At the "It"s Glowtime" event on September 9, 2024, Apple announced its latest flagship smartphones, the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Here is how the new models compare to the two previous generations, namely the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max and the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
Unlike last year, which marked the switch from stainless steel to titanium, this year"s iPhone Pro retains its case materials. Apple still uses grade 5 titanium, albeit this time, customers have a new color: a gold-like Desert Titanium, which replaced Blue Titanium.
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The iPhone Pro lineup now offers bigger displays. Both models gained an extra 0.2 inches, resulting in the iPhone 16 Pro measuring 6.3 inches and the iPhone 16 Pro Max measuring 6.9 inches.
Besides larger displays, the biggest outside change on the iPhone 16 Pro is the new Camera Control—a special button on the right side. You can press it to launch the camera and take pictures or record videos. In addition, the button has a touch-sensitive surface, which allows you to swipe and tap to control various settings, such as zoom, exposure, etc. Last year"s Action Button is still here, and its capabilities are the same.
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max feature a brand-new A18 Pro CPU. The chip is built with second-generation 3nm technology with revoked architecture for faster and more energy-efficient performance. Apple promises a 17% increase in system memory bandwidth, 20% faster graphics with two times faster hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and about 15% faster CPU cores that consume 20% less power.
Finally, Apple improved cameras. Both smartphones feature the 48MP Fusion camera system with faster sensors and new capabilities. The iPhone 16 Pro can record at 4K 120 FPS in Dolby Vision and take photos at 48MP ProRAW or HEIF. In addition to the main wide camera, the ultra-wide lens received a new 48MP sensor. As for telephoto, the smaller iPhone 16 Pro now features the same 12MP 5x telephoto camera.
Here are the key changes summed up in a list:
- Bigger displays by 0.2-inch: 6.3" in the regular iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9" in the iPhone 16 Pro Max
- The new 3nm Apple A18 Pro processor
- The new Camera Control physical button with a touch-capacitive surface
- The new 48MP ultra-wide camera
- 5x telephoto lens on the standard iPhone 16 Pro model
- Video recording at up to 4K 120 FPS
- Wi-Fi 7 support
- Significantly better battery life
- Faster wireless charging at up to 25W with a 30W adapter
- A new color option: Desert Titanium
Here is how the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max compare to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro lineups:
| iPhone 16 Pro / Pro Max | iPhone 15 Pro / Pro Max | iPhone 14 Pro / Pro Max | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 6,3" 2622x1206 1000/1600/2000 nits brightness 1 nit min brightness Dynamic Island Always-on-Display 1-120Hz | 6.9" 2868x1320 1000/1600/2000 nits brightness 1 nit min brightness Dynamic Island Always-on-Display 1-120Hz | 6.1" 2556x1179 1000/1600/2000 nits brightness Dynamic Island Always-on-Display 1-120Hz | 6.7" 2796x1290 1000/1600/2000 nits brightness Dynamic Island Always-on-Display 1-120Hz | 6.1" 2556x1179 1000/1600/2000 nits brightness Dynamic Island Always-on-Display 1-120Hz | 6.7" 2796x1290 1000/1600/2000 nits brightness Dynamic Island Always-on-Display 1-120Hz |
| Case | Titanium 199g (7.03oz) Action Button Camera Control | Titanium 227g (7.99oz) Action Button | Titanium 187g (6.6oz) Action Button | Titanium 221g (7.81oz) Action Button | Stainless Steel 206g (7.27oz) Mute Switch | Stainless Steel 240g (8.47oz) Mute Switch |
| CPU | 6-core A18 Pro | 6-core A17 Pro Bionic 6-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine | 6-core A16 Bionic 5-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine | |||
| RAM | 8GB | 6GB | ||||
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| Cameras | 48MP Fusion + 48MP ultra-wide + 12MP telephoto f/1.78 + f/2.2 + f/2.8 apertrue Second-gen sensor-shift OIS | 48MP wide + 12MP ultra-wide + 12MP telephoto f/1.78 + f/2.2 + f/2.8 aperture Second-gen sensor-shift OIS | 48MP wide + 12MP ultra-wide + 12MP telephoto f/1.78 + f/2.2 + f/2.8 aperture Second-gen sensor-shift OIS | |||
| Video | Cinematic mode for videos with shallow depth of field 4K HDR 30 fps ProRes video up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording Macro video recording | Cinematic mode for videos with shallow depth of field 4K HDR 30 fps ProRes video up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording Macro video recording | Cinematic mode for videos with shallow depth of field 4K HDR 30 fps ProRes video up to 4K at 30 fps Macro video recording | |||
| Front Camera | 12MP f/1.9 aperture Photonic Engine Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR 30 fps | 12MP f/1.9 aperture Photonic Engine Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR 30 fps | ||||
| Data | GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA+ Wi-Fi 7 | GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA+ Wi-Fi 6E | GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA+ Wi-Fi 6 | |||
| SIM | No physical SIM Dual eSIM support | |||||
| Battery | TBD mAh 27 h video playback | TBD mAh 33 h video playback | 3274 mAh 23 h video playback | 4422 mAh 29 h video playback | 3200 mAh 23 h video playback | 4323 mAh 29 h video playback |
| Ports | USB-C (10Gb/s), MagSafe and Qi2 Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter 25W wireless charging with a 30W adapter | USB-C (10Gb/s), MagSafe and Qi2 Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter | Lightning, MagSafe and Qi Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter | |||
| Colors | Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Ttanium, Desert Titanium | Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, Black Titanium | Deep Purple, Gold, Silver, Space Black | |||
| Price | $999+ | $1199+ | $999+ | $1199+ | $999+ | $1099+ |
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will be available for pre-order on Friday, September 13. Shipments begin on Friday, September 20.