I’ve been a “Pro” iPhone user for years, almost every year. Aside from a brief stint as an iPhone 13 mini user, I’ve chosen the iPhone Pro option every year the company offers one.
And it wasn’t just for the iPhone. I also used to be the person who owned the MacBook Pro, the Apple Watch Ultra (technically not Pro, but you know what I mean), the AirPods Pro, the iPad Pro; If Apple put a Pro in the name, that was the one I was buying.
However, over the years, the regular versions of Apple products began to take on many of the features of the Pro versions. First was the sixth generation iPad mini, which won me over as a reading device. Then came the MacBook Air M2, which took me away from my Intel MacBook Pro.
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Today, after announcing the iPhone 16I think Apple is making me admit that I’m no longer what the company would consider a “Pro” user.
I’m downgrading in name only.
After seeing all the features advertised with the iPhone 16 (Apple Intelligence, Camera Capture Button, Action Button, and Camera Features), I realized that the features offered on the iPhone 16 Pro, like Pro Motion, Always On Display, and even crazier camera features, were not things I would actually use or feel justified spending the extra $200 on.
The iPhone 16 is great. In fact, I prefer how aluminum resists stains to titanium like my iPhone 15 Pro It has been stained everywhere. The regular iPhone is also smaller and lighter, two things I appreciate because I loved the iPhone 13 mini. I’m also not a photographer or videographer who will ever come close to using the features it offers iPhone 16 Pro Camera system is included.
So while I plan to downgrade the name and features, switching from an iPhone Pro to a regular iPhone will feel like something of an upgrade to me. I’ll save money and get a phone that’s better suited to what I use it for. I’ll also feel less anxious about trashing it since it’s a little less premium.
The iPhone 16 isn’t the only place I’m thinking about downgrading from a Pro. I’m also considering upgrading from the Apple Watch Ultra 2 to the Apple Watch Series 10. Again, it’s about getting almost all the features I care about in a more affordable and lightweight option, things I appreciate.
After next week, the only Pro product Apple will keep will be the AirPods Pro. While Apple released Airpods 4 and bringing noise cancellation to regular headphones, it seems that the noise cancellation of the AirPods Pro 2 is still much better. As someone who uses my AirPods Pro 2 on the plane to eliminate engine noise (and boy are they good at that), I think I’ll stick with them for now.
Other than that, though, I think it’s time to admit that I’m no longer a Pro user, and that’s okay.
We cover all Apple iPhone 16 event announcements live as they happen. Don’t miss all our iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, Apple Watch, Apple Watch Ultra 3, iOS 18 and watchOS 11 coverage so far.
