iPhone 16 Pro vs 15 Pro: What’s new, worth upgrading?

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are Apple’s newest, high-end smartphones. But how much have they improved beyond their pro-decessors? Here’s a detailed look at iPhone 16 Pro vs 15 Pro for everything new and a buyer’s guide.

For a look at iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro or 16 vs 15, check out these guides, otherwise, read on 😁:

• iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro: Everything different and buyer’s guide
• iPhone 16 vs 15: Worth upgrading? Here’s what different

iPhone 16 Pro vs 15 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 compared to the 6.1 and 6.7-inch screens on the 15 Pro and Pro Max.

Screen brightness remains the same between the 16 Pro and 15 Pro models as well as the other features like ProMotion up to 120Hz, 460 ppi, Always-On display, and more.

The major change is the larger screen sizes.

	iPhone 16 Pro	iPhone 15 Pro	iPhone 16 Pro Max	iPhone 15 Pro Max
Size	6.3 inches	6.1 inches	6.9 inches	6.7 inches
Resolution	2622 x 1206 pixels	2556 x 1179 pixels	2868 x 1320 pixels	2796 x 1290 pixels
PPI	460 ppi	460 ppi	460 ppi	460 ppi
Super Retina XDR OLED	✅	✅	✅	✅
Dynamic Island	✅	✅	✅	✅
ProMotion – adaptive refresh up to 120Hz	✅	✅	✅	✅
Always-On display	✅	✅	✅	✅
Typical brightness	1000 nits max	1000 nits max	1000 nits max	1000 nits max
HDR brightness	1600 nits max	1600 nits max	1600 nits max	1600 nits max
Outdoor brightness	2000 nits max	1600 nits max	2000 nits max	1600 nits max
True Tone	✅	✅	✅	✅
Haptic Touch	✅	✅	✅	✅
Wide color (P3)	✅	✅	✅	✅

Size, weight, design

The design of the iPhone 16 Pro remains almost identical to its predecessors, but Apple has included a new physical Camera Control button/sensor.

Apple is continuing to use titanium for the 16 Pro and Pro Max like the 15 Pro and Pro Max.

To accommodate the larger displays, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are slightly larger and heavier than iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

	iPhone 16 Pro	iPhone 15 Pro	iPhone 16 Pro Max	iPhone 15 Pro Max
Height	5.89-inches (149.6 mm)	5.77 inches (146.6 mm	6.42-inches (163 mm)	6.29 inches (159.9 mm)
Width	2.81-inches (71.5 mm)	2.78 inches (70.6 mm)	3.06-inches (77.6 mm)	3.02 inches (76.7 mm)
Thickness	0.32-inches (8.25 mm)	0.32 inch (8.25 mm)	0.32-inches (8.25 mm)	0.32 inch (8.25 mm)
Weight	7.03-ounces (199 grams)	6.60 ounces (187 grams)	7.99-ounces (227 grams)	7.81 ounces (221 grams)
Durability	IP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes	IP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes	IP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes	IP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes
Ceramic Shield front	✅	✅	✅	✅
Back material	Textured matte glass	Textured matte glass	Textured matte glass	Textured matte glass
Frame/edges	Grade 5 titanium	Titanium	Grade 5 titanium	Titanium

Performance – A18 Pro vs A17 Pro

A18 Pro is the next-generation chip for Apple’s high-end smartphones and while they are more powerful and capable, the difference isn’t too big at 15% faster for the CPU and up to 20% faster for the GPU.

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).

	iPhone 16 Pro	iPhone 15 Pro	iPhone 16 Pro Max	iPhone 15 Pro Max
SoC	A18 Pro	A17 Pro	A18 Pro	A17 Pro
CPU	6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency	6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency	6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency	6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency
GPU	6-core	6-core	6-core	6-core
Neural Engine	16-core	16-core	16-core	16-core
RAM	8GB	8GB	8GB	8GB
Apple Intelligence support	✅	✅	✅	✅

Both the A18 Pro and A17 Pro are plenty powerful enough for anyone. 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

Battery life

For battery life, the iPhone 16 Pro has received a notable improvement over the iPhone 15 Pro.

	iPhone 16 Pro	iPhone 15 Pro	iPhone 16 Pro Max	iPhone 15 Pro Max
Video playback	Up to 27 hours	Up to 23 hours	Up to 33 hours	Up to 29 hours
Audio playback	Up to 85 hours	Up to 75 hours	Up to 105 hours	Up to 95 hours

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

• iPhone 16 battery life: How much better is it?

