Key Takeaways
- The iPhone 16 offers major updates, making iPhone 16 Pro seem less appealing despite featuring better cameras and battery life.
- The AirPods 4th gen offer AirPods Pro features like ANC, transparency mode, and spatial audio at a lower price.
- Apple’s Pro products feel like they’re losing appeal as base-level devices receive similar features without a price hike.
With Apple’s Glowtime event in the books, it feels like there’s a lot to be let down by. While the base AirPods and iPhonereceived significant updates, their “Pro” counterparts have both been left in the dust.
The reveal of the AirPods 4th-gen was already fantastic to see, but the wireless earbuds were swiftly followed by a slightly better AirPods 4th-gen model that includes ANC and transparency mode. Adding to this, the most significant new hardware and software changes coming to the iPhone this year aren’t exclusive to the iPhone 16 Pro, with the iPhone 16 set to have both the camera control button and Apple Intelligence. With this in mind, are Apple’s Pro-tier devices even worth it anymore?
Accepting a lower refresh rate
The feature Apple refuses to budge on
For owners of the iPhone 13 Pro and beyond — or really almost any Android flagship — letting go of a 120hz refresh rate screen is horrifying. It’s one of those small things that, once you have it, you really don’t want to give up. If you have an iPhone with ProMotion, turn on low power mode and see the terrors of 60hz. If there’s one primary appeal left to the iPhone 16 Pro, it’s this: Apple still won’t make a base iPhone with a ProMotion display.
Beyond ProMotion, what’s the point of buying an iPhone 16 Pro over the standard iPhone 16?
Watching the keynote, I was struck by the desire to “downgrade” to the iPhone 16 rather than upgrade to the iPhone 16 Pro. The iPhone 16 has Apple Intelligence. It has the new camera button and the iPhone 15 Pro’s action button. The iPhone 16 can even play some of the more intensive gaming titles the iPhone 15 Pro can. Of course, the iPhone 16 Pro has significantly better cameras and will undoubtedly offer better battery life.
But what if I don’t care about having a top-tier camera? And what if I’m okay with just a few hours less battery? Beyond ProMotion, what’s the point of buying an iPhone 16 Pro over the standard iPhone 16? That said, the itch still remains in the back of my head — I simply don’t think I could handle stepping back down to a 60hz refresh rate. It’s not unusable, but ProMotion is a luxury I don’t want to live without.
While the iPhone 16 is poised to be one of the best packages Apple has offered in years, I don’t think I can bring myself to ditch ProMotion.
Losing the ear tips, but not much else
They arguably improve on the AirPods Pro
Apple
Apple announced several wide-reaching changes to the AirPod lineup during its “Glowtime” event. While this includes updated AirPods Max with USB-C, and a software update focused on hearing health for the AirPods Pro 2nd-gen, the base AirPods 4th-gen received the most significant update of all. First, the new AirPods feature one of the AirPods Pro 2nd gen’s best features — a speaker on the case.
For anyone who has owned AirPods, you’ve undoubtedly lost the case at some point, only to enter Find My and find that you can only ping individual AirPods outside the case. The Pros solved this with a speaker on the case and AirTag-like tracking. With the new case speaker, the AirPods 4th gen tosses one of the AirPods Pro 2nd-gen’s key perks out the window — and that’s not even the most significant feature the AirPods 4th gen borrows from the AirPods Pro.
Personally, I would’ve paid $70 to have my AirPods Pro 2 without ear tips.
The AirPods 4th gen also feature active noise cancellation, transparency mode, and personalized spatial audio. All the enhanced sound features that were once exclusive to the AirPods Pro are now coming to the standard lineup. Granted, you have to pay an extra $50 above the AirPods 4 base price of $129 to get a set with ANC and transparency mode. But $179 is still $70 less than the AirPods Pro 2nd gen.
This is not to discount the impressive features coming to the AirPods Pro 2nd gen via an upcoming software update. The hearing features are nothing short of outstanding from the current sound of things, but I don’t think they’ll be worth the extra $70 for most users. And for those same users, I don’t think having ear tips is worth another $70 (personally, I would’ve paid $70 to have my AirPods Pro 2 without ear tips).
We’ll get them next time
The perpetual Apple anthem
Apple
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Apple reveals an iterative update, but next year it will be the big one. It’s the struggle iPhone owners face every single year. Once you approach the three-year mark, it becomes even shakier. Should an iPhone 13 Pro owner get the iPhone 16 Pro or wait another year?
It’s become even more complicated this year. Why stick with the Pro when the regular iPhone 16 measures up well on most fronts? Moreover, what can Apple do to reinvigorate the Pro iPhone next year? Perhaps it’s a folding model down the road, but as it stands, the future of the iPhone’s Pro line seems hazy.
It’s a win for consumers in terms of getting Pro features on cheaper products.
Apple will likely announce the AirPods Pro 3rd gen within the next year or so, but they’ll have the same problem to face as the iPhone 17 Pro. The ability to use AirPods Pro as hearing aids is excellent, but it feels like the AirPods Pro 3rd gen will need to offer a little more to really stand out against their budget counterparts. Historically, Apple’s Pro products have been fantastic, but this latest event is starting to reveal a shrinking gap between its Pro devices and their standard counterparts without much of a price change to reflect it.
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