Apple Intelligence is only launching in US English in October, with localized English language options coming in December. In 2025, Apple will launch Apple Intelligence in Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish.

3 The camera isn’t that exciting

Unless you’re really into photography, older iPhones have a lot to offer still

The iPhone 16 line comes in five different colors

Apple

The first thing you might notice when you look at the iPhone 16 is the fact that the camera is now vertical instead of diagonal like the iPhone 13, 14, and 15. But other than that, specification-wise, the iPhone 16 camera is very similar to the iPhone 15.

If you just use your iPhone for basic photography, your money might be better spent on the cheaper iPhone 15.

The iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 both have a dual-camera system with a 48 megapixel main camera and a 12 megapixel ultra-wide camera. Both can capture super high-resolution photos and videos, but the iPhone 16 does have support for macrophotography and spatial photos and videos that the iPhone 15 doesn’t have. The most blatant advantage the iPhone 16 has is the new camera button, which lets you zoom in and out more easily, but if you just use your iPhone for basic photography, your money might be better spent on the cheaper iPhone 15.

4 The iPhone 15 and 14 just dropped in price

Which creates a deal that’s hard to pass up

Thanks to the launch of the iPhone 16, the price of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 have dropped, making these phones a great buy if you’re looking to upgrade or buy an iPhone for the first time.

The iPhone 15 is now $699, down from $799, a $100 price drop. The iPhone 14 is now $599, down from $699, another $100 price drop. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 are both still amazing models worth looking at, especially if you’re on budget, with both offering strong performance and great camera quality.