Cameras

Rear cameras

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.

Both the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max devices have the same 48MP main rear camera, a new 48MP ultra wide lens, 12MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, the all-new Camera Control button/sensor, and the latest-gen Photographic Styles.

	iPhone 16 Pro	iPhone 15 Pro	iPhone 16 Pro Max	iPhone 15 Pro Max
Camera Control	✅	❌	✅	❌
Main lens	48MP, ƒ/1.78 aperture	48MP, ƒ/1.78 aperture	48MP, ƒ/1.78 aperture	48MP, ƒ/1.78 aperture
Main lens sensor	2.44 µm quad pixel	2.44 µm quad pixel	2.44 µm quad pixel	2.44 µm quad pixel
Main lens focal length	24 mm	24 mm	24 mm	24 mm
Ultra Wide lens	48MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture	12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture	48MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture	12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture
Telephoto lens	12MP, ƒ/2.8 aperture (up to 5x zoom)	12MP, ƒ/2.8 aperture (up to 3x zoom)	12MP, ƒ/2.8 aperture (up to 5x zoom)	12MP, ƒ/2.8 aperture (up to 5x zoom)
Stabilization	2nd gen Sensor-shift optical image stabilization	2nd gen Sensor-shift optical image stabilization	2nd gen Sensor-shift optical image stabilization	2nd gen Sensor-shift optical image stabilization
Optical zoom	0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x	0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3x	0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x	0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x
Digital zoom	Up to 25x	Up to 15x	Up to 25x	Up to 25x
Flash	Adaptive True Tone Flash	Adaptive True Tone Flash	Adaptive True Tone Flash	Adaptive True Tone Flash
Photonic Engine	✅	✅	✅	✅
Deep Fusion	✅	✅	✅	✅
Smart HDR 5	✅	✅	✅	✅
Next-gen portraits with Focus and Depth Control	✅	✅	✅	✅
Portrait Lighting with six effects	✅	✅	✅	✅
Night mode	✅	✅	✅	✅
Night mode portraits	✅	✅	✅	✅
Latest-gen Photographic Styles	✅	❌	✅	❌
Spatial photos	✅	✅	✅	✅
Macro photography	✅	✅	✅	✅
Apple ProRAW	✅	✅	✅	✅

Video recording

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max step up video recording with 4K Dolby Vision/HDR video recording at up to 120 fps.

You can also record at up to 120 fps for 1080p and ProRes recordings with 16 Pro/Max. Other new features are wind noise reduction and Audio Mix.

	iPhone 16 Pro	iPhone 15 Pro	iPhone 16 Pro Max	iPhone 15 Pro Max
4K Dolby Vision/HDR recording	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, 60, 100, or 120 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, 60, 100, or 120 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps
1080p recording	✅ – at 25, 30, 60, or 120 fps	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 25, 30, 60, or 120 fps	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps
Cinematic mode	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps
Action mode	✅ – up to 2.8K at 60 fps	✅ – up to 2.8K at 60 fps	✅ – up to 2.8K at 60 fps	✅ – up to 2.8K at 60 fps
ProRes recording	✅ – up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording	✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording	✅ – up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording	✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording
Log video recording	✅	✅	✅	✅
Academy Color Encoding System	✅	✅	✅	✅
Macro video recording	✅	✅	✅	✅
Spatial video recording	✅ – at 1080p at 30 fps	✅ – at 1080p at 30 fps	✅ – at 1080p at 30 fps	✅ – at 1080p at 30 fps
Slo-mo recording	✅ – 1080p up to 240 fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps	✅ – 1080p up to 240 fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps	✅ – 1080p up to 240 fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps	✅ – 1080p up to 240 fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps
Time-lapse with stabilization	✅	✅	✅	✅
Night mode Time-lapse	✅	✅	✅	✅
QuickTake video	✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision	✅	✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision	✅
Stabilization	2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video 3D sensor‑shift optical image stabilization and autofocus for video (Telephoto)	2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video 3D sensor‑shift optical image stabilization and autofocus for video (Telephoto)	2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video 3D sensor‑shift optical image stabilization and autofocus for video (Telephoto)	2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video 3D sensor‑shift optical image stabilization and autofocus for video (Telephoto)
Cinematic video stabilization	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, and 720p	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, and 720p	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, and 720p	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, and 720p
Audio zoom	✅	✅	✅	✅
Stereo recording	✅	✅	✅	✅
4 studio quality mics	✅	❌	✅	❌
True tone flash	✅	✅	✅	✅
Wind noise reduction	✅	❌	✅	❌
Audio Mix	✅	❌	✅	❌
Continuous autofocus video	✅	✅	✅	✅
Playback zoom	✅	✅	✅	✅

