Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPhone 16e vs. iPhone 15 Pro Buyer's Guide: Which Is Best for $599?

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
67,431
37,622


The iPhone 16e is now Apple's lowest-cost iPhone at $599. However, 2023's iPhone 15 Pro is now available for very similar approximate prices from third parties. There are at least 50 differences between the two devices, so which should you choose?

iPhone-16e-vs-15-Pro-Buyers-Guide-Feature.jpg

The iPhone 15 Pro launched in September 2023 for $999, and was discontinued upon the launch of the iPhone 16 Pro one year later. It continues to be available from third-party retailers, as well as used or refurbished, for prices around $600 to $750 depending on the configuration.

Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two iPhone models is best for you, and serves as a way to clearly see what additional features the iPhone 15 Pro brings to the table. The iPhone 15 Pro is a much more feature-rich device than the iPhone 16e, but the latter has a small number of advantages:

  • Better chip: The A18 chip is made with TSMC's latest fabrication technology and sports a higher CPU clock speed, making it more powerful and efficient than the A17 Pro.
  • Audio: The iPhone 16e features wind noise reduction and audio mix for better quality audio capture.
  • Thinner and lighter design: With an aluminum frame, the iPhone 16e is 0.45mm thinner and 20 grams lighter than the iPhone 15 Pro.
  • Longer battery life: Thanks to the custom-designed Apple C1 model, the efficiency of the A18 chip, and a 22% bigger battery, the iPhone 16e boasts battery life that's at least three hours longer than the iPhone 15 Pro.

As a device that's 18 months newer with a more powerful chip, the iPhone 16e may be more likely to be supported by the latest version of iOS for longer than the iPhone 15 Pro. It is also likely to be useable for longer through battery degradation, especially if you're comparing it to a used iPhone 15 Pro.

In every other respect, the iPhone 15 Pro is superior. Here is every difference between the two models:

iPhone 16eiPhone 15 Pro
Aluminum and glass designTitanium and glass design
"Notch" housing TrueDepth camera arrayDynamic Island housing TrueDepth camera array
800 nits max brightness (typical)1,000 nits max brightness (typical)
1,200 nits peak brightness (HDR)1,600 nits peak brightness (HDR)
2,000 nits peak brightness (outdoor)
ProMotion with adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz
Always-on display
Slightly smaller due to slimmer borders around the display
A18 chip (made with enhanced 3nm N3E process)A17 Pro chip (made with base 3nm N3B process)
4.04 GHz CPU clock speed3.78 GHz CPU clock speed
4-core GPU6-core GPU
LPDDR5X-7500 memory with a bandwidth of 60 GB/sLPDDR5-6400 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s
Apple C1 modemQualcomm X70 modem
mmWave 5G connectivity
Wi‑Fi 6 connectivityWi‑Fi 6E connectivity
Thread networking technology
Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip
"Advanced" 2-in-1 camera "Pro" triple camera system
48-megapixel Main camera with ƒ/1.6 aperture48-megapixel Main camera with ƒ/1.78 aperture and larger sensor
12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera with ƒ/2.2 aperture
12-megapixel Telephoto camera with ƒ/2.8 aperture
1x and 2x optical zoom0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 3x optical zoom
Optical image stabilizationSecond-generation sensor-shift image stabilization
True Tone flashAdaptive True Tone flash
LiDAR scanner
Portrait mode with Depth ControlNext-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control
Night mode portraits
Macro photography
Apple ProRAW
Wind noise reduction
Audio Mix
Shoot and instantly transfer 48-megapixel ProRAW images to Mac via USB 3
Record video directly to an external drive
ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (60 fps with external recording)
Macro video recording, including slo‑mo and time‑lapse
Log video recording
Academy Color Encoding System
Capture spatial photos and videos for Apple Vision Pro
USB 2 transfer speeds (up to 480Mb/s)USB 3 transfer speeds (up to 10Gb/s, 20x faster)
DisplayPort support for up to 4K HDR video output
Compatible with MagSafe cases, wallets, wireless chargers and more
Qi wireless charging up to 7.5WQi wireless charging up to 7.5W and MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W with 20W adapter or higher
4,005mAh battery3,274mAh battery
26-hour battery life23-hour battery life
Weighs 167gWeighs 187g
7.80mm thick (0.31 inches)8.25mm thick (0.32 inches)
128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage options128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options
White and Black color optionsNatural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium color options
Released March 2025Released September 2023
Starts at $599Started at $999 but now discontinued; available for ~$599


The iPhone 15 Pro offers a large number of upgrades over the iPhone 16e. With little to no price difference to obtain a display with ProMotion and always-on functionality, MagSafe, Dynamic Island, and a brighter display, many customers will easily be able to justify getting the iPhone 15 Pro over the iPhone 16e. Perhaps most noticeably, the iPhone 15 Pro unlocks a wealth of... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: iPhone 16e vs. iPhone 15 Pro Buyer's Guide: Which Is Best for $599?
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/guide/iphone-16e-vs-iphone-15-pro/
Last edited:
That chart is so messed up, it's almost impossible to determine what it should really be.

