It’s that time of the year again—the iPhone 16 models were released in the Philippines on October 18th. I was fortunate enough to attend the midnight event with my brother back in 2008. We managed to get some perks, like a complimentary dinner at a nearby hotel, but we ended up getting home exhausted. As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that midnight iPhone launch events aren’t for me anymore. So, I’ve made it a habit to visit the nearest Apple-authorized store to purchase my iPhone. Sometimes, I even get some promotional materials or discounts. This year, however, I had to get my unit first thing in the morning due to scheduled appointments.

Armed with a ready QR Code (sent via email) and the Smart nanoSIM, I was all set for the iPhone 16 Pro. Unlike last year, I no longer stressed over the choice between Pro and Pro Max, or the 128GB versus 256GB storage options. I opted for the Pro model, 128GB, as I already have a USB-C 1TB drive that I can connect to the iPhone.

Deciding whether to transfer data from my current iPhone to the new one was a crucial step. I’ve been doing this for several years to ensure that my health data and other locally stored information are seamlessly transferred. With Advanced Data Protection enabled, end-to-end encrypting almost all of my data, I was hopeful that all my other data, particularly health-related information, would transfer from iCloud, if I decide not to restore from the device. If it does not work, I could always perform a device-to-device transfer.

Setting up a new iPhone from scratch felt like a refreshing change. Starting with a clean slate is refreshing, removing the leftover gunk the accumulated since the release of the first Apple Watch. It was a clean install, and yes, all my data, including my streaks, which currently stand at an impressive 3171 Move Goals, were successfully transferred! It was an awesome experience.

Next, I downloaded the third-party applications that I rely on. Banking apps worked seamlessly, as did my messaging apps (Signal and Threema). Even third-party cloud storage encryption worked flawlessly, with no data loss or issues.

My AirPods Pro were automatically paired with the new iPhone, while my Apple Watch needed to be unpaired from the previous device and re-paired to the new one. Unfortunately, the Apple Watch needs to be configured from scratch.

As recommended by the Photos application, I left the iPhone 16 Pro connected to the charger overnight to ensure proper syncing of data from iCloud, and it did.

Overall, everything works, well!