Selfie camera

Apple’s TrueDepth front camera is mostly the same with the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max but you do get the latest-gen Photographic Styles.

	iPhone 16 Pro	iPhone 15 Pro	iPhone 16 Pro Max	iPhone 15 Pro Max
TrueDepth front camera	12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture	12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture	12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture	12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture
Autofocus with Focus Pixels	✅	✅	✅	✅
Retina Flash	✅	✅	✅	✅
Photonic Engine	✅	✅	✅	✅
Deep Fusion	✅	✅	✅	✅
Smart HDR 5 for photos	✅	✅	✅	✅
Next-gen portraits with Focus and Depth Control	✅	✅	✅	✅
Portrait Lighting with six effects	✅	✅	✅	✅
Animoji and Memoji	✅	✅	✅	✅
Night mode	✅	✅	✅	✅
Night mode time-lapse	✅	✅	✅	✅
Latest-gen Photographic Styles	✅	❌	✅	❌
Lens correction	✅	✅	✅	✅
Auto image stabilization	✅	✅	✅	✅
Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos	✅	✅	✅	✅
4K Dolby Vision/HDR recording	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps
1080p Dolby Vision recording	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps	✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps
Cinematic mode	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps
Apple ProRAW	✅	✅	✅	✅
ProRes recording	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording	✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording
Log video recording	✅	✅	✅	✅
Slo-mo recording	✅ –1080p at 120 fps	✅ –1080p at 120 fps	✅ –1080p at 120 fps	✅ –1080p at 120 fps
QuickTake video	✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision	✅	✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision	✅
Cinematic video stabilization	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p	✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p
Spatial Audio and stereo recording	✅	❌	✅	❌

iPhone 16 Pro vs 15 Pro I/O

After the big switch to USB-C with the iPhone 15 lineup, iPhone 16 Pro 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.

The 16 Pro and Pro Max continue to use USB 3 with up to 10Gbps transfer speeds.

	iPhone 16 Pro	iPhone 15 Pro	iPhone 16 Pro Max	iPhone 15 Pro Max
USB-C	✅ – USB 3 up to 10Gbps	✅ – USB 3 up to 10Gbps	✅ – USB 3 up to 10Gbps	✅ – USB 3 up to 10Gbps
WiFi	7	6E	7	6E
Bluetooth	5.3	5.3	5.3	5.3
UWB Gen 2	✅	✅	✅	✅
NFC with reader mode	✅	✅	✅	✅
Thread	✅	✅	✅	✅
Cellular	GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA	GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA	GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA	GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA
5G	Sub‑6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMO	Sub‑6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMO	Sub‑6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMO	Sub‑6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMO
4G	Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA	Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA	Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA	Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA
GPS	Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, and NavIC)	Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, and NavIC)	Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, and NavIC)	Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, and NavIC)
Audio playback	Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos	Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos	Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos	Spatial audio/Dolby Atmos
Video playback	HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG	HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG	HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG	HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG
SIM	Dual eSIM in US	Dual eSIM in US	Dual eSIM in US	Dual eSIM in US
MagSafe	✅ with 25W charging	✅ with 15W charging	✅ with 25W charging	✅ with 15W charging
Qi and Qi2	✅	✅	✅	✅

iPhone 16 Pro colors

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are available in:

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

Storage and pricing

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 Pro vs 15 Pro: Buyer’s guide

All of the new iPhones are super powerful and capable devices, but which is best for you (or whether it’s time to upgrade) will come down to how you want to use your iPhone and what features you value most.

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/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 15 Pro, iPhone 16, or keep what you have

• 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 😁).
• You could also consider grabbing or keeping an iPhone 15 Pro if you’d like Apple Intelligence support but don’t want/need the latest 16/16 Pro features.

You can pre-order iPhone 16 and 16 Pro from 9/13 from Apple, your carrier, and more.

What are you planning to do? Upgrade? Keep your current iPhone? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks for reading our guide on iPhone 16 Pro vs 15 Pro!