iPhone 16 vs 16 Pro: Key Differences Explained

Apple has finally unveiled the new iPhone 16 lineup along with 2 new AirPods. The question is what sets the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro apart, considering the $200 price difference other than an extra camera on the back? There are many similarities between iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, but Apple has implemented sublte differences through software, hardware, and design. Let’s take a look at key differences between iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro and which iPhone is right for which kind of buyer.

Design

While both models have a similar body shape, there are some design tweaks. The iPhone 16 Pro models retain the same square-shaped camera bump we’ve seen in recent years, but the iPhone 16 switches to a new vertical lens arrangement. While this may seem like a cosmetic change, it was done to allow capturing Spatial Videos on the base models who also own Vision Pro headset.

Camera design isn’t the only change you’ll notice between them. iPhone 16 series is coming with a dedicated Camera Control button while the action button has been made standard across all models.

Apple is continuing with the aluminum design for the iPhone 16 and the titanium design for the Pro models. However, instead of the matte finish, the iPhone 16 Pro models now have a more polished look.

Display

Until now, iPhone base and Pro models shared the same screen size. This year was different though. iPhone 16 Pro sports a 6.3-inch display while the base iPhone 16 retains the same sizes as their iPhone 15 counterparts. One major upgrade is that the entire iPhone 16 lineup features a stronger ceramic shield, which is 50% tougher than the previous version.

However, what still disappoints us is the refresh rate on the standard iPhone 16. Even in 2024, Apple is still shipping the standard model with a 60Hz display. Those who haven’t experienced 120Hz may not mind, but since we’ve used the iPhone 15 Pro Max, we know how much of a difference it makes when playing games or scrolling through articles and social media.

Talking about games – even the base iPhone 16 model is capable of playing AAA titles like Assassins Creed with ray tracing.

Performance

Thankfully, Apple is no longer using older chipsets in the standard models. Both the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro come with the new A18 chip. However, the iPhone 16 Pro features the A18 Pro, which offers better graphics performance and Ray Tracing than the iPhone 16. Both models also come with a larger vapor cooling system, making them more suitable for heavy tasks like video editing and gaming.

Apple was vague about the difference in performance between the two chips. Rather, they ended up comparing them with older gen chips. The A18 in the iPhone 16 is 30% faster in CPU performance and 40% faster in GPU compared to the A16 in the iPhone 15. The A18 Pro in the iPhone 16 Pro models is 15% faster in CPU and 20% faster in GPU compared to the A17 Pro in the iPhone 15 Pro.

While the entire iPhone 16 series now comes with 8 GB of RAM and Wi-Fi 7, what really disappoints us is that the iPhone 16 Pro still starts with just 128 GB of storage. The Pro models are amazing devices for photography and videography, so starting with such low storage really sucks.

Another thing Apple didn’t mention at the event is how fast the USB Type-C transfer speed actually is. After digging through the spec sheet, we found that Apple is still using a USB-C port with USB 2.0 speeds (480Mb/s) on the standard iPhone 16, while the iPhone 16 Pro models get the much faster USB 3.2 (up to 10Gb/s). We noticed something similar happened in the iPhone 15 series.

In terms of software, all iPhone 16 models come with iOS 18 out of the box, including home screen icon customization, app locking, Apple Intelligence, and more.

Pro Tip: Do you own an old iPhone that doesn’t support Apple Intelligence? Here’s how to get AI on them for free.

Camera

Apple has worked the harded in the camera department adding several upgrades compared to its predecessor. There is a new Camera Control button on the entire iPhone 16 series. You can control camera settings with simple gestures, like sliding your finger to adjust exposure or a light press to open camera tools, hard press, and more.

The 48MP fusion camera (fancy word Apple is using for the main sensor) not only you can take high-quality photos but can also be used as a 2x telephoto lens to take zoom shots without compromising on quality.

The ultrawide camera on the iPhone 16 lineup can also be used to shoot extreme close-up macro shots. Users can also record immersive 3D videos with spatial audio, creating a more lifelike viewing experience when played back on devices like the Apple Vision Pro.

However, some camera features are exclusive to the iPhone 16 Pro models, such as shooting videos at 4K 120 fps (including slow motion), adjusting playback speed after capturing video, a 48 MP ultrawide camera, and a 5x telephoto lens on both Pro models.

Battery and Charging

Apple has not shared the battery details of the iPhone 16 series. There is no info on mAh so we will have to wait for the teardown. Apple says that iPhone 16 base model provides 2 extra hours of video playback than the iPhone 15, while the iPhone 16 Pro offers 4 more hours compared to the iPhone 15 Pro. Notice how Apple keeps comapring certain specs with old iPhone models? If you know, you know.

We’re still waiting on the official battery capacity numbers, but based on the rumored specs, it looks like the iPhone 16 should offer a bit more juice overall.

What really caught us off guard was Apple increasing the wireless charging speed on MagSafe from 15W to an impressive 25W when using a 30W or higher charging brick. It’s a bit strange, though, that wired charging is still capped at 20W though you can get 27W charging speed with a faster charger as we saw in iPhone 15 series too.

Availability and Price

The iPhone 16 comes in some new and vibrant colors – ultramarine, teal, pink, white, and black. The Pro models stick to more traditional shades like black titanium, white titanium, natural titanium, and desert titanium. Personally, I prefer the shades of the iPhone 16 Pro models over the regular iPhone. But since color is a subjective matter, it’s really up to you to choose the one that best suits your style.

Pre-orders for both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models will start on September 13, with sales beginning on September 20. Here are the pricing details:

Final Thoughts: Which One’s for You?

Starting at $799, the regular iPhone 16 offers many new features, especially over older models like iPhone 13, making it a worthy upgrade. Initial iPhone 16 lineup leaks suggested that the Camera Control button will be limited to the Pro models at launch like Action button was limited to iPhone 15 Pro models. But Apple exceeded expectations.

iPhone 16 offers a lot of value like AI, Action and Camera Control buttons, performance, AAA gaming with ray tracing, and good battery life. All of that for $200 less. We recommend you go with the iPhone 16 base model unless you are professional influencer, photographer or videographer, and need to get the most out of your iPhone 16 Pro’s cameras.

The only drawbacks of the base model are AOD (always-on display) and 60Hz display but you should be fine with it if you are a long term iPhone user.