iPhone 16 Pro Listed: every single difference between the 16 Pro and 15 Pro

[ISignedUpToAskThis]

Went through the 'compare' section on the Apple website to look at every single spec difference, big or small. All are listed below (apart from the different color options).

Main differences - slightly bigger display, slightly better processor, Camera Control button, all round more feature rich cameras which seem more geared towards pro video/audio capture, around 10%-12% better battery capacity (approx), very slightly taller and wider but 12 grams heavier (noticeable IMO), slightly better thermal dynamics. Oh, and WiFi 7 instead of 6. No upgrade to Bluetooth though.


First time I'm seriously considering NOT upgrading, there really aren't any worthwhile differences IMO, and it's heavier.



16 Pro (compared to 15 Pro)

6.3" display (versus 6.1")
2622 x 1206 resolution (higher res, but same PPI of 460)
A18 Pro (versus A17 Pro)
Camera Control button

Camera - 48MP "Fusion"
Camera - 48MP Ultra Wide
Camera - 48MP macro photography
Camera - Record Spatial photos and videos
Camera - 5X Max Optical Zoom (instead of 3X)
Camera - Anti-reflective lens coating
Camera - Video - Record video Dolby Vision up to 4K 120
Camera - Video - ProRes up to 4K 120 with external recording (up from just 4K 60)
Camera - Video - Studio quality four-mic array
Camera - Video - Wind noise reduction
Camera - Video - Audio Mix

Battery - 27 hours video playback (+4 hours)
Battery - 22 hours video streaming playback (+2 hours)
Battery - 85 hours audio playback (+10 hours)

Latest generation Ceramic Shield (stronger than 15 Pro)

MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W with 30W adapter or higher (lower on 15 Pro)

1 nit minimum brightness (no listed minimum for 15 Pro)

Taller by 3mm
Wider by 0.9mm
Heavier by 12 grams

WiFi 7 - 802.11be (upgrade from WiFi 6)

 

[AppleFanatic10]

Not enough for me to upgrade.

 

[CatalinApple]

I am interested in the Anti-reflective lens coating. How much will this improve the quality of pictures and videos?
The 1 nit minimum brightness is it going to improve battery life if always on display is turned on?
WiFi 7 is a good upgrade since I am planning on upgrading my router as soon as the prices for WiFi 7 go down a bit.

 

[Pandyone]

Now compare it to say an iPhone 11 or 12 or earlier. Then the upgrade will make a real difference in day to day usage.

It’s the same every year, people get disappointed expecting a revolutionary upgrade, from last year?

 

[MF878]

Upgrading every year hasn’t been worth it for some time, they pretty much only get one or two headline features per year + incremental chip/camera improvements.

 

[Arcontia]

This upgrade path is not worth it, even less so that 15 Pro / Max is the sole non-16-iPhone getting AI - that in its own self is a compelling reason to just save your cash and hang on to your 15P

 

[CatalinApple]

Faster charging is another difference from the previous model

iPhone 16 supports even faster wired charging than ever - 9to5Mac

According to a new certification from the China Quality Certification Centre, a regulatory body in China, all iPhone 16 models...

9to5mac.com

The iPhone 16 series got a big charging upgrade that Apple didn't talk about

Apple did not disclose the biggest upgrade on the iPhone 16 series, which is its 45W fast wired charging capabilities. Read on to learn more!

www.androidauthority.com

 

[Carlsberg69]

Went through the 'compare' section on the Apple website to look at every single spec difference, big or small. All are listed below (apart from the different color options).

Main differences - slightly bigger display, slightly better processor, Camera Control button, all round more feature rich cameras which seem more geared towards pro video/audio capture, around 10%-12% better battery capacity (approx), very slightly taller and wider but 12 grams heavier (noticeable IMO), slightly better thermal dynamics. Oh, and WiFi 7 instead of 6. No upgrade to Bluetooth though.


First time I'm seriously considering NOT upgrading, there really aren't any worthwhile differences IMO, and it's heavier.



