The iPhone 16 Pro is Apple’s best iPhone ever. But how does it compare to the company’s previous best iPhone: the iPhone 15 Pro? Our iPhone 16 Pro versus iPhone 15 Pro comparison puts the two models head-to-head.
Apple’s newest iPhone packs a bigger display, a faster chip and other nice-to-have upgrades. Do these changes add up to make the iPhone 16 Pro a compelling upgrade over the iPhone 15 Pro?
Comparing the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro
The iPhone 16 Pro does not reinvent the wheel. It retains the same design as the iPhone 15 Pro but brings other refinements for a better experience. Besides all the hardware upgrades, the iPhone 16 Pro will gain access to Apple Intelligence. But that same set of AI features also will come to the iPhone 15 Pro, blurring the line between the capabilities of the two phones.
If you are an iPhone 15 Pro user and are confused about upgrading to the iPhone 16 Pro, read our comparison below. It will help you decide whether to get the iPhone 16 Pro or save money.
Note that all the comparison points below also apply to the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The two phones only offer two advantages over their Pro siblings: bigger displays and longer battery life. (If you want to buy something from the iPhone 16 lineup, you might want to check our iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 16 comparison to decide if the Pro is worth your money.)
Table of contents: iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro comparison
- Design: No notable changes in iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro
- Display: Bigger is better
- Performance: A18 Pro is all about performance
- Camera: iPhone 16 Pro gets better Ultra Wide, 5x zoom
- Connectivity: Faster 5G and Wi-Fi 7
- Battery life: iPhone 16 Pro lasts longer than iPhone 15 Pro
- Price: Same as before
- Conclusion: iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro
Design: No notable changes in iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro
Photo: Apple
- iPhone 16 Pro: 149.6mm x 71.5mm x 8.25mm, 199 grams, IP68, aerospace-grade titanium with matte glass back, second-gen Ceramic Shield (front), Action button, Camera Control
- iPhone 15 Pro: 146.6mm x 70.6mm x 8.25mm, 187 grams, IP68, aerospace-grade titanium, Ceramic Shield, Action button
From a design standpoint, the iPhone 16 Pro is all about little refinements over its predecessors. It is slightly bigger and heavier because of a bigger display. But otherwise, the two phones look identical. The most notable design change is the addition of a new desert titanium color, which looks gorgeous.
The other design upgrade that might not be immediately noticeable is the Camera Control. The new force-sensitive button sits on the phone’s bottom right side and acts as a camera shutter. A single tap opens the Camera app, while another press takes a picture. A long press starts a video recording. Sliding your finger on the Camera Control lets you control exposure, zoom, aperture, etc.
While not visible, the iPhone 16 Pro uses a new internal structure for better thermal efficiency. Apple says this allows for 20% higher sustained performance.
Lastly, Apple uses a more durable Ceramic Shield glass on the front of the iPhone 16 Pro. But that’s about for differences. No other major design differences separate the two iPhone Pro generations.
Display: Bigger is better
Photo: Apple
- iPhone 16 Pro: 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display, 2,622 x 1,206 pixels, 120Hz ProMotion, Haptic Touch, True Tone, Always-On display, Dynamic Island, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1,000 nits typical brightness, 2,000 nits peak brightness, 1 nit minimum brightness
- iPhone 15 Pro: 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, 2,556 x 1,179 pixels, 120Hz ProMotion, Haptic Touch, Always-On display, Dynamic Island, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1,000 nits typical brightness, 2,000 nits peak brightness
The iPhone 16 Pro’s Super Retina XDR display enjoys two advantages over the iPhone 16 Pro. It measures 0.2 inches bigger and supports a lower minimum brightness of 1 nit. Otherwise, the two panels seem the same. They can hit a peak brightness of 2,000 nits and support a 120Hz refresh rate.
True to its name, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is even bigger, with a 6.9-inch display, compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 6.7-inch screen.
Performance: A18 Pro is all about efficiency
- iPhone 16 Pro: A18 Pro (3nm, second-gen) fab, 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU, 2x faster 16-core Neural Engine, dedicated AV1 decoder, USB-C controller, second-gen Ultra Wideband chip, up to 1TB storage
- iPhone 15 Pro: A17 Pro (3nm fab), 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, dedicated AV1 decoder, USB-C controller, second-gen Ultra Wideband chip, up to 1TB storage
On paper, the iPhone 16 Pro’s A18 Pro chip might seem similar to the iPhone 15 Pro’s A17 Pro. But that’s not the case. While the A18 Pro delivers modest performance gains, the SoC is more efficient than its predecessor, consuming less power while delivering the same or better performance. Apple claims the 6-core GPU is 20% faster and delivers a 2x boost in ray tracing over the A17 Pro.
The updated 16-core Neural Engine is twice as fast, boosting the processing speed of on-device AI tasks. It is complemented by a 17% increase in system bandwidth.
While the A18 Pro delivers some notable improvements, none of them immediately stand out. The iPhone 15 Pro’s A17 Pro remains among the fastest mobile SoCs on the market, capable of easily running all your favorite iOS apps and games. Both iPhones ship with 8GB RAM as standard and are configurable with up to 1TB storage.
