iPhone 16 and 16 Pro are Apple’s newest and most capable smartphones. While the iPhone 16 Pro is naturally more feature-rich and powerful, the iPhone 16 has gained pro features, closing the gap between the standard and pro models. Read on for a detailed look at iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro for all the differences and advice on which to buy.

Table Of Contents
iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro
Screen
Size, weight, design
Performance - A18 vs 18 Pro
Battery life
Cameras
iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro I/O
iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro colors
Storage and pricing
What's in the box?
iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro: What should you buy?

For various other iPhone face-offs check out these guides, otherwise, read on:

iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro

Screens

With the iPhone 14 and 15 lineups, Apple used the same display sizes for all four of the standard and Pro devices.

That changes with the iPhone 16 lineup as the Pro models feature larger 6.3 and 6.9-inch displays and the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus have 6.1 and 6.7-inch screens.

Screen brightness remains the same between the 16 Pro and 16 models. However, the 16 Pro and Pro Max are the only devices with Always-On displays and ProMotion (up to 120Hz refresh).

While the displays are identical when it comes to features between all the models outside of Always-On and ProMotion, and the new sizes, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have one other upgrade – slimmer bezels.

Size, weight, design

The design of the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro remains very similar overall to its recent predecessors, but Apple has included the new physical Camera Control button/sensor in all of the iPhone 16 devices.

Apple is continuing to use titanium for the 16 Pro and Pro Max and aluminum with the 16 and 16 Plus.

Along with the new Camera Control, iPhone 16 gets the physical Action button which was originally launched on iPhone 15 Pro. And the rear camera layout has been updated with the 16 and 16 Plus.

For size, weight, and materials, here’s iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro:

With the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max having slimmer bezels, Apple can fit the larger screens in overall dimensions close to the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus.

Naturally, the new iPhones also come in new colors, we’ll get into that in detail below.

Performance – A18 vs A18 Pro

With iPhone 14 and 15 devices, Apple used the latest A-series chip in the Pro models and used the previous year’s chip in the standard models.

That changes this year with the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus getting the new A18 chip with the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max getting the A18 Pro.

With the only previous iPhones to support Apple Intelligence being the 15 Pro and Pro Max, both the standard and pro models of iPhone 16 support the feature(s).

Both the A18 and A18 Pro are more than powerful enough for almost everyone. But here are some stats from Apple:

  • A18 Pro CPU is up to 15% faster than A17 Pro
  • A18 Pro GPU is up to 20% faster than A17 Pro
  • A18 Pro CPU uses up to 20% less power than A17 Pro
  • 2x faster ray tracing than A17 Pro
  • A18 CPU is up to 30% faster than A16 Bionic
  • A18 GPU is up to 40% faster than A16 Bionic
  • A18 CPU uses up to 30% less power than A16 Bionic
  • A18 GPU uses up to 35% less power than A16 Bionic

Also, A18 is the first chip in a non-pro iPhone to offer hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

We’ll update this comparison when we have real-world data on how A18 Pro vs A18 compare directly.

Battery life

For battery life, the iPhone 16 has received a nice improvement over the iPhone 15 devices.

For how that compares to iPhone 15, 14, and 13, check out our full post on iPhone 16 battery life:

Cameras

Rear cameras

All the iPhone 16 devices come with a 48MP main rear camera, the all-new Camera Control button/sensor, latest-gen Photographic Styles, and more.

But the 16 Pro and Pro Max continue to stand apart with the most powerful camera systems.

And after giving the iPhone 15 Pro Max camera system more features than the iPhone 15 Pro, the 16 Pro and Pro Max have the same camera systems and capabilities.

Video recording

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max include new power-user features like 4K Dolby Vision/HDR video recording at up to 120 fps.

But the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus still have fantastic cameras for both photos and video. Here’s how they stack up:

Selfie camera

Apple’s TrueDepth front camera on the iPhone 16 models gets a few upgrades with the 16/Plus having most of the features found with the 16 Pro and Pro Max.

iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro I/O

After the big switch to USB-C with the iPhone 15 lineup, iPhone 16 devices don’t bring as much of a shift with I/O.

The biggest I/O update may be the new Camera Control, but there are some other upgrades like WiFi 7 support, MagSafe supporting up to 25W or wireless power, and more.

iPhone 16 uses the much slower USB 2 compared to USB 3 with the 16 Pro and Pro Max.

iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro colors

iPhone 16 and 16 Plus come in these five colors:

  • Black
  • White
  • Pink
  • Teal
  • Ultramarine

And iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are available in:

  • Black titanium
  • White titanium
  • Natural titanium
  • Desert titanium

Storage and pricing

iPhone 16 and 16 Plus come in these storage options:

  • 128GB – $799 / $899
  • 256GB – $899 / $999
  • 512GB – $1,099 / $1,199

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max come in:

  • 128GB – $999 (only 16 Pro available in 128GB)
  • 256GB – $1,099 / $1,199
  • 512GB – $1,299 / $1,399
  • 1TB – $1,499 / $1,599

What’s in the box?

All of the iPhone 16 devices just come with the iPhone and a USB-C cable in the box.

If you need a power adapter, go with at least a 20W so you get fast charging for your iPhone. Good options include:

  • Anker 20W Nano Pro (super compact)
  • Nomad 20W power adapter (black finish and compact)
  • Apple’s official 20W adapter

iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro: Which should you buy?

All of the new iPhones are super powerful and capable devices, but which one is best for you will come down to how you want to use your iPhone and what features you value.

Keep in mind both iPhone 16 and 16 Pro feature Apple Intelligence support and have the new Camera Control button/sensor.

Reasons to buy iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max

  • Most powerful and capable cameras for both photos and video
  • Titanium build with very slim bezels
  • USB-C with 10Gbps speeds, WiFi 7 support
  • Fastest chip, most powerful GPU for video and mobile gaming
  • Always-On display and ProMotion refresh rates up to 120Hz
  • Storage up to 1TB

Reasons to buy iPhone 16 or 16 Plus

  • If the 6 features above aren’t deal breakers for you, save your money and grab the iPhone 16 which includes most of the other new features this year (or keep your older iPhone

 

 

Source - 9to5Mac