iPhone Fans Say They're 'Disappointed' And Are Returning Their New iPhone 16: 'Not Worth Upgrading'

Given the cost of a new iPhone, it makes sense that you wouldn’t want to replace yours every time Apple issues a new update. Even though there’s something thrilling for some of us about staying on top of the latest and greatest technology, what happens when a new phone model isn’t necessarily all that innovative?

Several Apple customers who purchased the iPhone 16 , which was released in September 2023, are expressing their buyer’s remorse and saying the updates just aren’t worth the cost of their new devices. Here are some of the comments iPhone 16 users have been posting to a popular Reddit thread about the latest model.

The Camera Isn’t Much Better

When Apple updates its camera, it makes front-page news. Photo and video quality is a huge selling point for Apple enthusiasts, but some have reported that the camera upgrade on the iPhone 16 simply isn’t significant enough.

“Even the canners quality look meh where compared with 14 Pro,” says Reddit user Acrobatic_Floor_7447.

According to VanillaNL, the iPhone 16’s screen is a “bit larger” in a way that’s noticeable, but its camera isn’t unique. “I have a Vision Pro and my wife the 15pro. Making spatial photo and video is nice and being finally in the usb c landscape is nice as well. But could be done with a 15pro as well.”

Not Worth the Money

If money were no object, it would be worth every penny to upgrade your phone every few years and never miss out on updates, no matter how small and seemingly less significant they are than other upgrades. But one of the biggest complaints about the iPhone 16 is that it’s just not worth the extra money.

One Reddit user wrote: “I’ve got a 14 pro and see nothing compelling to convince me to upgrade. Is it better than my 14, sure. Is it $1200 better I don’t think so.”

Another user was even harsher in their assessment: “More like done getting ripped off hoping they’ll do better next time. Thanks dude I’m returning mine too … just a little Stockholm Syndrome honestly this phone is a joke.”

The one major caveat that appears more than a few times is that if you are upgrading your phone from a mucher older device to the iPhone 16, you’ll notice massive improvements — less so if you have a newer phone.

“[…] the only people who really enjoy the latest iPhone are people upgrading from 4-5 generations,” Reddit user FearIsStrongerDanluv writes. “You won’t be highly impressed if you’re going from a 14pro to a 16pro, the improvement is not massive enough.”

"Disappointed, not worth upgrading," commented another user.

If you’ve been on the fence about whether or not to purchase an iPhone 16 AND you have a newer device, the consensus seems to be: the latest model is great — but perhaps not worth the extra cost.