It's labeled iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. I'm guessing the iPhone 15 column should really be the iPhone 16e column. The launch dates seem to be backwards. The article says the 16e starts at $599, but the chart shows (presumably the 16e) starts at $699. I chose not to look at all the other stats at that point.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Yimbaz and raybo
I made this exact point the other week when the 16e was being suspiciously compared to the 14 Pro. The trade in value on my 15PM was about €25 higher than the new 16e, so I wondered how hard the Apple sales pitch would be.

It’s a joke of a comparison. You don’t even need to look at a table of “at least 50 differences” to know the answer. The 16e is a significantly inferior product in every single way.
 
  • Like
  • Disagree
Reactions: Hammerd, currocj, geta and 11 others
I just made that exact choice. Decided I wanted a bigger phone to complement my aging 13 mini. Was looking forward to the 16e but was extremely disappointed by the price and lack of MagSafe. Picked up a 15 Pro in excellent condition (only had 18 cycles) for less than the 16e would have cost me (both 256gb storage).
 
  • Like
Reactions: mzlin, Godspeed8230, System603 and 3 others
Godspeed8230 said:
why did Apple stop selling the iPhone 15 Pro? The blue color is super nice.
Click to expand...
To lower the chances of you realizing that 15 Pro/Max is superior to every other available iPhone except iPhones 16 Pro/Max.

And also to lower odds of you thinking about how similar 15 Pro/Max is to 16 Pro/Max in terms of raw specs and performance and then opt for a 15 Pro/Max over a 16 Pro/Max.

-In short, Apple loses a decent amount of profits when you don't buy new at full retail price.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mzlin, Godspeed8230, Timpetus and 4 others
Agreed but you’d better hope that the refurnished ip15 grade matches what you’ve paid for and that you don’t get a battery under 90%. Oh and you can’t get AppleCare. All that glitters is not gold.
 
The iPhone 16e is now Apple's lowest-cost iPhone at $599. However, 2023's iPhone 15 Pro is now available for very similar approximate prices from third parties.

The iPhone 15 Pro launched in September 2023 for $999, and was discontinued upon the launch of the iPhone 16 Pro one year later. It continues to be available from third-party retailers, as well as used or refurbished, for prices around $600 to $750 depending on the configuration.
Click to expand...
If you're going to compare used, refurbished, and discounted 3rd party retail versions of the iPhone 15 Pro to the iPhone 16e, it shouldn't be compared to the iPhone 16e's $599 retail price when it can be had for around $360 from other retailers.

The question should be: Which Is Best: $360 iPhone 16e vs $600 to $750 iPhone 15 Pro
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: locovaca, paradox00, Student of Life and 1 other person
I don’t know the US market, but aren’t the 15 Pros being sold now used/refurbished and generally without AppleCare? I’ve lucked out with AppleCare on some “refurbished” models from third parties in the past, but it’s been very hit and miss. More than anything in this article, that’s the real trade off you make when buying a device Apple isn’t manufacturing anymore.

At the same price, the 15 Pro is a compelling alternative to the iPhone 16, let alone the 16e. The CPU gains vs the 15Pro are extremely marginal and the graphics performance is actually worse for the 16 and 16e.

The whole reason the base model exists is so that Apple doesn’t have to keep selling the more costly to produce Pro models at ever decreasing prices and hurting margins. If you can get the last gen Pro, it’s going to be the better value (as long as you can go without or with a shorter duration of AppleCare) because that’s literally why Apple isn’t selling it…
 
lol that was a epic mess up on the chart🤣😂 but seriously when It comes to regular iPhone 15 owners it really was a let down to get those phones only for Apple to tell them they won’t get any ai features at all and only a17 and newer will get it Apple dropped the ball on that one👎🏻
 
  • Like
Reactions: System603
I stayed with my 15 Pro when the 16P came out, couldn't see paying for a phone that really didn't interest me. Same with the 16e.

My 15P is aging very well with battery still at 100% capacity and only 115 cycles. I realized that all I really want is for my 15P to make calls, text, and check with the few apps I regularly use. I don't do emails, internet browsing, etc. In other words, I don't use my 15P as my main computer. I have a M4 Max studio pro for that.

And maybe the reason I'm a retired widower with nothing exciting to do explains a lot of that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Timpetus and arkitect
Veinticinco said:
And mutton can be dressed as lamb.
Click to expand...
If you can find a iPhone pro 15 in great condition, it's a no brainer, obviously.

But compared to the regular iPhone 16 - OK, the 16e doesn't have... Camera control? I don't see many fans of that.

Or because you can't take trippy wide angle shots? Or macro shots (I'm betting not many people do).

And MagSafe? OK, that's great if you use it, not going to miss it if you don't.

And the 16e has way better battery life.

In the end, if you've never had a feature, you won't miss it. But if you've been on the pro train, you can't really come off it. Why would you swap a 120hz always on display for a 60hz one that switches off?
 
I can't find any iphone 15 pro models under US$899. Where is everyone finding the $599 iPhone 15 pro? I've scoured what I think are the major 3rd party vendors. Can some one point me to a $599 iPhone 15 pro? Thank you so much!! :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: geta
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back