Don't Overlook This Subtle Feature on Your iPhone 16 Pro. Your Eyes Will Thank You
Many of us have probably been in this situation: It's an evening flight and someone pulls out their phone, lighting up the cabin like a Broadway show. Eyes sting, blinking ensues, annoyance grows and an internal debate begins about whether to go full Larry David on the poor sap and their phone, which seems to glow brighter than the sun.
Thankfully, those kinds of events might be in my traveling past. At last, Apple has come to the rescue by lowering the minimum brightness across all the displays on its iPhone 16 series.
It might seem odd that such a minor iPhone 16 Pro feature has had such a big impact on me, when you consider the flurry of additions Apple has made: bigger batteries, larger screens and the new Camera Control button.
Also, check out: A Billion Pixels a Second: A Rare Look Inside Apple's Secret iPhone 16 Camera Labs
The display's lower brightness is easily lost among all the other hubbub surrounding the iPhone. After all, there are Snoop Dogg commercials for the iPhone 16 with him touting Apple Intelligence. I've even gone on record to say that the iPhone 16 Pro's updated slow-motion recording feature is my favorite thing on an iPhone in years.
But the minimum brightness on the iPhone 16 is something you can only appreciate when you see it (or don't), even if you aren't on a dark plane or enjoying an evening car ride. Previous iPhone models had screens that could dim down to 2 nits. The iPhone 16 can go even lower, all the way down to 1 nit.
Now, this isn't Apple pulling a Nigel Tufnel from Spinal Tap and saying, "These go to 11" or, in the iPhone's case, down to 1. It's actually noticeable.
I Got an Inside Look at Apple's iPhone 16 Audio and Video Labs I Got an Inside Look at Apple's iPhone 16 Audio and Video Labs
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I Got an Inside Look at Apple's iPhone 16 Audio and Video Labs
The iPhone 16 loses the glare
I hate to admit it, but I like to read on my phone in bed. I know it's a horrible habit. But when I would read on my old iPhone 15 Pro, there were times when I had the brightness all the way down and it still had a bit of glare. That glare is gone with the iPhone 16 Pro I've been using. And I notice that my eyes feel less strained as a result.
Is there a chance I killed off those light-sensitive cells in my eyes from years of reading on my phone in bed? Absolutely. But the iPhone 16 Pro really is less bright when I have the screen cranked down.
Below is a photo of the iPhone 15 Pro side by side with the iPhone 16 Pro in a dark room. Both have their screen's brightness turned all the way down. And the 15 Pro is definitely still brighter.
Here is the iPhone 15 Pro (left) next to the iPhone 16 Pro in a dark room. Both phone have their screen brightness turned as far down as they go.
Marc Ganley/CNET
Why the iPhone 16 is worth considering
I won't say that you should buy the iPhone 16 or 16 Pro simply for how dim their screens can go. But this feature is representative of the small but significant ways Apple delights its customers. If you're coming from an iPhone 12 series or older, than the iPhone 16 is an excellent upgrade.
And if you succumb to Snoop Dogg's charismatic pressure and get a new iPhone or buy one as a gift for a friend or family member and you happen to be sitting next to them on an overnight flight, your eyes will thank you. (Or even if you like to read late at night on your phone.) Now don't get me started on the iPhone 16's amazing speakers. After all, there's a reason that the iPhone 16 tops our list for the best iPhone of 2025.
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