7 iPhone 16 Pro Features That Android Flagships Dont Have Yet

While the iPhone 16 Pro is a modest upgrade over its predecessor, it offers a number of new features and improvements that you won’t find on the latest flagship Android phones. While some of that can be attributed to the A18 Pro chip, others illustrate Apple’s engineering prowess.

1. Fast magnetic wireless charging like MagSafe

Apple introduced MagSafe wireless charging with the iPhone 12 in 2021. With the iPhone 16 Pro, MagSafe gets even better with support for 25W fast wireless charging.

MagSafe stands out not because of its wireless charging, but because of its magnetic power configuration. It ensures that you don’t have to worry about your phone aligning with the wireless charger to transfer power. More importantly, it allows accessories to snap onto the back of the iPhone, making it quick and easy to install and remove.

Once you start using the MagSafe mount on your car or bike, you won't want to go back because of its convenience.

The Qi2 wireless charging standard was released in 2023, promising to bring MagSafe-like magnetic wireless charging to Android devices. A year later, none of the flagship phones from Samsung, Google, Motorola, or OnePlus support Qi2 charging.

HMD (formerly known as Nokia) launched the world's first Android phone with Qi2 magnetic wireless charging in 2024. But due to limited availability and inferior specs, it's unlikely to find many buyers. Plus, it only supports 15W wireless charging, unlike the iPhone 16 Pro, which supports 25W speeds.

2. Customizable Action Button

Apple replaced the Ring/Silent switch on the iPhone 15 Pro with a customizable Action button in 2023. A year later, the entire iPhone 16 lineup got an Action button. However, no Android phone comes with such a customizable button that you can map to any action you want.

On most Android phones, you can tweak the double-press behavior of the power button to open the Camera app, but that's it. On the iPhone 16 Pro, you can use the Action button to trigger shortcuts, quickly turn the flashlight on/off, open a specific app, and more.

The ability to run shortcuts is a powerful feature, as it opens the door to any task you want to perform, such as quickly adding a new calendar event or taking a note.

3. Capacitive Camera Button

The iPhone 16 Pro marks the debut of the Camera Control button. As its name suggests, pressing this capacitive button opens the Camera app. You can swipe on it to cycle through various camera functions, such as adjusting exposure, zoom, and color tone, as well as switching between shooting modes. And if you don't like the iPhone's default Camera app, you can also use it with supported third-party camera apps.

Some Sony Xperia phones have physical camera buttons on the side. But they don't offer the same tactility as the capacitive Camera Control button on the iPhone 16. The latter is much more powerful and can control a variety of camera functions.

Even better, it can provide haptic feedback using the Taptic Engine despite being a capacitive button. Android phones from Samsung, Google, OnePlus, and Motorola don't even have a physical camera button.

4. Support 48MP ProRAW without shutter lag

The best Android phones can shoot RAW photos at 50MP or even 200MP. But unlike pixel-binned 12MP photos, there’s noticeable shutter lag when shooting RAW. This limits the number of photos you can take in a row, which can be a problem when shooting fast-moving subjects.

Thanks to faster sensor readouts and a powerful ISP, the iPhone 16 Pro can shoot RAW photos with virtually no shutter lag. This may not seem like a big deal, but if you regularly shoot RAW on your phone for more editing flexibility, it's a significant improvement.

You can click consecutive RAW images of a moving subject to try and get the best possible frame. You can then enjoy greater flexibility in dynamic range and detail when editing.

5. 4K/120 FPS video recording in Dolby Vision

Like previous iPhones, the iPhone 16 Pro can shoot 4K video in Dolby Vision HDR. More importantly, it can shoot 4K/120FPS video in Dolby Vision.

Unfortunately, only a few Android phones from Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi can shoot 4K/60 FPS video in Dolby Vision HDR. Even the best camera phones from Samsung and Google only support HDR10+ instead of Dolby Vision, and are limited to 4K/60FPS.

6. Ultra-thin bezel

Many Android phones have big, beautiful OLED displays with curved glass on all four corners for a bezel-less look. Apple, on the other hand, uses a flat 120Hz OLED panel on the iPhone Pro; the company has been shrinking the bezels with each new generation.

This screen bezel is thinner than all Android phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. This gives the iPhone 16 Pro a nearly bezel-less look and a direct feel of holding the screen in your hand.

7. Click on space photos and videos

The iPhone 16 Pro can capture space photos, videos, and audio. The iPhone 15 Pro series was already capable of capturing space videos, and with the latest iPhones, Apple added support for space photography.

When viewed in Vision Pro, these images appear in 3D, giving the impression of being in the scene where the photo was taken. Meta’s Quest headset already supports space video from iPhones, and will soon add support for space photography. Sadly, there are currently no Android phones on the market that can record video or take photos of space.

Admittedly, AR/VR headsets aren't mainstream yet, so not being able to capture spatial photos and videos on Android phones isn't a huge deal.

You might find the iPhone 16 Pro's exclusive features to be minor or pointless, especially if you're an Android user. While that may be true for some, it still shows how superior Apple's flagship iPhone is to its Android rivals.