I’m torn by the camera controls on the iPhone 16 – it’s convenient, but not polished

If you read my previous thoughts on the iPhone here on TechRadar and its sister site Tom’s Guideyou know, I have a pretty strong opinion about Applesmartphones.

Since switching from Android to iPhone at the end of 2021, I haven’t returned to the platform. Google built despite the attempts of some best android phones. I was captivated by the simplicity of iOS; I like the titanium construction, I think Ceramic Shield glass is a minor game changer.I love the Action button, and iPhone cameras almost never let me down.

But this time I’m on the fence.

What got me thinking was this Camera control button.’ In some ways, this is a cool new feature that makes good use of haptics. Otherwise it’s redundant and not fully functional.

I tried iPhone 16 pro max for a couple of weeks now, and when it comes to taking photos, I try to use the camera controls as much as possible. Since I’m 37 and a millennial, I still like to take photos with my phone in landscape mode, so having a physical button where my finger naturally rests works well for taking pictures without ruining the shot by tapping the screen or trying to press the button. Action” – I still assigned this to run the “torch”, which is surprisingly useful.

I also like to scroll through the zoom ranges by dragging my finger across the camera controls, without having to click on the little icons. Exposure control is cool, although switching between the functions Camera Control can control isn’t entirely intuitive to me yet, and my taps often cause me to lose the precise design of a scene.

So yes, Camera Control is interesting. But…

Did someone really ask for this? This looks like an opportunity for Apple’s mobile executives to have something new to talk about at Apple’s September event. It’s just a nice-to-have feature, but it’s unlikely to be a game-changer for phone photography.

Not my pace

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max: hands-on experience

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

However, perhaps over time I will come to warm to it. However, the biggest problem is the lack of AI tools to control the camera at launch. Apple has been heavily touting AI camera control features that can be used to pinpoint what the cameras are pointing at and provide all sorts of information. This hasn’t happened yet: deployment will happen after launch, when Apple Intelligence reaches completely; there is a beta version, but I don’t want to try this on my main phone.

I have yet to understand this. Of course, other phone makers have been touting AI features coming after their phones launch and may be limited to certain regions at first, but at least they’re launching some of the promised AI packages. iPhone 16 line released without any Apple Intelligence features.

This is not what I expected from Apple, a company that is known to not introduce new technologies until they are perfected and ready for prime time. Therefore, launching smartphones without next-gen smarts baffles me. But this is also the main reason why Camera Control bothers me; if it were Google Lens-like startup abilities built into the hardware format, I find myself feeling much more positive about Camera Control.

Of course, Apple’s use of such a camera button will undoubtedly force other phone makers to follow suit. I just hope they don’t skimp on features when their phones are released.

As for the camera controls here and now, I’ll keep an open mind and continue to use them; I’m just crossing my fingers that he’ll become truly useful once he gets the prescribed dose of AI intelligence.