How come people are still buying the iPhone 16 in 2025? After using it for a month, I actually became an Apple fan.

Preface

Hello everyone, I am Xiyuan.

This article continues to organize unboxing content that was not previously published.

Seeing the title, you might find it strange: with the iPhone 17 already out, why still buy the iPhone 16? 🤔

My apologies for being a bit clickbait-ish; actually, I bought the iPhone 16 back in March of this year 🙃

This phone changed my view of iPhones and also changed my perspective on small-screen phones 😄

As for why, I will explain later. (Those in a hurry can scroll directly to the bottom of the article for the user experience section.)

Let's start with the unboxing~

Packaging

Eco-friendly, minimalist packaging in line with Apple's consistent style 🤣

I won't show the back to avoid having to blur it again 😂. Last time when unboxing the 15 Pro Max, I forgot to blur the serial number, and netizens had to remind me about it.

Unboxing

This box is really too thin, Cook is too stingy 💢

Very eco-friendly, the phone is wrapped with protective paper

Phone Body

I have to say I really like this angular design; it was stunning when I first saw the iPhone 4.

Although this design might be a bit uncomfortable to hold 🤣

Fortunately, the iPhone 16 is relatively small, so it’s okay to hold in daily use.

Back

The back features two cameras.

This time, it comes with a new design, which is quite easily distinguishable.

A Different Angle

This white is actually quite nice.

User Experience

I have to say, this time with the small-screen iPhone and the new chip has given me a very different feeling.

Last year, I got an iPhone 15 Pro Max, but the experience wasn't great. I even complained a bit in the unboxing post at the time, and as a result, some netizens said I had bought a fake iPhone. 🤣

Drawbacks of iPhone

In my previous article, I listed some drawbacks I personally noticed while using the iPhone. Here, I'm also reposting some of the key ones for easy reference.

• Significant heat generation, often making the phone uncomfortably hot to hold
• No unified back gesture; some interfaces lag even when swiping back from the left edge (manifesting as a lack of response, with the return action becoming possible only after about a second of interface loading)
• The Pro Max is too wide for comfortable one-handed use. (Many large-screen Android phones share this issue)
• Even the top-tier configuration only has 8GB of RAM, resulting in poor background app retention
• Average battery life, extremely slow charging speeds, and compatibility issues with not just any Type-C charger
• No dedicated game mode (Do Not Disturb can be used to block pop-ups from apps like WeChat), but don't expect picture-in-picture functionality 😂
• Occasional stuttering on the leftmost widget page and the right-side App Library on the home screen, suggesting suboptimal optimization
• WeChat seems to have more bugs on iOS than on Android; on Coolapk, sharing images to WeChat multiple times reveals that the friend from the first share jumps to the top of the list for the second share, even appearing above pinned chats
• The built-in Photos app is difficult to use; it mixes all images together by default, making it hard to differentiate between photos taken by the camera and those saved by other apps

After using the iPhone 15 Pro Max for a while, I couldn't tolerate these issues any longer and had to switch back to an Android phone.

Change

After using it for a month, my view has changed (or I have adapted 😂)

Firstly, the iPhone 16 series is equipped with the all-new A18 series chip, with the standard and Pro versions using the same chip? Before the iPhone 17 comes out, this is also a significant incremental update.

Perhaps due to better power consumption control of the A18 chip, the overheating issue has improved significantly, and it's less common to encounter the frequent hot hands problem like with the previous 15 Pro Max. Of course, it still gets hot when playing games, after all, it doesn't have things like VC cooling plates (VC 均热板) that are already widespread in Android.

The issue of no unified back gesture feels much better on the small-screen iPhone, because the phone is small, so one-handed operation is less strenuous.

Regarding memory, the iPhone 16 still squeezes the toothpaste to the max, surprisingly equipping the entire series with 8G, but it's said to be related to AI, thanks to AI 🙏, although now the iPhone 17 is out, and AI is still nowhere to be seen 🤣

Charging has also improved, although 30W is still slow, it doesn't matter, I always charge at night while sleeping, so speed doesn't really affect much.

Other issues encountered before have been more or less resolved as I became more familiar with iOS (adapted) 😄

Small Screen

Moreover, the feel of a 6.1-inch small screen is truly excellent. Some might think 6.1 inches is quite large, but it's important to consider that modern full-screen designs have very high screen-to-body ratios.

In fact, the dimensions of the iPhone 16 are very similar to those of older non-full-screen iPhones like the 6s, 7, and 8 series (4.7 inches).

Even though the iPhone 16 uses a full-screen design, its overall dimensions (14.76 cm in length, 7.16 cm in width) resemble the overall design language of the 4.7-inch models.

When I first held the iPhone 6s (back when I was still using the OnePlus 3), I was amazed—so light, so small! It felt incredibly comfortable in my hand.

I used to think a larger phone screen was better because you could see more content and typing would be easier. But after using the iPhone 16, I realized this is the perfect size for a phone! 🤣 It doesn’t feel heavy in your pocket, doesn’t strain your hand, and allows for easy one-handed use—this is how a phone should be. Those who prefer larger screens should opt for a small tablet. 🐶

Summary

Looking back from the end of 2025, when the iPhone 17 has really pushed the boundaries, the iPhone 16 is certainly no longer worth buying.

However, the iPhone 16 I got earlier in the year still provided a great user experience and changed my perspective on iPhones and small-screen phones. Although iOS still has many instances of "designers telling users how to use their phones," the build quality of the small-screen iPhone itself is undeniably excellent. Going forward, I’ll be more inclined to consider using other Apple digital products as well.

One last point worth mentioning is the screen. The iPhone 16’s display still feels… a bit harsh on my eyes 😢.

As I mentioned in a previous article, I also purchased an LCD phone around the same time this year (in March). In fact, my eyes are sensitive to OLED screens. After using the iPhone 16 for an extended period, I experience eye strain, dry eyes, and even migraines. So, the biggest obstacle preventing me from using the iPhone 16 as my primary device now isn’t the flaws mentioned in my earlier article—it’s the screen 🤣.

PS: That’s why I later got the iPad mini 7, which has an LCD screen. As a supplement to my phone, it handles most of my daily-use functions, leaving my phone for just calls and texts. This reduces my exposure to the OLED screen and makes my eyes feel much more relaxed~

Hoping for Apple to switch back to LCD screens is unrealistic—OLED is the trend. We can only hope for breakthroughs in screen technology that will soon bring us displays that are both eye-friendly and offer excellent visual quality.