16 Pro (compared to 15 Pro)

6.3" display (versus 6.1")
2622 x 1206 resolution (higher res, but same PPI of 460)
A18 Pro (versus A17 Pro)
Camera Control button

Camera - 48MP "Fusion"
Camera - 48MP Ultra Wide
Camera - 48MP macro photography
Camera - Record Spatial photos and videos
Camera - 5X Max Optical Zoom (instead of 3X)
Camera - Anti-reflective lens coating
Camera - Video - Record video Dolby Vision up to 4K 120
Camera - Video - ProRes up to 4K 120 with external recording (up from just 4K 60)
Camera - Video - Studio quality four-mic array
Camera - Video - Wind noise reduction
Camera - Video - Audio Mix

Battery - 27 hours video playback (+4 hours)
Battery - 22 hours video streaming playback (+2 hours)
Battery - 85 hours audio playback (+10 hours)

Latest generation Ceramic Shield (stronger than 15 Pro)

MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W with 30W adapter or higher (lower on 15 Pro)

1 nit minimum brightness (no listed minimum for 15 Pro)

Taller by 3mm
Wider by 0.9mm
Heavier by 12 grams

WiFi 7 - 802.11be (upgrade from WiFi 6)

Thanks for a good list on this, very informative!

I do respect anyone that identifies real need/s to upgrade and decide it’s worth upgrading, objectively or not. I’m still amazed with my 14 max and it performs greatly, can’t fault it whatsoever. I do keep to the strategy though that when upgrading I will go for the best to make it last as long as possible.

 

[Yuuuki]

Thanks for the list. I really would like to know how Apple tests these battery numbers. Why is the streaming only 2 hours longer while video itself is 4 hours longer?

Still not sure if this battery of the 16 Pro would be enough to get me through a full day, I really would like to have a smaller phone again. But the battery on the 15 Plus is truly amazing. Lately I end my days with still around 40% left on it. Doubt that the numbers on 16 Pro would be similar.

 

[CatalinApple]

Went through the 'compare' section on the Apple website to look at every single spec difference, big or small. All are listed below (apart from the different color options).

Main differences - slightly bigger display, slightly better processor, Camera Control button, all round more feature rich cameras which seem more geared towards pro video/audio capture, around 10%-12% better battery capacity (approx), very slightly taller and wider but 12 grams heavier (noticeable IMO), slightly better thermal dynamics. Oh, and WiFi 7 instead of 6. No upgrade to Bluetooth though.


First time I'm seriously considering NOT upgrading, there really aren't any worthwhile differences IMO, and it's heavier.



16 Pro (compared to 15 Pro)

6.3" display (versus 6.1")
2622 x 1206 resolution (higher res, but same PPI of 460)
A18 Pro (versus A17 Pro)
Camera Control button

Camera - 48MP "Fusion"
Camera - 48MP Ultra Wide
Camera - 48MP macro photography
Camera - Record Spatial photos and videos
Camera - 5X Max Optical Zoom (instead of 3X)
Camera - Anti-reflective lens coating
Camera - Video - Record video Dolby Vision up to 4K 120
Camera - Video - ProRes up to 4K 120 with external recording (up from just 4K 60)
Camera - Video - Studio quality four-mic array
Camera - Video - Wind noise reduction
Camera - Video - Audio Mix

Battery - 27 hours video playback (+4 hours)
Battery - 22 hours video streaming playback (+2 hours)
Battery - 85 hours audio playback (+10 hours)

Latest generation Ceramic Shield (stronger than 15 Pro)

MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W with 30W adapter or higher (lower on 15 Pro)

1 nit minimum brightness (no listed minimum for 15 Pro)

Taller by 3mm
Wider by 0.9mm
Heavier by 12 grams

WiFi 7 - 802.11be (upgrade from WiFi 6)

The new iPhones support faster wired charging. The original poster should add this to the list of what changed.

iPhone 16 supports even faster wired charging than ever - 9to5Mac

According to a new certification from the China Quality Certification Centre, a regulatory body in China, all iPhone 16 models...