Camera: iPhone 16 Pro gets better Ultra Wide, 5x zoom
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
- iPhone 16 Pro: 48MP f/1.78 Fusion camera with a larger sensor, second-gen sensor-shift stabilization, 12MP f/2.8 telephoto camera, 5x optical zoom; 48MP f/2.2 Ultra Wide, macro photography; LiDAR Scanner, Smart HDR 5, Adaptive True Tone flash, Cinematic mode (4K HDR@30fps), Action mode, ProRAW and ProRes support, Log video recording, spatial video recording, wind noise reduction, Audio Mix; Front: 12MP camera with f/1.9 aperture, autofocus
- iPhone 15 Pro: 48MP f/1.78 primary camera with a larger sensor, second-gen sensor-shift stabilization, 12MP f/2.8 telephoto camera, 3x optical zoom; 12MP f/2.2 Ultra Wide with 1.4um pixels, Macro photography; next-gen portraits, LiDAR Scanner, Smart HDR 5, Adaptive True Tone flash, Cinematic mode (4K HDR@30fps), Action mode, ProRAW support, ProRes video recording, Log video recording, macro video recording; Front: 12MP camera with f/1.9 aperture, autofocus
When it comes to the camera array, the iPhone 16 Pro offers notable improvements, but they mostly come from software and a faster ISP. There are only a few hardware improvements. Apple uses a newer-generation 48MP primary camera with faster readout. This allows for zero-shutter lag while taking 48MP pictures and 4K 120fps video recording.
The Ultra Wide camera received the biggest upgrade in the iPhone 16 Pro, switching to a new 48MP sensor. That’s up from the iPhone 15 Pro’s 12MP shooter. Thanks to the higher resolution, the new ultrawide should capture pictures with more details. Like before, it supports macro photography and video recording.
The iPhone 16 Pro ditches the 3x optical zoom in favor of a 5x telephoto, the same one found on last year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max. The iPhone 16 Pro Max retains the same sensor, too.
As for improvements, the new iPhones ship with customizable Photographic Styles, support capturing spatial photos, can record Dolby Vision videos in 4K 120fps, and can capture QuickTake videos in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision. ProRes support also gets a boost, with 120fps recording possible to an external storage drive.
With four studio-quality mics, Apple’s newest Pro iPhones feature Spatial Audio recording. They also offer enhanced wind noise reduction, allowing crystal-clear audio capture even in windy conditions.
None of the iPhone 16 Pro camera improvements immediately stand out or make it a compelling upgrade if you own an iPhone 15 Pro.
Connectivity: Faster 5G and Wi-Fi 7
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac
- iPhone 16 Pro: Emergency SOS via satellite, Roadside Assistance via satellite, Thread networking, high dynamic range gyro, Crash Detection, dual eSIM slots, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, Precision dual-frequency GPS, USB-C (up to 10Gbps)
- iPhone 15 Pro: Emergency SOS via satellite, Roadside Assistance via satellite, Thread networking, high dynamic range gyro, crash detection, dual eSIM slots, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Precision dual-frequency GPS, USB-C (up to 10Gbps)
On paper, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro offer similar connectivity options. They cover all the basics, like Emergency SOS via satellite, Crash Detection for help after serious car wrecks, and a superfast USB-C port.
However, the iPhone 16 Pro uses Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon X75 modem. Early tests indicate it provides up to 24% faster 5G data speeds. It also should latch onto networks better in areas with spotty coverage or too much congestion. Wi-Fi 7 support on iPhone 16 Pro also should improve the Wi-Fi experience. However, you must use a compatible router to take advantage of it.
None of these changes seem like a big enough reason to switch to the iPhone 16 Pro versus the iPhone 15 Pro.
iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro battery life: New model lasts longer
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
- iPhone 16 Pro: Up to 27 hours of video playback, up to 85 hours of audio playback; 25W MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging support
- iPhone 15 Pro: Up to 23 hours of video playback, up to 75 hours of audio playback; MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging support
The iPhone 16 Pro knocks it out of the park with its longer battery life. Apple says it delivers up to five additional hours of video playback or up to 10 hours of audio playback versus the iPhone 15 Pro.
With its faster and more efficient A18 Pro chip and newer 5G modem, the iPhone 16 Pro should last noticeably longer than its predecessor in daily use. The iPhone 16 Pro Max fares even better, with Apple suggesting it offers the “best battery life on iPhone ever.”
Even better, the new iPhones support up to 45W fast wired charging and 25W MagSafe wireless charging. With a compatible charger, this should allow Apple’s the iPhone 16 Pro to fill its empty battery faster. Do note that with regular Qi2 chargers, the new phones will only charge at 15W.
If you are unhappy with the iPhone 15 Pro’s battery life, the iPhone 16 Pro is worth upgrading for this reason alone.
Price: Same as before
- iPhone 16 Pro: Starts at $999 for 128GB storage
- iPhone 15 Pro: Started at $999 for 128GB storage
The iPhone 16 Pro comes with a bigger display, a faster A18 Pro chip, a new Qualcomm 5G modem, upgraded cameras and longer battery life. Despite these improvements, the iPhone 16 Pro carries the same $999 starting price as its predecessor. Likewise, the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts from $1,199 with 256GB base storage, the same as the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Conclusion: iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 15 Pro
Image: Apple
Unless you want a bigger display, a 5x telephoto camera and/or longer battery life, there’s no reason to ditch your iPhone 15 Pro for iPhone 16 Pro. Instead, stick to your current iPhone for another year or two to enjoy bigger, more noticeable changes when upgrading.
The iPhone 16 Pro packs some nice improvements over its predecessor, especially the longer battery life. But they are not big enough to make for a compelling upgrade. That is unless you are getting an excellent trade-in deal, where you can get the iPhone 16 Pro by only paying an additional $100 or $200 out of pocket.
If you are in the market for a new Pro iPhone, though, get the iPhone 16 Pro even if you need to pay a couple of hundred dollars more for it. The upgrades mentioned above more than justify spending a little more.
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iPhone 16 Pro: Apple
