Early tomorrow morning, the iPhone 17 series will be officially launched, bringing major changes to the design with rumors that it will also come with more powerful camera hardware and a good cooling system to run the show without overheating issues.
Every year there will be a question "is it worth buying last year's iPhone model or not?" and this article will try to answer this question by trying to explain the Pros and Cons of purchasing the iPhone 16 after the iPhone 17 was launched.
1. Pro – More Affordable Price
The selling price of the iPhone 16, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will definitely drop sharply as happened in previous years. Old stock will try to be disposed of quickly by shop owners and discounts of up to RM1000 can be enjoyed if you are quick and choose wisely. I recommend that you buy a model with large storage immediately because it will last longer.
2.Pro – A18 and A18 Pro Chips Still Strong
The A18 and A18 Pro chips launched last year are still in the powerful chip category. They can run games like Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail, Death Stranding, Resident Evil 4 and Assassin’s Creed Mirage at satisfactory settings. Only on iOS can PC/console class video games be run.
The specifications of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are also still satisfactory for video processing tasks. The increase in A-series chips from year to year is only around 15%. If you don’t need the latest and most powerful, the iPhone 16 is still worth it.
3.Pro – Camera Still the Best for Video
You must have noticed that many influencers and social media content producers use iPhones. This is not just a status symbol but the biggest reason is that the iPhone’s video capabilities are still the best. The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max series, for example, support 4K ProRes recording directly to an external SSD via a USB-C connection. No need to worry about running out of phone storage because the SSD can be used. Then connect the SSD to your MacBook for quick editing.
It sounds like the iPhone 17 Pro camera this year is bigger and better. That may be true, but the iPhone 16 Pro series camera is still the best among other flagship devices on the market. Even if you are not an expert, the iPhone 16 Pro camera will ensure that the photos are taken beautifully while the videos are decent.
4. Pro – Long-lasting Battery
The battery on the iPhone 16 series is small compared to Android which has reached 10,000 mAh. Safety constraints and stricter guidelines have caused the size of the iPhone battery to remain small.
However, I can tell you after a year of using the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the performance of the 4685 mAh battery that comes with it is comparable to the 5000 mAh battery on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Battery optimization on the iPhone is better and the device can be used all day without issues.
5. Pro – Solid Software Support Will Receive iOS 26
The iPhone 16 series will receive long-term update support for at least four years. No need to worry because it is also confirmed to receive iOS 26 which comes with various new features such as the Liquid Glass interface, Siri with AI, enhanced Apple Intelligence and Live Translation. We are confident that the majority of the software features on the iPhone 17 will be received by the iPhone 16. No need to buy the latest phone for the newly launched features.
6. Pro – Has a Camera Control Button
The iPhone 16 series is the first to be equipped with a Camera Control button for camera control. Early tomorrow morning, several new features will be introduced on the iPhone 17 with the same button integration. So this feature will definitely be received on the iPhone 16 series. You will not feel that there will be any feature drops compared to buying the iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 series.
7. Cons – Charging is Still Slow at 25W
Despite the long-lasting battery, the iPhone 16 series' recharging is slow, averaging only 25W. This is slower than the average mid-range Android device that currently supports 80W charging. Rumors have it that the iPhone 17 series will support 45W charging. So if you buy last year's model, you will have to accept slower charging.
8. Cons – Old Generation Design
The image above is allegedly the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max design with a new design with a large, even bump on the back like the Pixel 10 and a two-tone back panel design. If you buy the iPhone 16 series, it will be obvious that you bought an "old iPhone".
I personally don't care about the status of buying old stuff but I know there is a small subset of people who bought an iPhone 15 last year because it still looks like the iPhone 16. If you care about what other people think (which you shouldn't), just wait for the iPhone 18 and buy the iPhone 17 next year.
The above list is just a personal recommendation. I feel buying last year's model is a smarter move because you can save money and after a year various early issues have been resolved by the manufacturer. It's up to the reader to prioritize savings or the status of owning the newest, most advanced and requires IOU.