9to5mac.com

The iPhone 16 series got a big charging upgrade that Apple didn't talk about

Apple did not disclose the biggest upgrade on the iPhone 16 series, which is its 45W fast wired charging capabilities. Read on to learn more!

www.androidauthority.com

 

[Jackbequickly]

I am in!

 

[snipr125]

The 16 Pros are nice, the best iPhone you can get but only a slight upgrade coming from a 15 Pro in my opinion, so not worth it plus i love the size of my 15 Pro.

 

[Nikhil72]

Thanks for the list. I really would like to know how Apple tests these battery numbers. Why is the streaming only 2 hours longer while video itself is 4 hours longer?

Still not sure if this battery of the 16 Pro would be enough to get me through a full day, I really would like to have a smaller phone again. But the battery on the 15 Plus is truly amazing. Lately I end my days with still around 40% left on it. Doubt that the numbers on 16 Pro would be similar.

streaming is longer because it's using a modem to pull data vs locally stored video..

 

[4sallypat]

Very nice list!

45W wired charging is my jam.

Upgrading from 14+ to 16 Pro (Apple Card financing made me do it).

 

[JaraCz]

Improved cooling system is missing. I am curious how does it go with game throttling

 

[donawalt]

Actually, I think this list is missing stuff. Here is the list I have been compiling:

What's better about the 16 Pro Max (vs 15 Pro Max)?

• Frame
  • Blasted titanium frame (vs. brushed)
  • Taller by 3mm, Wider by 0.9mm, Heavier by 12 grams
  • Faster MagSafe charging up to 25W
• Internals
  • Better thermals/heat dissipation - better heat management/performance by 20%
  • 15% faster CPU - A18 Pro (versus A17 Pro)
  • TSMC's "N3E" second-generation, enhanced ‌3nm‌ process (vs. "N3B" first-generation ‌3nm‌ process)
  • 20% faster GPU
  • ??% faster Neural Engine with “next-generation machine learning accelerators”
  • 2x faster hardware raytracing
  • 20% increase in memory bandwidth (faster RAM)
  • Snapdragon X75 5G modem (vs. Snapdragon X70) - up to 26% faster d/l speeds
  • Longer battery life (33h of video playback instead of 29h)
  • WI-FI 7 (Max theoretical speed of 46Gbps; vs. Wi-Fi 6E)
• Display
  • 6.9” display (versus 6.7”)
  • Latest generation Ceramic Shield (2x stronger)
  • more power efficient display
  • 2622 x 1206 resolution (higher res, but same PPI of 460)
  • Slimmer bezels by
  • 1 nit minimum brightness (vs. 2-4 nit)
• Camera upgrades
  • New Camera Control button
  • 48MP “Fusion" camera (instead of 48 MP “Main” camera.
  • 48MP Ultra Wide
  • 2nd-generation quad-pixel sensor with faster readout speeds and zero shutter lag (vs. 1st-generation quad-pixel sensor)
  • Dolby Vision video recording up to 4K at 120fps (vs. 1080 up to 60 fps)
  • ProRes video recording up to 4K at 120 fps (vs. 60 fps)
  • Slo-mo 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps (Fusion) (new)
  • Front camera: upgrades to 4K Dolby Vision recording across all frame rates
  • QuickTake video up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision
  • Support for new JPEG-XL format
  • Enhanced (vs. 15 PM) depth mapping for AR and portrait photography, allowing for more accurate background and subject separation, more realistic bokeh, and better AR experiences.
  • Spatial photos and videos (Isn't portrait mode the same as Spatial Photos? Not sure about this one...)
  • Latest generation Photographic Styles
• Audio
  • "Studio-quality" four-mic array
  • Spatial audio recording (vs. stereo recording)
  • Wind noise reduction
  • Audio Mix
• Apple Intelligence features (exclusive or enhanced over prior phones)*

• *Apple Intelligence features coming later
  • Visual Intelligence
  • Writing tools
  • Image Playground
  • Prioritize, summarize, focus, proof-read features
  • Enhanced Siri/ChatGPT integration
  • Cleanup photos
  • Math notes - handwrite equations
  • Mail app enhancements